avg virus program (W98)

[ttucoh]

I am having a problem accessing the www.grisoft.com site so that I can upgrade my virus files. Each time I try I receive the message "The page cannot be displayed". I have no problems with accessing any other site. Just grisoft.com.
My daughter has the same server, same operating system and we are in the same city and she tried the grisoft.com site and got on without any problems.
Could someone tell me what I need to do to get into this site?

[report_2]

Using Explorer try looking in C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files folder for the grisoft cookie, delete it and try gaining access again.

[S-T!]

I've noticed that if you try to access it at http://grisoft.com that you'll get an error. You need to use the link http://www.grisoft.com to be able to view the page.

[ttucoh]

I have tried every way to log into the site: http:\\www.grisoft.com , www.grisoft.com and just grisoft.com without any luck.
I have a duel boot with win2000 and can log in with it. I did notice in the faq section that you would get a message something like I am getting if you were from a European country since the software was not available (don't know why). Something to do with script on their site.
I am just wondering if that could be my problem.
Just wondering if it could be in the user.dat or system.dat and I can't get rid if it.

[Mosaic1]

Try this one:
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm>http://www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm</a>

See if you can get in.

One other idea. Do you have a HOSTS file?
Have a look. If the address in there is different from the actual address, you will get the message. IE looks for a HOSTS file first and if it finds one, it looks for the address if listed and uses what it finds in Hosts.. If the address shown there is invalid, Cannot Display Page is shown. Remove the entry and IE will go to the correct Address.
C:\Windows\Hosts

No file extension. Open the Hosts file in Notepad of you find it.

[ttucoh]

I only have one thing in the host file:

208.56.249.137 auto.search.msn.com

[Mosaic1]

Did you try the link I posted to get in?

[BertImmenschuh]

Just to let you know the link does work.

[Mosaic1]

Thanks Bert.
---------------------------------------------
My next concern would be whether or not there is a virus present not allowing the connection to the AV site.
Here's a link to an online AV scan.

<a target="_blank" href=http://housecall.antivirus.com/pc_housecall/>http://housecall.antivirus.com/pc_housecall/</a>

[BertImmenschuh]

There's a few that don't want you to fix them, so they don't allow connection to an AV site. Solution, unfortunately, is go buy the latest and hope it will catch it.

[Mosaic1]

Yes. This will be a good test. If he cannot connect to the online scan either, that could be it.

[ttucoh]

Mosaic1,
Yes I tried the link you listed and its a no go.
I also did the scan from housecall but it found nothing. I also done a scan with avg by downloading the update file through win2000 and placing it in my win98 update directory and it found nothing.

BertImmenschuh,
Yes I know you can get into the site because as I noted above I did with win2000 but not my win98 in a duel boot.

As I have mention before I have no trouble with other sites. I can log on just fine but not grisoft.com.

I think I am about ready to give up. While in win2000 I sent avg a message asking them what the problem could be but not holding my breath.

I did go to their site and found this under faq:

There is a script at our WEB pages. The goal of this script is to recognize the country of origin of the user. The script is necessary because the product license policies don't allow to download and use AVG Free Edition for European users.
Not sure if this means anything but....

[BertImmenschuh]

"BertImmenschuh,
Yes I know you can get into the site because as I noted above I did with win2000 but not my win98 in a duel boot."

Since I also dual-boot, I learned a long time ago that what works in one OS doesn't always work in another OS on the same computer. Pardon for the mis-understanding.

[Jama]

I was doing some research on lop.com when I learned that it adds an entry to the hosts file. Now that’s nothing new to you, but the way it does it surely deserves an Oscar!
It puts the IP address of the hijacker's web page but with someone else’s domain name, usually auto.search.msn , search.Microsoft or something similar and will take you to the hijacker's page when you try to load a non-existent web page.
That way, you’ll think that line is needed and you wont delete it!
I don’t think you have the lop.com virus “yes that’s right, I said VIRUS”, but I know that entry in your hosts file shouldn’t be there.
208.56.249.137 doesn’t belong to Microsoft. It belongs to a company called GO DADDY SOFTWARE, INC. Registered address; 14455 N Hayden Rd, Suite 219, Scottsdale, Arizona, 85260, United States.
Click this link and see where will it take you; <font color=blue><a target="_blank" href=http://208.56.249.137>http://208.56.249.137</a></font color=blue>
You don’t need anything in your hosts file, so you should leave it empty.
If you are not sure, copy that line to a text file so you can restore it later “if you happened to like go daddy products!”

I think you have a virus of some sort that’s preventing you from updating your anti-virus software in the hope it wont be discovered.
How else can you explain that line in your hosts file? And your inability to access your anti-virus’s web page?

I know you can filter pages in IE to stop users from accessing certain pages, I don’t know where or how you could do that, but I hope someone here would. If we know how, maybe we can “unfilter” grisoft.com!

The latest update for AVG 6.0 Free Edition was released on the 19th April 2002, if you don’t have it, I’ll be happy to upload it to another web page where you can download it.

Also try adding a line for grisoft in the hosts file as follow;

193.86.103.19 www.grisoft.com

I’m in Europe and I can access their web site. I can even download the latest update for the free version!

Let me know if you want that file.

Jama

[ttucoh]

Jama,
I appreciate offer to download but I did download the file with my windows2000 connection and loaded it into my win98.
I will keep searching for the problem. Its gotta be there someplace.

[billydee]

You really should get rid of that hosts file entry.

<a target="_blank" href=http://www.radsoft.net/news/20011101,01.html>Hosts Alert!</a>


This advice is free.
You might only get what you paid for. /images/forums/icons/wink.gif

[ttucoh]

I got rid of the host item and thanks for the info.

[ttucoh]

Come on someone. I need a little help. I know someone is out there that can help if you will just take the time. I can't log onto the www.grisoft.com site to upgrade my windows 98 virus software. I get the message that this page cannot be displayed.
Read all the above post first and then tell me where the problem is.
I am duel booting with win2000 and CAN log on with it.

[BertImmenschuh]

This is quoted from AVG's FAQs page:

"Problem with download of AVG Anti-Virus FREE Edition

There is a script at our WEB pages. The goal of this script is to recognize the country of origin of the user. The script is necessary because the product license policies don't allow to download and use AVG Free Edition for European users.

If you have a bad connection to our website (mostly connection at slow speed) the communication between you (your browser) and the WEB script is not completed in the designed period of time - it is called "timeout". The result if timeout may be - the script's message remains on the screen and nothing else happens - no page is displayed.

This bug is almost impossible to correct for us, because is is not a bug in the fact. Its source is bad connection. We can advise to wait some time and then repeat the download process again. The conection may become better and the problem disappear automatically."

Is it close to your problem?

[ttucoh]

Yes this is similar to the problem I am having but as I said I have no problems when I'm using windows2000 on the same machine (duel boot).

"There is a script at our WEB pages. The goal of this script is to recognize the country of origin of the user. The script is necessary because the product license policies don't allow to download and use AVG Free Edition for European users".

The way I understand this is that the script is for European users and I am in the good old USA. Plus I loaded the same program on win 2000 and it works ok and worked ok in win98 for a while then stopped. To get an update I have to download manually with win2000 and manually install it in the win98 program. I cannot accessing the site for an update or anything else using win98.
I have reloaded windows98 on top but that did not help. I have no problems with any other site that I have used. No virus has been detected using avg or housecall.

[billydee]

I am sorry, but I do not see what IE version you have.

These are just some hopeful suggestions:

If the IE repair tool is available to you (control panel, add/remove programs, highlight IE, select add/remove) - running a repair will often fix IE problems automatically.

<a target="_blank" href=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q194/1/77.asp>Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool</a>

What is the setting in the IE tab View&gt;Encoding?

Is grisoft.com in any form listed in IE Restricted Sites?

Try adding *.grisoft.com to IE Trusted Sites.

There should not have been that "search.msn" entry in your Hosts file. Either a rogue website or malware program put it there without your knowledge.

Are you familiar with <a target="_blank" href=http://www.lsfileserv.com/>Ad-aware</a> ?

That's it for me. /images/forums/icons/crazy.gif


This advice is free.
You might only get what you paid for. /images/forums/icons/wink.gif

[BertImmenschuh]

Good, we have eliminated another potential problem, the USA part was very important. Never know where these postings originate from unless it is stated. Was the Win98 OS ever set in the Regional Settings as being in a different country?

Obviously there is something wrong in your Win98 but the big question is what. Brings up questions of what may have been installed that could have done it, is a trojan hiding somewhere, was a currency calculator installed for the new Euro, was a game from Europe installed?

A whole lot of trouble-shooting is going back to when the problem started and reconstructing events.

Could the settings in IE Tools, Internet Options, Security tab have gotten changed [click on each of the 4 icons]? I'd try them all on Medium.

One other remote possibility is that the ISP has changed their server security. Don't know if it affects only certain OS's or not, lots of variables between ISPs. Do you have a firewall on Win98?

[ttucoh]

It is working!!!!!
Ok here's what I did: I went to the the Encoding item as billydee suggested and it was set to "Western European Windows". I clicked the auto select and exit the internet. I logged back on and I was able to go to the www.grisoft.com site.
I then went back to the original settings, logged off and back on and it still entered the site. Must have been some type of "fluke" because I can NOT duplicate it.
Thanks billydee for the suggestion.

BertImmenschuh:
I HAD checked the Regional Settings and everything is for the "good old USA". I also HAD checked the security tab and set all to default which is medium.
On the server changing security, I wouldn't think so because my daughter has the same setup as I, win98 and Netzero and IE ver 6 and she had no problems getting into the site.

Thanks to everyone who has responded.

[BertImmenschuh]

Glad it's working. The Western European Windows setting was telling grisoft to block you. Looks like they should dig into another setting or two before blocking.

All mine are set to Western European (Windows) and I had no problem getting there.

[gangsta]

that script they have is useless. It did block me because I had the same setup as ttucoh, "Western European" eventhough my Winows language is EN-US.
So I simply went to a search site and found a long list of sites offering that same version for download, with no fill-in form, most of them are actually in Europe.. (which they are supposedly blocking!!!)
that is why I say it is useless to check the country IP. Add to that people using a sat dish to access the net who in many cases have their ISP servers in a different country than their own. Take for example people on ships/boats or offshore oil-rigs. Many small islands residents use them due to lack of terresterial wideband access.