[DeepSpace9er]

Im not sure how this happened but it happened. My computer has a major problem. It cannot connect to the Internet at all. It says its connected but nothing connects and the browsers do not resolve.

It started today when I was bored and fooling around with some proxies to see how they work, if at all. I entered an IP and a port in and that broke the browser. I thought no big deal, the IM clients still work, the DNS still resovles, just undo it and its fixed. Well, unchecking the options didnt fix it. Next I tried resetting the computer thinking that will clear up any weird left over data. This time the computer came up, and the internet apparently was connected but NOTHING worked, not even the IM clients. I disabled the Network connection and that hosed up the computer until it froze.

Reset. This time i try enabling it and it enables, so I try to open properties. Cant edit them because 'another network settings window is open. Please close that first.' It was a fresh boot WTF! I try closing non-essential programs with Task Manager and that freezes the Task Manager. So i open another instance.. same deal. Frozen.

Reset. I unplug the network cable and try disabling the connection again. That works this time. I try deleting all my history and cookies and stuff from the browser and that freezes. I try re-enabling the network connection again. Freezes the network program. Computer is getting very doggy and unresponsive again.

Reset. Loaded up the Windows 7 partition. Searched google unsuccessfully. Came to HLP to beg for help.

I have never had this problem before, but I think some sort of malware decided to take a crap all over me.

Comp Specs:
2.4Ghz C2D
4GB DDR2 800
Vista Ultimate x64 (messed up partition)

And before you XP and linux huggers decide to say 'vista is the problem...' its not the problem. I have used it for 2 years. First time anything like this has happened.

[iamzack]

you got haxxed

[The E]

Well, first, run a antivirus check on your system, just to be sure. Then, have you tried restoring the system from a restore point?

[DeepSpace9er]

Something was hosing it. I had to wait almost 20 minutes for System Restore to open after I double clicked it. I restored back to a previous restore point and that appears to have fixed all the issues. But now that the internet is working again, Im not sure I want to fool around with it.

[Nuke]

time to re-install windows. yay!

[Tyrian]

I'd grab avast! and do a boot time scan of your system, just to be safe.  I've seen some malware that's capable of arbitrarily reassigning your IP address, then phones the new address to another system.  The person on the other system can then use your system as a pass-through to connect to other systems.  It basically turns your machine into the attacker's personal proxy.  I'd check to make sure that your current IP address is really "your" IP address. 

When you get hit with something like this, your connection usually becomes unstable until the malware does its dirty work.  That's what happened to a friend of mine that got hit with something similar to this.  When his connection came back, his address was changed from 123.234.x.x to something like 74.226.x.x.  All addresses on our local network start with 123.234.x.x.  Those aren't the real addresses, but you get the idea of what stuff like this does.  It's nasty.