Head scratcher - IE related - no contact with family! :(

Hello
I do have (some kind of) computer qualification, yet I've been unable to solve a fairly annoying problem lately and I'm hoping someone here can help me!
I bought this laptop (equipped with internal modem & XP) before leaving for university. Before leaving i set it up successfully on the ADSL & LAN in my parent's house. It all worked fine, including MSN and IRC.

Since arriving here, and switching to dial-up, only IE works now. Neither IRC nor MSN detect the connection to the internet, dispite being connected.
I have tried the following things in an attempt to suss it out:

Changing modem COM port
Changing 'Automatically Detect Settings' within IE
Changing Default Gateway tick-box
Disabling original LAN drivers
and probably a few more, I have forgotten in frustration..
Basically the Windows Troubleshooter was useless and to top it off, a professional (here at the uni) was equally baffled.
Other programs outside IE simply aren't detecting the connection, when connected.
Is there anyone that can help me with this issue? I know it's a typical loser Q, but it has stopped me from staying in good contact with my family who live, mostly, abroad.
Thanks!

Hi Christoff

Welcome to VirtualDr.

XP has an internal firewall. Possibly it is blocking your connection for those applications when using dial-up. You could turn it off, but I don't recommend running without a firewall.

As an alternative you could download the free version of ZoneAlarm which you can configure to allow the things thru which you want.

If you need help doing these things please ask and someone will guide you through. BF

thanks for the welcome & advise Big Fred :)
unfortunetly i already had that firewall switched off and Norton installed. even with norton disabled the same things happen.

Hi Christoff

I'm sorry but I don't have any other ideas for you. If it was working with an ADSL connection and now it won't with a dial-up perhaps you need to take a look at what other changes have occured.

The laptop connects via a socket to either the nic to the adsl modem or the com port to the dial-up modem. The fact that IE works with both sugests there is no problem in this area.

Have you tried re-installing IRC?

Have you installed some other application which may have damaged or changed a .dll?

Does your mail client work OK?

Not sure what I would do at this point, hope someone else can come along with a few ideas. BF

all else fails, start from scratch......


goto... start >> control panel >> "click" switch to clasic view (top left) >> you should see more icons >> now, double click on network connections >> you now should be showing "lan, broadband and dialup settings" >> please, Delete all broadband connections and dialup connections, but make sure you remember your username and password for your dial connection.

Now

look to the top left, you should see "create a new connection" >> click on that >> click on next >> click on connect to the internet >> click on create my connection manually >> click on Connect using a dial up modem >> click next, type your isp name >> click next, type the number your calling >> click next, put your username and password in (and confirm) and uncheck the last box where it says "turn off internet connection firewall for this connection" >> click next, and add a shortcut to this connection >> and click finish..