Microsoft doesn't think we're online

Jeneral · Apr 19, 2009

I hope someone can point me in the right direction here, or at least tell me where I can start...

A few months back, we got hit with a virus and ended up wiping our hard drive and reinstalling Windows. Since then, just about every Microsoft product we own doesn't recognize our internet connection. We have high-speed DSL through Embarq and a wireless router. It all works fine. Internet Explorer works fine, Google Chrome works fine. Windows Media Player, however, won't connect to the internet. Neither will any Microsoft Office product (so we can't register it and therefore get full functionality). Neither will (Microsoft) Zune Marketplace. They all say that we aren't connected to the internet. I've looked around for solutions and done all the usual things suggested (adjust firewall settings, etc.) to no avail. Since all other online functions (including iTunes) work with no problems, the only common thread is that they're all Microsoft products (except IE) that don't think we're online.

Has anyone experienced anything like this, and can anyone suggest a solution? It seems like it should be something simple, like a setting that's incorrect. But I'm just stumped.

Maryn · Apr 19, 2009

I've got no ideas for help, but I'd hate you to think we were ignoring your question. So I'll keep you company until somebody techie comes along, okay?

Maryn, offering lemon-blueberry bread

Jeneral · Apr 19, 2009

Awww, thanks for the munchies, Maryn!

Clair Dickson · Apr 19, 2009

Hm.

Well, you can call Microsoft and activate your products over the phone in order to get full functionality. That's one thing you can solve. Also, whilst you're on the phone with them, you could probably ask them what do to solve the problem.

Try going to the Microsoft Updates Website and checking for updates for your computer. See what updates it finds that you don't have.

What happens when you try activate/ connect online? What sort of error do you get? Does it just not work? Does it give you an error message of some sort?

When you wiped the harddrive-- did you back up files that were on it? (If so, then the questions is-- did you bring the virus back onto the machine?)

Sounds like something is just switched off. Since it's all the Microsoft products, it makes me think either virus/malware or somethign with your internet connection is stopping your from accessing Microsoft (router, modem, ISP, or computer setting.)

That's all I got for now. But, really, I'd call Microsoft and get those products activated by phone. =)

Prawn · Apr 19, 2009

Somehow I find it hard to take Microsoft staying off of your computer as a completely bad thing.

Matera the Mad · Apr 19, 2009

Write down the exact wording of any error message and Google it with the words in quotes.

LOL @ Prawn

jeffo · Apr 20, 2009

I'm with Prawn -- getting Microsoft to think you're offline sounds like a good idea.

The oddest part of your description is that IE works. That's a Microsoft product, too, and it should be accessing the internet using the exact same method that other Microsoft products do. Even if you change settings in IE, that should update everyone. I can't even think of a way to make things work that way. As Clair suggested, perhaps calling to activate will get you moving quickly, and then checking Windows update for updates, since they put those out all the time. Also, the exact error message can often be found on Google when you put quotes around it these days!

K1P1 · Apr 20, 2009

It really does sound like a firewall issue (I know you've looked at that), but I'd take another look. If you've got a firewall that you "train" where it asks for permission when each program tries to access the internet for the first time, see if you can put it back into training mode. I know how to check all this in Zone Alarm, because that's what I use, but I don't know the other firewalls well enough to give you specific advice on this.

Jeneral · Apr 20, 2009

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. I've done the look for updates thing (the computer's set to automatically download updates, and it's up to date), and I've done the "google the error message" thing. We use McAfee on that computer for security, and I'll play around some more with the firewall and see if I can figure something out.

I don't think it's a lingering virus; we keep our writing and music files on a removable hard drive, and I moved a lot of those files to my little netbook with no problems.

I guess a call to Microsoft is next. Thanks for helping me puzzle this out.

Matera the Mad · Apr 20, 2009

McAfee is a virus :tongue

But I can't imagine why some MS crud is getting through and some isn't. I've never worked through anything quite like it (I never use WMP either...).

Jeneral · Apr 20, 2009

Matera the Mad said:
McAfee is a virus

LOL! No arguments there. But the husband already paid for a year of it, so we're stuck with it for now. It's a resource-suck though - I couldn't get it off my netbook fast enough.

Clair Dickson · Apr 20, 2009

Just to make sure we're clear-- I'm not talking about the Automatic updater. Make sure you go to Microsoft's website and check for updates. Some viruses will prevent the MS updater from working.

Check to make sure that you're allowing programs through the firewall. Look for Exceptions to the firewall blocking.

Run a secondary virus scanner. A virus can easily hide on a removable drive... some are set to trigger after a certain time period, etc. Avira or AVG are both free and are good scanners.

We had a couple school computers that got a nasty, nasty Trojan. The Symantec scanner the school paid for never found it. It said the computer was fine, even though it had pop-ups galore. I ran Avira and found the Trojan. So, just because one scanner says the computer is clean, that may not be the case.

Unfortunately, you're being a bit coy with the information. If you posted the error message, that might help. It's really hard to trouble shoot a problem without fully understanding what the problem is.

Best of luck to you.

Jeneral · Apr 21, 2009

I had no idea I was being coy. Sorry about that, certainly not my intention. I said in my first post that it says we're not connected to the internet, and that's really the jist (gist?) of any error message I get.

When I go to Windows Media Player, it won't grab CD names. When I go to the "online store" section, it says "WORK OFFLINE SELECTED. You must be connected to the internet in order to access Online Web Store pages. If your computer is online, verify that the Work Offline command on the File menu is not selected." My computer IS online, and the Work Offline command is not selected.

I've looked through the firewall settings, and specifically set it to allow any and all programs having to do with my husband's Zune (the program itself, Zune Marketplace, etc.) and continue to be unable to go online through Zune Marketplace. (Same type of error message: "Can't access the server. Make sure you're connected to the internet...") Similar response from Microsoft Word.

I've gone to the Microsoft site and manually checked for updates. We have them all. I will give Avira a try on this machine, it works well on my netbook. We did run System Mechanic briefly on this computer before we bought McAfee,

Thanks.

ChristineR · Apr 21, 2009

When you reinstalled Windows, do you know if it did a complete reinstall or just put Windows over the existing disk?

Another way of asking this, is did you lose every single file on your disk? Did it restore you to factory-new condition, with all those worthless links to services like AOL that you had already removed? Or did it just (supposedly) fix Windows?

Jeneral · Apr 21, 2009

We had brand-new worthless AOL links. Huzzah.

ChristineR · Apr 21, 2009

I think that kills my theory, although it's also possible that Microsoft has convinced itself that you lent your Windows disk to someone who has installed them illegally. I think they'd refuse to work altogether in this case, though.

jeffo · Apr 21, 2009

Here's one more to try -- shut off McAffee, completely. No, don't leave it off, but turn it off, say "Yes" to all the warnings, and then see if suddenly everything works.

Matera the Mad · Apr 21, 2009

Good idea--just make sure you have some other protection installed first!

The "Work offline" thing makes me wonder. Something is effed up there. That "off-on-line" cr@p was always a stupid (eg. Microsnot) idea. Stupid trick: Try opening everything that doesn't work, check the bleeming offline, close everything, open all again and uncheck. I call that kind of procedure "shaking it up" -- every once in a while something shakes loose. Not always

You could always install a better alternative to WMP...

Williebee · Apr 21, 2009

Backing up a second -- (pun intended)

When you reloaded, did you pull the programs over from a back up (or from an image or system restore), or did you do a complete re-install of everything?

Oh, and, I've used Matera's method more than once. Basically it sets then resets registry settings. Kind of like when you have a small section of text that is in italics and you italic the whole paragraph, then remove the italics, leaving the entire paragraph without italics.

(wow, just read that back... weird.)

Jeneral · Apr 21, 2009

Williebee said:
Kind of like when you have a small section of text that is in italics and you italic the whole paragraph, then remove the italics, leaving the entire paragraph without italics.

(wow, just read that back... weird.)

LOL! I had to read that a couple of times. :-D

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions. I think I tried turning off McAfee, but to be honest I can't remember at this point, so it's worth trying again. When I have a chance to sit down with the desktop (hopefully this weekend), I'll see what I can do.

Oh, and Williebee - we did complete re-installs of everything. We don't have a ton of programs on that computer and still had all the discs.

Matera - I don't even think we care to use WMP anymore... husband was using it to listen to MP3s he purchased thru Amazon (he's very anti-iTunes), but he uses the Zune for that now.

Thanks again!

Microsoft doesn't think we're online

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

Maryn

At Sea

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Prawn

Writing is finite,revising infinite

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

jeffo

K1P1

Procrastination is its own reward

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

ChristineR

What happened?

Jeneral

Cat wrangler

ChristineR

What happened?

jeffo

Matera the Mad

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

Jeneral

Cat wrangler