Try your luck at this problem.

[evilbutterfly]

Jiggle the cables?

Or just go into network settings and go through that setup about a dozen times. When we first got my mom's computer it kept not seeing the network. We redid the network thing several times and eventually it worked. Also, I think shutting down EVERYTHING can help. One time shutting down the computer downstairs was the only way I could get this computer's internet to work again. I don't know why, but it worked. So, try turning off everything. Unplug the router from the wall and shut down all the computers on the network. Then boot them all up and have the "broken" one be the last to boot up. Restarting fixes a lot of stuff, so just restart EVERYTHING.

[Spazzbite]

Squeek, Norton SUCKS BALLS. It missed 358 viruses on my computer. After the Avast! scan and the winsockfix, it worked fine. BTW I turned off system restore and deleted all of the restore points because the virus is most likely still in the System Restore.

[JurseyRider734]

Omg. Maybe a HACKER got in!

[Squeek]

Alright. I'm back. Good to see more helpful posts in the problem.

Spazz: I've gone ahead and downloaded Avast!. I'll be installing it as soon as I get back upstairs.

Evil: I'll try that once someone who knows where the key to my sister's room is. Isn't that pleasant? We've put the router and the modem into a room which is always locked. And I'm the only one who can fix it! We're superintelligent here.

Feuer: Reformatting is my last option. Although it is a week old, I have already filled 140 of the 160 gigs and I want to be 100% certain that they will stay. I know you can back them up and reformat other parts somehow, but I want to be risk-free with those files.

Anti: It's possible, but why would it suddenly break down after just a week's use? It worked just fine all up until the night it messed up. I did everything just like I did on my old computer. Except the new one actually HAD anti-virus. (From that you can glean that the old one had no such anti-virus protection. Guess what? I never had any problems with it.)

Snapps: Computer repair stores are my option even after reformatting. Not only will they charge $75 just to look at it, the repair people would glance at it and simply recommend a new card. They never EVER help. And I know more than they do.

Off to check these ideas out.

**Edit**

Avast! solved nothing. It didn't even find anything. Took like 30 minutes to scan too.

Replugging everything in wasn't helpful either.

My friend is coming over soon. If he cannot fix it while he is here... I don't know what I'm going to do.

~Squeek

[Feuergeist]

You know, Anti has a point. If a piece of equiment is faulty, it will break down quickly. Bad manufactoring happens, and every once in a while you get the bad piece. For example, I bought a guitar recently, and I take it home and everythings fine. a few days later i try and change the strings, and the bridge back end piece snaps. (yes odd I know) I get it exchanged, and i changed the strings on the guitar first thing, and no problems.

[Chrissi]

I appologize for not helping, but I think this is at least somewhat semi-related. And it's funny and true.

A few years ago we got this computer.. it was like 600 bucks (canadian) and we got it from Staples. When trying to install Windows XP, the computer was EXTREMELY laggy.. it was just locked up the whole time. We left it overnight and it STILL didn't finish installing.

So I left a note for my dad to see in the morning that said "The extra RAM that you bought isn't pushed in all the way. Tell them to fix it." because of course, we're not about to open up a brand new computer because of something stupid the people we bought it from did. My dad paid for RAM and it was supposed to be installed for free, so they could figure it out rather than us.

So the next day my dad brings it back and, when he brings it back to me, says the repair-type guys said nothing was wrong at all. They opened it up, pushed the RAM, and it was fine. They said that it's "normal" for XP to lock up while installing, and that it actually finished overnight. Sure enough, it did finish and I just hadn't noticed. I still didn't bleieve them about that shit being "normal" though.

The only other computer I've ever had was only with 64 MB of RAM, so I didn't notice too much that it was half as slow as it should have been. I used it this way for about 6 months, after which time something else was wrong with it and we had to open it up.

Sure enough, the RAM wasn't pushed in all the way. We pushed it, it clicked, and it was like getting a whole new computer.

Conclusion: never trust the guys from Staples.

Edit: 700th post!

[Squeek]

Ok. My friend came in through the clutch on this one.

We've come to the conclusion that if uninstalling Norton does not work, I will put in another network card into an empty PCI bus slot. He just happened to have a spare one he could loan me. I may have to return this to Dell as well.

Speaking of which Chrissi, my brand new Dell had one of its RAM sticks short out in less than a week. After some e-mailing the dell representatives agreed to replace it.

Last-second update: Uninstalling Norton has fixed the problem. Norton is now on my blacklist of applications and I agree with all who said it was crap. Peice of garbage software.

A big thank you to all who helped with the fix.

~Squeek

[Spazzbite]

I'm glad I could um... Wait did I help you at all?

[evilbutterfly]

Wait, so Norton killed your computer? WTF!? Why/how is that like, the #1 anti-virus software????

[lightdarkness]

Norton killed my net connection also when going from 2000 to xp on my old comp.

[SotN]

Mr squeeky, toss your computer into the DMZ. Make sure that the firewall in Windows and any other 3rd party firewall is not enabled either. Packets from your computer can go to the outside world, but nothin's coming in.

Failing that, I'd check to see if anyone installed AOL on your computer or check if it came with it. AOL screws with network settings like nothing else. If you so much started AOL by accident, then there you go.

As a last resort, I'd borrow an ethernet card from your friend and check that.

If I had to bet, I would bet that the Windows firewall got enabled.

[Cenright]

So you can ping one way but not the other? That means it can't be hardware, it has to be software.
Sounds like a network security value was altered.

Now, because you are good enough to fix many problems, I think you can work with this without ruining anything on your comp, but be warned that this is one step lower than messing with the registry.

Try Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Local Security Policy (If that comp is running XP Home and not XP Pro, you are sunk here.)

In here, you can alter all of those in and out access values for your computer/LAN communications. Just be careful.

[vashthestampede0987]

This is what you do.
1. Reboot the computer.
2. If that doesn't work then save everything that you have on your computer and erase it clean.
3. After you erase everything scan the hard drive for bugs.
4. Now install everything back in.
5. If you completed the steps above your fucked.
6. Why the hell are you reading this step.
7. Goddamn your computer must be fucked if that doesnt work.
8-100+ If i were to right these steps they would all say this:
man if your computer is fucked, why are you reading this step, and GET A NEW COMPUTER!

[Anticrombie0909]

9. Don't listen to Vash, because 9 times out of 10 reformatting is not the answer, and 99 times out of 100 purging your computer is not the answer. Dolt.

Btw, who totally called it? This guy. Norton is a piece of shit virus software. The reason it's so common is because it comes preinstalled with WinXP, just like Windows comes preinstalled on all PCs. McAffee is far better, grab that.

[Cenright]

Well I am going to see if he can do anything in the local security policy.