Member Avatar for Namki

I am running Windows 7 32bit. Recently an odd issue has occurred.

I have internet, and programs such as Steam, that utilize the internet, can connect and load its pages.

However, three main web browsers I have, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer don't work.

Specifically- They sit on a loading page, as if I had a very slow connection. They don't stop and say "page cannot be loaded" or anything. They simply continue to load. But never finish. Blank pages.

However, a suggestion from a friend, I downloaded and used Pale Moon. This web browser CAN access the web, and allow me to browse.

I'm wondering if this is some kind of software issue in my machine, possibly a hidden hijacker virus? If it is, it doesn't seem to be doing anything but not letting me use the internet on those three browsers.


I have a computer downstairs, and its main browser is google chrome, and it browses fine, so it must be my machine.
I have also tried to google search this, and ran through many forums but, it seems it's so specific and issue I can't really tell if the post answers would be relevant or useful in my situation.

Please help! Sure I can browse the web now, but I'd like to know if I'm at serious risk here.

Edited by Namki because: n/a
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Dani AI

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Context and quick diagnosis summary: the symptom set reported by — Steam and other networked apps working while Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer hang indefinitely, and Pale Moon works — points away from a router/DNS outage and toward something that affects common browser stacks on that machine. 's proxy/LAN suggestion is a good starting point. Common root causes that match this pattern are a system-level proxy (WinHTTP/WPAD), a corrupted Winsock/LSP, entries in the local hosts file, or a per-user/browser profile/extension or security product intercepting HTTP(S) traffic.

A concise diagnostic checklist (run from an elevated command prompt where noted):

  • Basic connectivity vs name resolution:
    ping 8.8.8.8
ping www.google.com
nslookup www.google.com
  • Inspect and reset WinHTTP proxy (admin):
    netsh winhttp show proxy
netsh winhttp reset proxy
  • Reset Winsock and clear DNS cache (admin), then reboot:
    netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /flushdns

Follow-up checks and context-specific steps: inspect C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts for suspicious redirects; view browser behavior with extensions/add-ons disabled or a fresh profile (start Firefox in safe mode or launch Chrome with --disable-extensions) to rule out extension-level blocking; test whether the problem is user-specific by logging into a new Windows account. Since Steam works while major browsers do not, prioritize system-wide hooks (Winsock/LSP, WinHTTP, security software HTTP filtering) over simple DNS/router problems.

Advanced diagnostics and cautions: if the checklist does not restore normal browsing, capture a short HTTP trace with a debugging proxy (Fiddler/Wireshark) to see whether requests leave the PC and what responses arrive. Run an up-to-date anti-malware/ADW scanner and temporarily disable any web-filtering component of security suites while testing. All registry or network-catalog repairs require administrator rights and a reboot; back up settings before changes.

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Member Avatar for Member #915617

Did you check the lan and proxy settings for Internet Explorer? Most browsers by default use Internet Explorer settings unless you manually change them.

Here are details on how to do this:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/135982

Firefox will have this under "Edit->Preferences->Advanced->Settings button (under "Connection')

Chrome will have this under the Tool button -->Preferences-->Under the Hood-->Network

You might have to re-run the connection setup wizard in Internet Explorer to make sure Windows is configured for a direct connection.

Jeff

Member Avatar for flagstar

Did you have any other internet-related programs working on background besides steam?

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