cant get to certain websites

[Jules]

Hi again,

It seems that you are right and the hosts program wont allow these sites. I deleted them from this program - but I still cannot access these sites unless I turn off the program. Should I delete this program and do you think it is worth putting another one on?

Tx

[km2357]

Hi Jules,

Let's go ahead and remove your current hosts program and give you another one to see if that helps.

First, go to Add/Remove Programs and uninstall B.I.S.S. Hosts Manager. Reboot your Computer.

Then do the following step:

Step # 1: Download and Install MVPS Hosts

Download and unzip hosts.zip from here to a folder, preferably C:\Hosts\.

Open up the C:\Hosts\ folder and double-click on the mvps.bat file, it will rename your present HOSTS file to HOSTS.MVP, then it will copy the new HOSTS file to the correct location on your machine. It happens very quickly so don't blink!

Let me know if you can access reunion and classmates.com now.

[Jules]

Ok - I removed the B.I.S.S. hosts manager. And I am not sure I did the other right. I did not download an actual program - like the other. Just the host.zip file you hyperlinked. I did open the mvps.bat file. Is that the entire program? And do I really need a hosts program?

Anyway, I am able to go to both those website now.

Tx - let me know if you should do anything else.
Jules

[km2357]

Good to hear you can visit both sites now.

The .zip file you downloaded was all you needed, no need to download an entire program. And the mvps.bat file is the entire hosts program.

A hosts program is optional, but it is good to have one on your computer as it will block out the bad websites/websites known to have/load malware on your comuputer from loading. So, if you ever click on a link that directs to a bad website and that website is on the hosts programs list, it will block the webpage from loading and you won't have to worry about getting infected from that website.

If you experience any slowdown after downloading/installing the MVPS hosts file, you can do the following to help avoid the slowdown:

1. Click the start button on the task bar at the bottom of your screen
2. Click run
3. In the dialog box, type services.msc
4. hit enter, then locate dns client
5. Highlight it, then doubleclick it.
6. On the dropdown box, change the setting from automatic to manual.
7. Click ok..

Your version of SpyBot S&D is out of date. The latest version is 1.6.0

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/mirrors/index.html

Be sure to uninstall the old version of SpyBot S&D before installing 1.6.0


If there are no more problems, then you are good to go.

Please take the time to read my All Clean Post.

Please follow these simple steps in order to keep your computer clean and secure:

This is a good time to clear your existing system restore points and establish a new clean restore point

• Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore
• Select Create a restore point, and Ok it.
• Next, go to Start > Run and type in cleanmgr
• Make sure the C:\ drive is selected and click OK. If your computer's Hard Drive is not located on C:, change it to the correct drive letter then click OK.
• Select the More options tab
• Choose the option to clean up system restore and OK it.
• This will remove all restore points except the new one you just created.

.

Clearing your restore points is not something you should do on a regular basis. Normally, this process only needs to be done after clearing out an infestation of malware.


Make your Internet Explorer more secure This can be done by following these simple instructions:

1. From within Internet Explorer click on the Tools menu and then click on Options.
2. Click once on the Security tab
3. Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
4. Click once on the Custom Level button.
   
   • Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
   • Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
   • Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
   • Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
   • Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
   • Change the Navigate sub frames across different domains to Prompt
5. When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
6. If it asks you if you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
7. Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

Set correct settings for files that should be hidden in Windows XP

• Click Start > My Computer > Tools menu (at top of page) > Folder Options > View tab.
• Under "Hidden files and folders" if necessary select Do not show hidden files and folders.
• If unchecked please checkHide protected operating system files (Recommended)
• If necessary check "Display content of system folders"
• If necessary Uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types.
• Click OK

• Use An Antivirus Software and Keep It Updated - It is very important that your computer has an antivirus software running on your machine. This alone can save you a lot of trouble with malware in the future. It is imperative that you update your antivirus software at least once a day. If you do not update your antivirus software, then it will not be able to catch any of the new variants that may come out.
• Visit Microsoft's Update Site Frequently It is important that you visit Microsoft Updates regularly. This will ensure your computer has the latest security updates available installed on your computer. If there are new updates to install, install them immediately, reboot your computer, and revisit the site until there are no more critical updates.
• Use an alternative instant messenger program.Trillian and Miranda IM These are Malware free Instant Messenger programs which allow you to connect to multiple IM services in one program! (AOL, Yahoo, ICQ, IRC, MSN)
• Please read Tony Klein's excellent article: How I got Infected in the First Place
• Please read Understanding Spyware, Browser Hijackers, and Dialers
• Please read Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet
• If you are using Internet Explorer, please consider using an alternate browser: Mozilla's Firefox or
  Opera.
  If you decide to use either FireFox or Opera, it is very important that you keep them up to date and check frequently for updates of the browser of your choice.
• Update all these programs regularly Make sure you update all the programs I have listed regularly. Without regular updates you WILL NOT be protected when new malicious programs are released.
• If your computer was infected by a website, a program, IM, MSN, or p2p, check this site because it is Time To Fight Back.

Follow these steps and your potential for being infected again will reduce dramatically.

Here's a good website to read about Malware prevention:

http://users.telenet.be/bluepatchy/miek ... ntion.html

If your computer is running slow, click here for instructions on how to help speed up your computer.

Good luck!


Please reply one last time so that I know you have read my post and this thread can be closed.

[NonSuch]

As this issue is resolved, this topic is now closed.

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