Trouble connecting to internet.

[wiretech]

I have a Dell Inspiron model 1545 laptop. I am running Windows 7. I am the administrator. I use AVG antivirus. A few days ago (after I start the laptop) I couldn’t get online using Win IE Explorer. My home page is Google. I was able to get online in the past. I have tried the obvious things one at a time: different home page, checked the wireless connection, see if I can connect on the same network using other computers (and I can), disabled add-ons, no yellow ! in device manager, and disabled the firewall. I even tried the 9 or so “fixes” stated on support.microsoft.com. No success!!! Can anyone help me with this issue? Please? Thank you.

[oryx]

Does that model have a toggle switch for wireless? You may have toggled it off by accident.

[glc]

Have you tried connecting to your router with a cable?

[wiretech]

Thank you for your assistance. The Dell laptop does not have a switch. You just press the F2 key to turn the wireless on or off. But that was not the problem. I went to answers.microsoft.com and disabled the proxy settings as follows:

1. Under "tools" in the browser tool bar select "Internet Options".
2. In the "Internet Options" window that pops up, click the "Connections" tab at the top.
3. Click "LAN Settings" near the bottom of the "Connections" section.
4. If the "Proxy Server" checkbox is marked with a check, click it to deselect / uncheck it.
5. Click "OK" to close the "Local Area Network (LAN) Settings" window.
6. Click "OK" to close the "Internet Options" window.

The above worked to get me online. I had to uninstall and reinstall AVG2011 because it was not updating and the components were non-functional. Once I reinstalled and put in my license number it worked. Bottom line: Laptop fixed.

[glc]

Now you need to do a deep scan for malware - proxies don't just install themselves. If AVG is clean, scan with Malwarebytes.

[kilgoretrout]

I had to uninstall and reinstall AVG2011 because it was not updating and the components were non-functional.

I second doing a thorough scan with malwarebytes. The above quoted behavior is typical of current malware, i.e. disabling anti-malware applications like AVG and rerouting internet access through a proxy server. Also check your windows update and see if it's functioning correctly; that frequently gets disabled by malware as well.