[707Stang]

my brother is trying to use our desktop at home and can very limited access the webz but this is what he gets, he can get to GOOGLE but when he tries to do anything else it fails, asks if he wants to send an error report, this is on our old desktop with XP any ideas? i know the webz works, as i was using it before on our laptop.. this computer has never been connected to the interwebz.... if that helps, we have had it for 7 or so years.

[707Stang]

no one?

[Luis_GT]

try to get windows updates

[v606er]

I have an old computer I got from my school, because they were upgrading, in my room with the same problem. My laptop works fine in my room though.

I'll be waiting for an answer too.

*metaphorically taps foot*

[707Stang]

Originally Posted by Luis_GT try to get windows updates

it's done updating, its updated for 2 days or so now lol

[dude496]

you have either a virus or a spyware. I've had that happen several times when I was running xp...never had a problem on vista though.

[Safi]

plug the thingamabob into the doohickey and kablewy. you're done!

[dude496]

Originally Posted by Safi plug the thingamabob into the doohickey and kablewy. you're done!

nah ya got it all wrong...plug the kablewy into the thingamabob, chug 3 beers and thens yous gotta push the light on the doohickey, chug 2 beers, call your buddies and tell them that the doohickey is on, invite them over to chug beers...then your done.

I've spent way too much time in Oklahoma...

[Safi]

Originally Posted by dude496 nah ya got it all wrong...plug the kablewy into the thingamabob, chug 3 beers and thens yous gotta push the light on the doohickey, chug 2 beers, call your buddies and tell them that the doohickey is on, invite them over to chug beers...then your done. I've spent way too much time in Oklahoma...

Reps

[atlacatl213]

can be anything from hardware problem to software problem....

in no particular order

reboot
make sure he has latest drivers *not windows update, go to manufacturer's website for ethernet drives*
scan for viruses
make sure firewall isn't blocking internet connection
make sure everything is connect and set up properly (router, cables, AOL dial up software... not sure what you're using here)
renew DNS and renew IP

all i can think a top my head at almost 4 in the morning. (>o.o)>

[DC_Dave]

On a computer that old, there's no telling what's going on with it.

The two clues you give, access only to google (I assume when you click a link on the google search results, the browser crashes, resulting in a "error, send report to..." dialog box). The browser crash seems to indicate a problem with the browser software rather than a configuration problem.

Are you using internet explorer (IE)?

If you are using IE, try loading firefox and see if you're able to access the internet. If you are experiencing the problem with both IE and firefox, then you probably have an OS, configuration, or virus/spyware problem.

Since you've run the XP updates, I will assume you don't have an OS problem.

If this is a former school-provided computer, then you may need to re-install the OS to get around the configuration problems (may I suggest ubuntu?).

I doubt it's a configuration problem, though, if the browser is crashing.

If it is a virus/spyware problem, the best way to take care of it is to remove the hard drive from the computer and connect it to another computer that is running the virus software and anti-spyware software of your choice. I prefer AVG free, ad-aware, malwarebytes anti-malware, and javasoft spywareblaster.

Edit: once the hard drive is connected to the other computer, run the scans on it. Removing the drive ensures that any virus/spyware that gets run on boot is not active and can be removed by the av software. Like stepping on a snake's head before cutting it off.

[Lefty]

What browser?

[ReverendDexter]

+1 to what DC Dave said.

The only thing I might add is to ask what *version* of what browser is being run. If it's IE, it has to be at least 6, as that's what shipped with XP. If you insist on continuing to use IE, at least upgrade to 7 (8 can still have some issues). Better than IE anything would be Firefox 3 or newer; I'd suggest Chrome but it's not going to work well on a slower system.

As DC Dave suggested, going to Ubuntu would be best, assuming that there is no software that chains your brother to using Windows.

[sgrcltpunk]

if in IE go to tools and internet options .... then go to the connections tab and go to lan settings and see what is checked if anything other than detect automatically is checked then uncheck them

[Ace417]

could be a bad host file

[Fox2102]

download firefox or update internet explorer

[BakerFX4]

Is there a way to just completely WIPE a computer out and put it back to stock? My other laptop used to be descent till i turned it into a downloading music only laptop. It is so full of shit and fucked up now! Anything i can do to save it?

[whiteboycustom]

Originally Posted by BakerFX4 Is there a way to just completely WIPE a computer out and put it back to stock? My other laptop used to be descent till i turned it into a downloading music only laptop. It is so full of shit and fucked up now! Anything i can do to save it?

usually can be done if u have all the disk that came with it

vista i think has a option to reset to factory settings

[BakerFX4]

naw this one isnt vista. The one im using now is vista but it works like a champ. Just need to do something with the other one. I would even send it to a fellow member if he could fix it up. I could toss them a few bucks for bringing it back to life.

[whiteboycustom]

Originally Posted by BakerFX4 naw this one isnt vista. The one im using now is vista but it works like a champ. Just need to do something with the other one. I would even send it to a fellow member if he could fix it up. I could toss them a few bucks for bringing it back to life.

start,all programs,accessories,system tools,system restore