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Is there an alternative to Adobe Flash?
Is there a way to determine if a site used requires Adobe Flash to work?

Thanks.

I have previously tried deleting my Internet Explorer program from the Zone alarm program list with the hopes that ZA would ask me to allow/deny program and then re-populate the program list with the proper settings. Unfortunately, this has not happened.

Zone alarm has not asked me for permission etc. for that program …..even at the highest setting. I have found that by lowering my ZA program control to allow outbound communication (thus no outbound protection by ZA) I can connect. Raising the bar while still on the internet allows continued use of IE. However, if I close my IE with the bar on max. protection I cannot re-connect to the internet via IE. The Internet Explorer program is, however, then re-populated into my ZA program list.

I have tried setting the IE in the list to allow all rights server, internet etc. but this has not improved things.

I assume that the next steps would be to either
A) Try the Winsock fix program (please instruct me how to use this and where to get this if this should be done)
B) Try installing a different firewall and seeing if the same thing happens (What firewall would you recommend that is not too difficult to configure?

Beyond this I’m not sure what to do. If other utility [programs might help me to debug I can try them.

Thanks for your suggestions. I realize that this is a firewall problem. (or something that it interfaces wit in IE)
I’m open to further input.

I have had a very similar problem only I have been using Zone Alram Pro. It seems like it may be an outbound connectivity ability issue.

Try using the Windows Firewall instead with IE and try turning the firewall to the lowest setting that then no longer has outbound protection and see if this works.

You can read further in my post ‘IE8 Connectivity Problem” that was recently posted..

Thank for the suggestions. I have tried most but still no success in finding the problem.

I tried turning my program control bar to the lowest setting in Zone alarm Pro …thus allowing and turning off “outbound protection”. I was then able to connect to the internet with Internet Explorer. Since when I used the Windows Firewall, which does not have “outbound protection”, I was able to connect I assume that my problem lies in the ability of IE initiate to connect outbound somehow.

After changing my setting in Zone Alarm and successfully getting a connection I turned the program control up to maximum protection. IE, still not closed from the original change, was able to connect to other sites. However, if i closed the IE then re-started it with Firewall setting on max. “connection could not be initiated”.

I tried running things in safe mode but not improvement.

Unchecking “automatically detect settings” did not help either.

I also tried running IE with (no add-ons) per below nad still no improvement.

I don’t know if I will need to run Winsockfix etc. or something else.

I am open to other possible causes and solutions.

I considered restoring thing to an earlier system restore but I unfortunately visited a “bad site”referred by a well-trusted site and got an infection on my machine which necessitated toggling system restore to ensure anti-virus program could eliminate it.[ Although my antivirus alerted me to a problem and locked further infection with quarantine a run of Malwarebytes was needed too]. Thus, I do not have an earlier sytem restore to go back to unless I can somehow get one off my “external backup drive” that was saved earlier in whatever format. [Even having WOT, Noscript, and an antivirus you still don’t have absolute protection these days.]

I may need to post this on another site with HJK logs etc. and do other scans..perhaps using Combofix (which I hope to avoid using).

The firewall that I have been using is Zone Alarm-Pro. My problems seemed to start (or weren’t noticed) until I was automatically updated to Firefox version 3.6.4 at which time it told me to update my Adobe Flash too which I did. A few days later there was a new update posted for Firefox version 3.6.6 which I then got.

Hopefully the Adobe flash upgrade which I had done immediately didn’t do anything. I did not save the upgrade to my desktop as I usually do. Hopefully, malware isn’t an issue. I use Noscript and I have my computer browser configured to run under “least user right” with dropmy rigths.exe too as additional security precautions.

I will try playing around with the firewall some more.