Tech question....Internet Explorer wont load web pages

[ikojo]

A friend of mine is having a problem. Whenever he goes to Internet Explorer to load a web page (AOL) it stops at 40%.

I suggested that he do the following:
Defrag his hard drive
Get rid of stuff off of his hard drive
Do a system clean up of Internet pages

He is on the following:
Windows 98

Are there other reasons IE would stop loading web pages?

[ixion]

1. yeah, get rid of AOL

and tell him to get a real ISP. That will clear it right up, guaranteed. ;-)

AOL is a shell account, as opposed to most all other ISP's, which offer socket accounts. With AOL, everything is requested via a proxy, which gets bogged down and times out.

[ikojo]

2. That suggestion has been made MANY MANY times

He refuses to leave AOL. He is VERY tied to routine and doesn't want to change e mail addresses. He's been on AOL for at least ten years.

So, since he wont get rid of AOL...what can I tell him about IE not loading web pages? Will anything I suggested he do help the situation?

[ixion]

6. probably not... it's a bandwidth issue

when pages don't load, that means IE isn't receiving html and images from the requested server. Although deleting temp files, etc will fix some things, it doesn't sound like the case in this instance.

AOL is the worst ISP in the US, IMO.

[Slit Skirt]

3. good suggestions...also

try disabling firewall software
you may have to uninstall/reinstall it....I have seen this before with zone alarm and black ice.

upgrade the OS

[ikojo]

4. I don't think he has a firewall (it costs money in most instances)

so that is probably not an issue.

He will not upgrade the OS until he gets a new computer. He doesn't do change well and as I said in a previous post, he is very tied to routine.

I should add he is on dial-up.

[Slit Skirt]

8. you can get zone alarm for free on the web

it was just a suggestion....if he has it, it could be the cuprit....

[HysteryDiagnosis]

5. Links

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Security/Win_Security/Q_21126935.html

Solution Title: Some web pages won't load after trojan removed via hijackthis.

http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=277526#post277526
Internet Explorer 6 Won't Load Pages

http://www.pcdocrx.net/cgi-bin/view.cgi/pcweb201/download.html
Our FREE diagnostic tool "PC MightyMax" has been designed to seek out potential Windows problems on your PC, with simplicity of use in mind.

"PC MightyMax" performs a series of diagnostic checks to locate file errors and problems, including all types of software errors, registry problems, leftovers from incomplete uninstalls, invalid registry entries created by viruses and much more.

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6620-0.html?forumID=14&threadID=14667&messageID=165821
The article "Troubleshooting Browsing Error Messages in Microsoft Internet Explorer" describes the steps you can use to troubleshoot the following error messages:

a. The Page Cannot Be Displayed.

b. Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site Web address. A connection with the server could not be established.

c. The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

d. Cannot find server or DNS Error.

e. An internal error occurred in Windows Internet extensions.

http://www.computing.net/windowsxp/wwwboard/forum/115581.html
hey i have a problem, ive got windows XP Home Edition, and im not sure but i think my little brother has done something to internet explorer to stop it from loading, if you try to type in a webpage, the thing down the bottom doesnt appear (the loading bit) and it jus stays the same, ive tried reinstalling internet explorer, but it did not help, all help would be appreicated

[ikojo]

7. Thanks to all for their suggestions nt