If you need to re-enter your internet details: click here to see how to do this.
Cannot access a website: I often receive calls for help because people cannot access a particular website. I usually find that they have entered the address into a search engine's Search field instead of internet Explorer's Address field.
No internet access on a new computer? If you use dial-up
for your internet/emails
(i.e. you are not
on broadband) and you cannot access the internet, you may have forgotten to order a modem with your new computer. Dial up modems are no longer fitted as standard, they are
an optional extra.
When the modem is not installed, people try putting the
phone line into the network socket which of course does not work.
The modem socket hole is 1cm wide and inside it you will see 2 or 4 brass
contacts. The word Line will be stamped alongside the modem socket. The
network socket is wider and has 8 brass contacts inside.
Stamped alongside the network socket you will see 3 little rectangles linked
together. If you forgot to order a modem you will need to have one fitted,
the component cost is between £7 and £12. Alternatively, you could buy an
external dial-up modem which plugs into a USB port.
If you have upgraded to Internet Explorer version 7 and
the internet pages now look bold and blurry, Internet Explorer has re-set
itself to show Clear Type. This is ideal for TFT screens (Thin Flat screens)
but does not work on CRT screens (bulky like a television ). Conversely, if
the text on your TFT screen looks blurred you need to set it to Clear type as
follows:-
For TFT screens: Click Start-->Control Panel. Then double click the
Display
icon. Click the tab labelled Appearance. Click Effects.
Select Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts.
Make sure that Clear Type is ticked.
For CRT screens: Using the above method, make sure that
Clear Type is NOT
ticked. Then set Internet Explorer so that it uses the same un-blurred text
as Windows; in Internet Explorer, click Tools on the top menu, click
Internet
Options then the Advanced tab. Scroll down to Mutimedia .
Un-tick the box next to Always use Clear Type for HTML. Click OK.
Internet Explorer version 7 is causing consternation because the gold padlock for secure sites (such as your on-line bank) does not appear on the bottom status bar. Microsoft has relocated the padlock to the right of the Address field (where it should have been in the first place).
Your recent web address list has vanished when you click the little down-arrow to the right of the Address field. These addresses are known as MRUs (Most Recently Used). Your anti-spyware has spotted these during a scan and flagged them as non-critical items. If you asked the anti-spyware to remove them they will vanish from your Address field. To stop them vanishing, next time you scan for spies, do not opt to remove non-critical items such as MRUs.
Error 403. Forbidden. Access Denied:
If attempts to open web pages fail with the above message, the usual
cause is a fault with your version of Internet Explorer version 7. The quick solution is to
install Firefox Mozilla and use that until the fault is fixed on I.E. Ver 7.
Un-installing I.E Ver 7 can be tricky and the corruption seems to persist
when it is re-installed. The most common cause is that two copies of
the shortcut for Internet Explorer ver. 7 exist on the computer. The one on
the Desktop is wrong and this causes the error message. Search both the IE7 and
'IE7
update' folders and find the shortcut icons. Double click each in turn to
determine which is the correct shortcut. Drag the correct shortcut
onto the Desktop using the right hand mouse button. Then drop the incorrect
shortcut into the Recycle bin.
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Adrian West © 2007 computer help, problems solved
A
West
web
design
No Dial Tone: nine times out of ten this is due to a faulty connection between the modem and the telephone wall socket. If the modem is connected to a telephone extension, then the extension wire may be the problem, sometimes it is a loose wire inside the wall socket.
The Page cannot be Displayed. If you see this instead of the internet page you were expecting, don't assume that the problem is yours. If the computer connects to the internet but refuses to show pages, the problem is not at your end. If you typed the internet address correctly then the problem is the fault of the ISP. Don't fiddle with your settings.
If you wait for an hour or two (or even day) the ISP usually sorts out the problem. If after a day or so you are still not able to load internet pages, you will need to complain to the ISP. One sure test is to ask a friend or technician to add his/her internet access details to your computer and then try accessing pages. If this is successful, tell the ISP's help line and ask for the fault to be corrected at their end. Don't forget to delete the friend's account from your computer.
Sometimes the ISP is down for a while due to a massive spam attack, or because some urgent ISP maintenance is needed.
The dreaded BT Landing page. If you are on dial-up pay-as-you-go and BT is your ISP (Internet Service Provider), you will sometimes be confronted with an Intelligent Landing Page instead of your home page. This means that BT have messed up your settings at the BT end. You will then be instructed to follow certain steps to correct BT’s problem. In my experience, these steps never work, and anyway I think that BT has a colossal cheek asking you to fix errors which BT created. If you complain to BT by email you will receive a five page diatribe describing how kind BT is in allowing you to put its system right. Whatever you do, don’t start altering the settings on your computer. If you wait, sometimes for an hour or even a day or two, the fault at BT will correct itself. When that irritating Landing Page appears I always have another pay-as-you-go ISP to fall back on. One advantage of dial-up is that you can have several ISPs and several email addresses. Because of this Landing Page, all but one of my clients who used BT asked me to change their ISP to Tiscali. When these clients eventually switched to broadband they naturally went with Tiscali.No dial-up panel appears when you start up Internet Explorer. Click File, if Work off line is ticked, click Work Offline to remove the tick. Then click the Go button on the right of Internet Explorer's Address field.
Your Home Page has mysteriously changed: or it is a blank white page. This usually means your browser has been hijacked by a spy program. These dodgy pages sometimes pretend to be anti-virus or anti-spy home pages. The new home page will contain dangerous links and if you click the links you could download viruses and Trojans. To solve a Hijack problem click here.
Service Pack 2 for Windows XP:
In August 2004, Service Pack 2 was released with a great deal of publicity.
Strangely some people missed it or ignored it. To protect your computer when
using the internet this
pack is essential. If you see a blue caterpillar at start up you have SP2
installed. .If you have a green caterpillar you can be sure of a load of
trouble from viruses, worms and trojans. In addition you may not be able to
access your internet or emails.
Service Pack 3 is due to be released shortly.