[Andreas]

A couple of days ago, my Firefox browser started "acting up". Sites like this one here, that require you to login to be able to post, couldn't be accessed anymore. It gave somesort of error message about not being able to access the preference file or somesuch.

Now, I thought that perhaps there was something wrong with the folder, so I go, and find the folder protected (I don't have an english version of XP, so I don't know the exact name in english). I unchecked the box, but it reverted back the second I saved those settings.

So, now I re-installed Firefox. No luck. Only one thing was left. IE.   *Drama*

So, with IE I was able to login in sites like this. Hovewer, now I wasn't able to download anything. It only gives me that "not found"-error.  

Now, the horrible thing is that I can't go back to check up on Firefox, to see if I can download with that, since I don't have the installation program, and obviously I can't download it anymore with the IE.

I think this might have something to do with the fact that I removed some obscure user profile that came with the computer (I bought it new, mind you). At least after that my browsers started acting up. I already tried the system restoration, but it only gave me an error about not being able to restore.

Now this wouldn't be a thing or two (for a while), but since I don't have any other P2P-programs other than BitTorrent installed, I can't even use them to download anything (attempt to download anything with the BT ends up in the same "not found"-error obviously).

Help?

[WMCoolmon]

Find an FTP download URL

Open the commandline (Start->Run "cmd")

Type "ftp ftp.site.com" replacing ftp.site.com with the site address (minus the path) of the FTP url.

CD through the directories (eg "cd pub, cd firefox, cd 1.0")

Once you reach the directory the file is in, type "get "

Type quit to close and exit

Look for the firefox file (it should turn up someplace)

[Andreas]

I've never done anything like that. I followed your instructions, but I can't download the file (I've been trying from Mozilla's FTP address). It just gives me a "not connected" whenever I try some commands.

[karajorma]

Unless you've chosen to show system files the only profiles in C:\Documents and Settings should have been your profile and "All Users" (Which you shouldn't be able to delete).

Where was the profile you deleted located?

I don't think your problem is simply with your browser. Sounds like a connection problem to me.

[Andreas]

I honestly don't know. I had never used that profile (I think it might have been password protected? I can't remember.), so I figured that removing it wouldn't cause no harm.

Could that have caused that I've somehow f*cked up my profile in the process?  That XP doesn't authorize me to download and such? My user profile says administrator, so I should have full access, right?

I had a problem last summer where XP let me accidentally **** up the profiles so, that I had no administrative features, but neither was there any administrator. I guess I fixed that problem by going into safe-mode and creating a new user with admin features.

All hail to XP!

I can connect to the 'net just fine, but it seems that certain things, like cookies and downloading are disabled?

[Col. Fishguts]

Get Opera.

[Andreas]

Since IE won't let me DL a damn thing, how am I supposed to do that?

[Xelion]

I have no idea what could have made firefox act up like that.

Originally posted by Ai No Koriida
So, with IE I was able to login in sites like this. Hovewer, now I wasn't able to download anything. It only gives me that "not found"-error.

Could be some settings in the internet options unders tools in IE

Originally posted by Ai No Koriida
I already tried the system restoration, but it only gave me an error about not being able to restore.

System Restore is most likely turned off or some files are corrupt

Originally posted by Ai No Koriida
It just gives me a "not connected" whenever I try some commands.

I've had a similar problem with IE in the past on Win98 but that was because I selected the 'work offline' mode on the menus in IE/Windows, so that wasn't the command line.

Besides checking your Internet Options in IE, taking a look at the firewall settings might be worth your time, maybe even the 'set program access and defaults' window. Have you got an email client? If you do, someone could send you an application and you could download it, but since the command line doesn't work it may not be possible. Seeing screenshots of the errors might help if this contain more information then simply not connected, for example error 172.

[Xelion]

Try here: Microsoft Knowledge Base

[Taristin]

Originally posted by Xelion
Try here: Microsoft Knowledge Base

Ooh! An Oxymoron!

[Andreas]

Thanks for your replies, I'll try to mess around with the various settings, and see if that helps. Maybe it is just a simple problem with IE, but all those problems appearing at the same time in two different browsers has gotten me just slightly paranoid.

[IceFire]

Wait, Firefox doesn't work, IE doesn't let you download things, and you can't do a system restore.

That raises some alarm bells that the least of your problems are Firefox not connecting to a site.

[Andreas]

What I meant was that Firefox didn't allow me to log into HLP with my user name. That's bad. Obviously I couldn't use my e-mail either, then.

I'll propably try to do a system restoration later. It should also revert the user profiles back as well, right? Supposingly, if that user profile I deleted is really the core of the problem. Who knows?