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Microsoft program disables Internet

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Tags: Windows

I have at home a Windows XP system on a Lenovo PC. Following TR’s advice, I downloaded Microsoft’s program to look around and see if there would be any problems with installing Windows 7. When I ran the program, it could not find the Microsoft website, with which it apparently needed to communicate. Nor could Seamonkey, my usual browser, find anything on the Web; nor could Internet Explorer. Yet all the lights on my modem were solid green. Any idea where I should look to find and fix things? Tonight or tomorrow I plan to uninstall that Microsoft program, but perhaps it’s already done its nasty work and uninstalling (if that’s even possible) will have no effect. I have had a look at Internet in the Control Panel, but nothing of relevance appears to my admittedly inexperienced eye (I am an applications programmer and, although I have done some systems work, that was a long time ago, before even MS-DOS, so I have very little knowledge of modern operating systems).

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Clarifications 1391793835

In reply to Microsoft program disables Internet

Clarification dummy post @ 1391793835

Normally this doesn’t happen John

In reply to Microsoft program disables Internet

Not sure what is going on with the Lenovo but it could be a Software Conflict with something already installed on the unit.

Not sure how to proceed here other than suggest Rolling Back to a earlier Restore Point before the Upgrade Adviser was installed as the best option here.

Col

Silly question

In reply to Normally this doesn’t happen John

How do I Roll Back? There is a kind of backup that occurs from time to time, but on the same disk; I forget its name (I am not at home at the moment) but I am pretty certain it comes from Microsoft. I also have off-site file saving with JustCloud, but that is only for text files and the like.

Is there anything in particular I might sensibly look for in the Control Panel?

Try “System Restore”,

In reply to Silly question

click on “Start”, then “Accessories”, then “System Tools” and look for “System Restore”. Click on that and choose a restore point before the installation of Upgrade Advisor.
Sorry Col…didn’t mean to step on any toes, hehe!
Wiz

Mot mysterious thing

In reply to Microsoft program disables Internet

When I got home on Friday evening, after reading the above kind suggestions, I went to the email handler on my PC and found that the web-based parts of certain messages were now appearing, which they had not been doing before. Then I tried the browser itself, and, again, all went well. After doing some work of various kinds, I started the Upgrade Adviser: it seemed to function correctly.

I can only surmise that something went wrong with my DSL line just after I downloaded the Upgrade Adviser, something the modem and my software did not detect, and that whatever it was got remedied late on Thursday or on Friday before I got home.

Thank you for the advice.

I am curious

In reply to Microsoft program disables Internet

You say you are an applications programmer. Do you build apps for a specific niche platform?

Apologies in advance, I don’t want to appear rude, but your choice of words is what caught my eye. I am genuinely interested in what you do.

applications programmer as distinct from systems programmer

In reply to I am curious

I currently program on a Unix mainframe, and have previously worked on ISPF on TSO on MVS on IBM mainframe, on MPE on HP 3000, with Access on a Windows PC, on Primos on Prime 500, on MCP on Burroughs MS, on Cyber on CDC 6600, on BS3 on TR440, on George on Executive on ICL 1900, on OS/8 on PDP-8. In retrospect, a lot of this work has been systems work, but I do not know how to do systems things on PCs or even on Unix. I write and maintain programs for a variety of applications in education at present, in health care and telephone billing and insurance and some other things in the past. My happiest time was working for varied scientists with a statistical package.

arhimag

In reply to Microsoft program disables Internet

“When I ran the program, it could not find the Microsoft website, with which it apparently needed to communicate.”
Maybe this problem is related to the penetration of some virus into the OS. I would recommend to clean the system of one of the programs to clean your registry and (perhaps) remove ads.

[Author]

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