Member Avatar for boweasel

Running Windows 98 - 1st edition, I.E.6. Connected via high speed line.

Have been using Google as my home page in IE for years without a problem. 'Bout 3 weeks ago I noticed that Google had added a link to a Google of Canada page, and a few days later realized that I was now going to THAT page every time I opened IE (www.google.ca instead of www.google.com. But it hardly seemed important, since the functionality was the same...

Now, in the last few days I've lost the ability to get to either Google OR google.ca. I get the old "this page cannot be displayed" message. Every time I try to access Google. And ONLY Google. From anywhere. Every other website I've gone to seems to display just fine. But not Google. And for some weird reason I can get to Google news (although only news.google.ca ). I even searched Google news to see if there was some problem with the site, but found nothing...

I can also get to Google image search, and Google groups... just not Google itself.

And in perhaps the most bizarre twist, I can access Google thru AOL which I really only use anymore as a mail server.

I've run Registry Repair, Registry Mechanic, Spybot search and destroy, and AVG all without a change to the problem.

Of course there's other search engines available, and they all seem to work just fine, but I've gotten used to Google.

Any thoughts?

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Dani AI

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The symptom you described — only the main Google host failing in Internet Explorer while other Google services and access via another client worked — is classic for a local redirect or an IE-specific hook rather than an ISP/Google outage. Common causes are a modified HOSTS file, a proxy or Browser Helper Object/toolbar that redirects just that hostname, or a broken Winsock/LSP layer; the fact recovered access after a HijackThis-style cleanup fits that pattern. (learn.microsoft.com)

Practical checklist (ordered from easiest to most invasive):

  1. Inspect the HOSTS file for entries that point google.com / www.google.com / google.ca to 127.0.0.1 or 0.0.0.0 (Windows 9x/98 stores the file in the Windows folder, e.g. C:\Windows\hosts) — edit with Notepad and remove suspicious lines, save.
  2. In IE, confirm no proxy is set (Tools → Internet Options → Connections → LAN Settings) and temporarily disable toolbars/add‑ons.
  3. Use a trusted HijackThis scan to reveal suspicious BHOs, run/RunServices keys or proxy hooks, but do not use “Fix checked” unless you know what an entry does — HijackThis can help identify and remove the exact items that caused @boweasel’s problem. (en.wikipedia.org)

If those steps fail, the networking stack itself may be damaged (LSP/Winsock corruption or DNS‑changer style tweaks). On Win9x use winipcfg to check DNS and adapter info, repair the Winsock/LSP chain with an LSP/Winsock repair tool or by removing and re-adding the TCP/IP protocol via Control Panel → Network. Always record dial-up/ISP settings first. (cexx.org)

Cautions and next actions: back up the registry and important files before editing or letting automated tools “fix” registry entries. If manual cleanup and Winsock repair don’t restore access, reset the HOSTS file to defaults or perform a Windows repair — these are the practical last steps when local configuration has been damaged. (support.microsoft.com)

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Member Avatar for boweasel

I've run Registry Repair, Registry Mechanic, Spybot search and destroy, and AVG all without a change to the problem.

Just ran HJI and selectively fixed problems until Google was usable again.

Member Avatar for The Dude

When i tried to load www.google.ca it didnt come up!!

google.com loaded straight away..

Good luck me friend! Welcome to the site :)

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