All of a sudden im having very weird internet problems, my cable is loading websites in a split second, receiving all e-mail via pop/smtp fine, connecting to IRC and MSN Messenger. but it will not allow me to download files of any sort, i get a windows warning box saying "Cannot Establish Connection" or something like that.
is the cable for you only and if not then maybe there is a firewall with no download protection on it, what co are you with?
Your cable company probably blocks a few services (like Telnet, SMTP, Finger, and if you're lucky NetBIOS), but they wouldn't and couldn't block file downloads. After all, you're viewing webpages, right? You're downloading HTML and pictures via port 80, and that's the same port you'd be downloading most files on. Well, either 80 or 21 (FTP). If you've installed & removed a software firewall such as ZoneAlarm or BlackICE Defender, it can seriously hose Windows' ability to network. If you haven't, your browser may just be hosed. Try a new browser like Firefox, see if your downloads work then. Also,on a somewhat related note, you should invest in a hardware firewall. You can get a low-end Netgear firewall with a built-in 4-port switch for about $40. Alternately, you can build a beefy-ass router out of an old wothless Pentium-or-better PC with 2 NICs in it, and at least 32mb RAM (64 preffered). Just throw IPCop or another such free firewall distro on it and you're good to go. You may not think you need security, but everyone does. Remember, if your PC is compromised, hackers can use it to do any kind of mischeif, including but not limited to hack attempts on the FBI... and the beauty part is that it'll be traced back to *you*. Not good. :swt:
