Firefox not connecting to internet

[Jereag]

For some reason, Firefox will not connect to any webpages, while IE works fine. There are connection issues with other programs as well (the error message says "unable to connect to host").

On a possibly related note, when I boot up Windows, the "Add New Hardware Wizard" pops up and says it is trying to install an "SCSIAdapter". This is a new problem, and I haven't installed or removed any hardware.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[mojo]

What kind of internet connection do you have? Any routers? give us more details and we can better help you. From the little you gave us you might be connecting to the internet through a proxy, which IE is properly set up for but other programs are not. As for the scsi adapter, it's possible there is one, but if that were the case I doubt you would be posting on these forums for help. Have installed any virtual CD drive software such as alcohol 120% or daemon tools?

[Jereag]

I have a standard cable internet connection. There is no router; I connect my PC directly to the cable modem. I have not installed any virtual drive software recently.

Could there be something wrong with my hosts file (and would that be a source of my problem)? After browsing around a bit I've seen this mentioned but I am not sure if mine is corrupt or not.

Thanks

[perkster]

have you got a firewall? may be that firefox is being blocked and IE isnt?

[Kov-Ice]

And since you don't have a router, you really should be running a software firewall, even if it is just XP's.

[Jereag]

Nope, no firewall issues.

Any idea what the deal is with the SCSIAdapter? Is there anywhere I could find drivers for it so that it could be properly installed? All it says is "SCSIAdapter", so I don't know any specifics about what is trying to be installed, and therefore don't know where to get the drivers. Is there a way to get more details on what this "new hardware" is?