Programs not connecting to internet please help

[jokerhdc]

i just got this computer about 3 months ago its a toshiba satelliteA215 its a nice computer im not sure what happend i let my cousin on here and he said he didnt do anything to my computer but now none of my programs will connect to the internet i have wireless cable internet my computer is connected to the net and my internet explorer did not work untill i restet the settings now its fine but still im a online gamer and i cannot connect to steam,limewire, yahoo messanger,aol messanger,google earth,anything that is downloaded installed and requires internet to work will not connect even windows update will not connect please help me!..if any information is needed please just ask i miss playing my games and chating to my friends thanks for your time oh and i have tryed it with and with out my windows firewall on still nothing happends it just says cannot connect or says connecting the whole time depending on what program i try please help

toshiba satelite a215, windows vista SP1, AMD Turion 64x2 2.0 GHz, ATI radeon graphics card, 2 gigs of ram

[ronallandottk]

Check the following. Maybe one of these is the culprit.

- Reboot. Simple as it may seem, rebooting sometimes fixes the problem.
- Is your notebook's wi-fi adapter turned on? Can your adapter find wireless networks?
- Is your wireless access point on? To be sure it connects, turn it off then on again.
- Is your cable modem turned on? To be sure it connects, turn it off then on again.
- Is your notebook able to connect to your wireless access point? If someone else used it he or she may have connected it to some other access point.
- Is your wireless access point secured? If so, does your notebook have the proper key?

It's not likely to be a hardware problem (unless the wi-fi adapter is malfunctioning).

Try clicking Start-Connect to-name of your access point.

If that doesn't work, click Start-Control Panel-Network and Sharing Center

There is a graphic which shows if you are connected to the internet or not.

If there's an "X", try clicking on "Diagnose and repair" on the right side of your screen.

Let us know if you're able to connect.

[jokerhdc]

yea my internet exploerer works fine im connected to the internet but my programs will not connect im useing the computer to type right now so i can use the net i have cable internet but every other program that needs the internet except exploerer will not connect and i have tryed so many times and this has gone on now for over a week and i have did a system restore before he had the computer it did not fix anything so im not sure what to do or what he did its verry upsetting and if i fix this i will never loan a 600 dollar item out again

[ronallandottk]

First, run a thorough antivirus and antimalware scan. Some viruses and spyware are known to be able to interfere with internet connections.

If you're computer is clean, then try totally turning off Windows Firewall, not just on but with exceptions, but totally off.

Do you have another firewall program (Norton Internet Security, Lavasoft, Kapersky, Comodo, etc.)? Turn it off as well.

If you have any resident antivirus/antimalware software (Norton, Symantec, Avast, AVG, Kapersky, etc. )try turning it off as well. This isn't normally recommended, but you may have to try it to identify the cause of your problem.

Is your Vista 64-bit? It may very well be because your 64-bit IE7 works but all your other 32-bit programs (games, LimeWire) can't connect. Try this:

Open a command prompt as an administrator (enter "cmd" in the search window at the bottom of the start menu).

Type the following on the command prompt (no quotes):

"ipconfig /flushdns" then press enter.

"netsh int ip resetn" and press enter.

Reboot.

Open a command prompt again (enter "cmd" command again)

Type the following at the command prompt:

"netsh winsock reset" and press enter

Reboot again.

Try your programs. With any luck this will solve the problem.

[jokerhdc]

ok i did this and on both the ipconfig/flushdns and netsh winsock reset i got the same promt from both it said "the requested operation requires elevation" not sure what that means but nothing worked please help me thank you for keep tryin to help me i have applied at other forums and none have helped me yet you have tryed the most thanks

[ronallandottk]

It means you have to have to type the commands in as an administrator. To do that click Start, then go to Accessories, then right-click the Command prompt icon, then select "Run as administrator".

When the command prompt comes up, type the same series of commands I've mentioned earlier. Hopefully it should fix the problem.

[jokerhdc]

okay i did this and still did not fix the problem .. what would you think i should try next is there a file that could be missing that could cause all my programs not to connect to the internet or anything i have been thinking about this all day today and still nothing i have tryed quite alot today please anymore things you think i should try let me know thanks again

[ronallandottk]

Basically all that is left for you to try is to do a system restore.

Click Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore

Choose a restore point, preferably dated earlier than when your cousin used it, since that is the point where everything seemed to work. Click next, and let it do it's thing.

Assuming you have a restore point saved, one that was saved before your notebook started acting up, it should go back to the way it used to be.

[jokerhdc]

hey i think on my 2nd post i already typed i have tryed the system restore thing im not sure can you walk me threw a total format or have a phone number you can email me incase i need help with the formatting process because once i do this ill be fully off the internet with no way to get back on email it to me jokerhdc@yahoo.com i would greatly apreciate that im from oklahoma and dont know many placeses around where i live that i trust with my new computer thanks again

Brandon

[ronallandottk]

Typically notebooks such as yours come with a recovery CD/DVD which restores your computer to the state it was when you first bought it. All that you should do is boot from that CD/DVD and the process is more or less automated, except for a few prompts now and then.

If you're installing from a Windows Vista DVD, an excellent walkthrough can be found here:

http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=370

Again, you simply boot up from the Vista installation DVD.

If you can't boot up from your optical drive, simply enter your BIOS (press DEL, F2 or some other key-combination specified on your PC) and change the boot order accordingly.

Note that you have to have your activation key. Otherwise, your Vista installation will lock up within about a week.