Internet Explorer problem

bigpaddy2004

Not sure if this is the section for this but i have a pc connected into a hub, which in turn is connected into a dsl modem. When internet explorer is opened up google loads very slow and everything else is slow thereafter a few mins until it all stops. While internet explorer is opened up, it is not possible to ping google or any other site through dos.
If i close down internet explorer i can ping with no problems any site through dos. Avg antivirus will take downloads no problem at 30kbps until explorer is opened up. What could be wrong. I have upgraeded it from version 5 to version 6 with no improvement.

Thanks

Stark

There could by spyware/virus installed with Internet Explorer that's uploading data in the background.

bigpaddy2004

Stark wrote:

There could by spyware/virus installed with Internet Explorer that's uploading data in the background.

Would it be better for me to format the entire pc, or install a spyware program onto it. Is there any software which will allow you to spy on the ethernet connection and its activity?

JoyPad

You could also get Firefox and avoid IE altogether.

Cheers,
JP

Captain Trips

bigpaddy2004 wrote:

Would it be better for me to format the entire pc, or install a spyware program onto it. Is there any software which will allow you to spy on the ethernet connection and its activity?

Get Sypware Search & Destroy, and Lavasoft's Ad-Aware. Both are free for personal use.

Don't waste your time formatting your PC. You don't need to "spy" on the ethernet. The problem is obviously is with IE, and not your PC or the ethernet connection.

After you run the spyware checkers above, go and get Firefox and think about what you've done

Capt'n Midnight

Also
www.microsoft.com\security for their antispyware product to detect registry changes
analogx also have a script blocker

ZENER

JoyPad wrote:

You could also get Firefox and avoid IE altogether.

Cheers,
JP

Yep . . you could do that, but what about Firefox's problems ?
Like this one . . .

. . or this one . .

or this one even . . .

. . . and just to cap it off !!

Note, in the last link:

Between July and December 2004 Symantec documented 13 vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer and 21 vulnerabilities affecting each of the Mozilla browsers. Six vulnerabilities were reported in Opera and none in Safari.

Takes the shine of Firefox somewhat.

ZEN

JoyPad

ZENER wrote:

Yep . . you could do that, but what about Firefox's problems?

It's the same story all over. If I hadn't downloaded and installed over 100 patches and security fixes for IE, I'd say a few glitches is a big deal. But trust me, it isn't that big a deal, as the likes of Symantec want you to believe. They are conducting these researches and publish these articles merely to justify their existence, and advertise their products.

It reminds me of an article I read in a local newspaper recently: it was about "unusual levels" of some element in the atmosphere, radon or something like that. Of course, the concentration was above normal levels, blah-blah, continued on page 5. So, as I turn the pages, I'm thinking "how do you check these levels?", and "what do you do if you find out the levels are risky? do you sell your house and move somewhere else?". Anyway, the article continues telling how everyone should have two meters for radon levels, one for sitting area, and one for bedroom. And presto, buy them from us, the people who wrote the article, for 30 euro each.

I'm not saying that these security flaws do not exist. They do, and they are being patched as they are found. There aren't any flags against the latest version of Mozilla, afaik, so I feel pretty secure. A lot better than when I was using IE. Nuff said.


Cheers,
JP