Computer/internet problems - please help!

[Godder]

I'm having trouble connecting to the internet with newer browsers(!) - Firefox doesn't work, IE7 doesn't work, but IE6 and old-school Mozilla work. Additionally, AVG 7.1 could connect, but AVG 7.5 can't. Really screwy stuff... I have a broadband connection, if that helps.

If anyone has any ideas that don't involve back-up and re-format (last-ditch, although I will if I have to), they'd be much appreciated.

[Slack]

If you have firewall software installed (McAfee, Sygate, Zone Alarm, Norton, etc) and you have set it to never tell you when it makes a decision whether to let a program out or not that could do it.  For example, if you had been using it for a while and already set up all the rules you though you cared about and then made it silent so it would be less annoying.  That could possibly explain why newer versions of things are not working internet wise.

If you do have a firewall, the first thing you should do is disable it temporarily and then try and use these programs that havn't been working.  Note that this doesn't include Windows Firewall.  While Windows Firewall can cause problems when attempting other network related tasks, it would not restrict access to the internet by something like IE7.

[Godder]

I was using Zone Alarm, but the most recent update caused major issues, so I stopped it starting up with Windows and turned on the Windows Firewall instead.

Apparently, however, some Zone Alarm functions keep working unless you actually uninstall it, so I did that today, and now everything works properly. Thanks heaps!