Member Avatar for nccsbim071

Hi,

I am facing a really wierd problem, i just formatted my harddrive and installed windows xp service pack 3.

Now i can't access any of the google services. like gmail it get some certificate errors and not trusted site in mozilla and something like this in all other browser.

I can't log in to gtallk. It gives me error "Could not authenticate server"

and in google search all get the search results that are only related to my country.

I don't know what is happening.

any help please,

thanks

  • 4 Contributors
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  • Latest Post Latest Post by nccsbim071

Dani AI

Generated

’s hosts-file suggestion is the exact fix that resolved ’s issue. Hosts-file entries are consulted before DNS, so any line that forces google domains to an incorrect IP (including 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0) will cause browser certificate-name mismatches and break services that rely on hostname authentication (GTalk, web signin/OAuth). Redirecting traffic through another server can also make search results look region-limited.

Recommended follow-ups and hardening (quick checklist):

  • Confirm system time and that Cryptographic Services were checked (as suggested) — cert validation depends on both.
  • Backup the hosts file before editing, then remove or comment suspicious lines. Hosts file location: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.
  • Run a full scan with an up-to-date AV plus an on-demand anti-malware tool (to detect persistence mechanisms).
  • Check browser proxy settings and startup/autorun entries (msconfig or Sysinternals Autoruns) for anything that recreates hosts modifications.
  • Inspect Trusted Root Certification Authorities (certmgr.msc or Internet Options -> Content -> Certificates) for unexpected root certs.
  • If removed entries reappear, treat the system as persistently compromised: perform an offline rescue scan or clean reinstall, and change sensitive passwords from a known-clean device.

Quick commands useful on Windows:

copy %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.bak
notepad %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
attrib +r %windir%\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
ping gmail.com
nslookup gmail.com
ipconfig /displaydns

Hosts-file tampering fixes symptoms but not necessarily the cause. Persistent or repeated tampering is a strong sign of malware; if that is suspected, prefer offline scanning or a fresh install and rotate credentials that were used while the system was possibly compromised.

Recommended Answers

All 9 Replies

Member Avatar for gerbil

Hi. Check that you have set correct date and time.

Member Avatar for nccsbim071

Hi thanks for the reply,

My date and time is correct and is synchronized with time.windows.com.

Any other ideas.

Member Avatar for gerbil

Ascertain that your Cryptographic Service has started, is set to Automatic.

Member Avatar for oA9999

Why did you formatted you hard disk? is there any reasons like virus, i.e?

Member Avatar for nccsbim071

Hi gerbil and oA9999,

Thanks for the reply.
Cryptographic service is running and is set to automatic.

I had to format my computer to install new os "windows7".I did install windows7 used for few days then i had some problems, motherboard did not support it fully. so i had to downgrade to windows xp sp3.

After installing xp sp3, i encountered this problem.

Still no solution.

Thanks,

Member Avatar for Simeon Naranjit

This might not make a difference, but for the sake of getting it out of the way... check the HOSTS file entries and see if something is pointing it to the wrong place. Are you able to ping a few google services... gmail.com, mail.google.com, and see if you can hit them.

commented: He solved the problem by providing exact answer. Very helpful +2
Member Avatar for nccsbim071

Hi Siemon,

Thanks for the reply. Your suggestion of removing host entries from hosts file did solve the problem.

Thanks a lot man,
You are great

Member Avatar for gerbil

The hosts file entries... any chance your sys has been infected by malware?

Member Avatar for nccsbim071

Hi gerbil,

I don't know whether my computer is infected by malware or not.

but after removing some entries from hosts file my problem was solved and now i can access all google services just like old times.

Thanks,
Randhir

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