Inability to access Google

[helplouis]

I am suddenly unable to use Google search or link to any Google website except Google News - on both of my of my Linksys-networked computers (with XP & ME).  Other search engines work.  My ISP is SBC/ATT/Yahoo.  I have tried clearing browser cache/cookies and disabling the respective Norton anti-virus and firewalls.  This happens with IE-7, Yahoo and Mozilla browsers.  Suggestions requested.

[Broni]

Anything familiar here: http://www.imilly.com/google.htm ?

[helplouis]

Thanks for the link.  I've studied its advice and will keep trying, but the suggestions don't seem to help.  I've always kept IE and XP up to date on my desktop (the ME laptop can no longer be updated), and have also kept Norton anti-virus up to date, which, when run, shows no problem on either computer.  I can only open "sample" hosts files.  I've also tried making IE-7 security & privacy settings more lenient (setting them afterwards back to default).  In this connection, it's significant that both computers (XP and ME) have the same problem, which started about a week ago.  It's also significant that Mozilla Firefox, which I just installed on the XP to help solve this problem, also refuses to access Google.  Interestingly, I've discovered one other webpage that doesn't display - presumably because, to set up, it attempts to connect to 'maps.google.com'. 

[Broni]

I assume, your both computers are networked?
What would happen, if you connect one of them straight to modem, bypassing router?

[helplouis]

Thanks for your further suggestion.  I tried it, but the problem remains.  Yes, I subscribe to ATT/Yahoo, use its Speedstream modem, and have networked my two computers with a Linksys router.  When this problem arose, I initially asked ATT/Yahoo for help, which got no further than I've described.  The first thing they advised me to do was to "power re-cycle" my devices, and now I've done that again, in effect; and the network is back as it was, with both computers still unable to connect to Google in any way.  If other people were having this problem, I'd be wondering if the Yahoo/Google competition was a factor, but that isn't the case.  It's too bad there's no way to ask Google about it directly.

[Broni]

Since you can access other web sites, I suspect, that there is something blocking Google in your "hosts" file.

Follow simple instructions from here:
http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
to replace your current "hosts" file with a new one.

BTW...you can contact Google:
http://www.google.com/contact/

[helplouis]

Thanks again for your help.

The second link doesn't work for me because I can't connect to Google.

Regarding the first, as stated earlier, I can find only find "sample" hosts files on my two computers.  Why must I replace them with cumbersome ones (meant to block objectionable sites), as urged?  As I understand it, I want to unblock (if applicable) not block.  I must be missing something, but here's all that the one and only Hosts file on my XP computer says:

#Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

127.0.0.1       localhost

[Broni]

#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

Do you know:
- http://acme.com/
- 38.25.63.10 returns this:
   
OrgName:    Performance Systems International Inc.
OrgID:      PSI
Address:    1015 31st St NW
City:       Washington
StateProv:  DC
PostalCode: 20007
Country:    US

- 102.54.94.97 returns this (looks legit):
   
OrgName:    Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
OrgID:      IANA
Address:    4676 Admiralty Way, Suite 330
City:       Marina del Rey
StateProv:  CA
PostalCode: 90292-6695
Country:    US

[Deerpark]

#      102.54.94.97     rhino.acme.com          # source server
#       38.25.63.10     x.acme.com              # x client host

Uhh broni... do you realize those two are just sample entries?
They're present in all windows hosts files unless you remove them; they don't do anything because they're commented out.

[Broni]

#

Stupid me...grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Thanks

[helplouis]

I want to thank the Computer Hope Forum for its interest and help in attempting to resolve this continuing problem - particularly the suggestions by Broni and comment by Deerpark.  The gurus resident here appear to be as bewildered by this problem as I am.  I've asked my daughter (no guru) to send a message to Google asking for help in my behalf and to forward to me any copied/pasted webpages appearing on the Google website that address this problem (since I can't connect to them myself).  I'll inform this forum of any positive results to close the matter. 

[helplouis]

I can once again connect to Google websites with both of my two networked computers, after a lapse of a couple weeks.  Apparently, the problem was in the hardware - specifically in the Linksys router.  How that could happen (how I was able to connect to all other websites normally, but not to Google) remains a mystery.
My daughter succeeded in contacting Google about the problem, but its automated responses didn't provide any advice that I hadn't already tried. Their suggestions to view Google websites for further information are hardly of use to a person who's lost the ability to connect to Google.
Before I received the forwarded e-mails from my daughter yesterday, however, the problem went away - seemingly through divine intervention.  Here's what happened:  We had an freak neighborhood power outage yesterday that lasted two hours.  I took advantage of the situation by turning off and disconnecting all of my DSL-modem and router wires from the phone line, computer, and back-up power-supply (UPS) device. When electricity to the house returned, I re-connected those wires and turned that internet equipment back on. After waiting and powering up the computer itself, I found, that I was once again able to connect to Google with my three internet browsers.

So, this appears to have been a problem resolved through hardware cycling.  I had previously done this and even tried exchanging the DSL-modem with an available older one, but had apparently not done the thorough job that was necessary.  Broni was on track with his suggestion to by-pass the router, but that attempted fix, for whatever reason, didn't resolve the problem at the time.

[Broni]

I'm glad to see this resolved