Randy

An elderly relative's pc, (used mainly for email & facebook), will not allow her to get onto the internet or receive email. She has a wireless router that she uses with an e-reader attached to her pc setup.

After looking at it, I called Comcast, and the rep "pinged" Comcast, and said the pc was receiving, but could not understand why IE would not load a page, and maybe it was a firewall problem. He suggested I delete some programs and call back. I deleted some unused programs (iTunes, since she doesn't buy music, and the Bonjour iTune add-on, since the Comcast rep said Bonjour caused trouble with IE).

After deleting, there was no change, so I called and got another rep. That rep began switching things remotely, and a different log-on error message came up on IE, and the wireless stopped functioning. Then, I got cut off. Out of frustration, I went into safe mode, and just out of curiosity, I hit the IE button, and the internet worked, and it still works, but only in safe mode.

While still in safe mode, I opened Control Panel to see if there were any more programs that I could delete. I found a program called "Antilogger SDK" that had been on for a few weeks. (The owner said she hadn't downloaded it.)

I googled it, and it's apparently something that auto-downloads as part of Constant Guard Protection Suite. From what I read, it creates a white list/black list of programs, and internet browsers of all types seem to end up on the black list, so I was wondering if that caused the problem at this point. So I deleted this as well. But nothing changed when I re-booted. (But there was still internet in safe mode...)

So, calling Comcast again, I talked to another rep who demanded money for a monthly subscription. (She didn't want this.)

A friend of hers who is a bit more of a computer-dude came over and suggested that she call and see if Comcast pays for Norton support. (I would like a few answers first, though.)

One last detail... The guy tried to use the "repair" function in Control Panel for both Norton and Constant Guard, and in both cases, the "repair" function was not available. He said this was the first time he had seen this.

My experience is fairly intermediate - I set up her computer, loaded all her software, etc., and I have been involved with basic network stuff at work. So I thought I would throw this out there before I tell her she needs to put in her recovery discs and start from scratch, especially if I can save her some money. (She doesn't have that much on her computer, and it can be saved to a flash-drive, but if it can be fixed, I want to fix it for her soon.)

Thanks for your time.