Internet Explorer not showing web pages but Ping works

No.

Tried WinsockFix yet? You've done some of the steps it takes but not all...worth a shot.

WinsockFix to restore internet connectivity.

http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html

The Winsockfix Utility will:
· Detect your current Operating System
· Release the IP address, taking you "Offline"
· Reset the TCP stack using Netsh.exe (Windows XP only)
· Delete the current Registry TCP and Winsock Values
· Import new "Working" Registry Values
· Backup any Current "Hosts" file
· Replace the "Hosts" file with a default one
· Reboot the Computer

Instructions:
http://www.home-network-help.com/winsockfix.html

Can you try a couple of things
1. Is Firefox works ok on this machine?
2. In IE, can you turn off "show user friendly HTTP error message" (in Tools-> Internet options -> advanced) and try reload the page. What exacly is the error message?

Hello netadminjill,

Are you using IE6 or IE7?  If IE7,

1. An addon may be interfering with IE. Disable Addons.  Go to Tools > Add-on Manager, and uncheck the addons.

If you cannot open IE, start IE without addons.  Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer (No add-ons).

2. Reset IE settings.  Go to Tools > Internet Options > Advanced.  Click on "Reset" button. Click OK. Close all browsers. Reboot the computer.

3. Check if a program running in the background is interfering with Internet Explorer. Temporarily disable antivirus and other security programs, firewall, toolbars such as Google and Yahoo, and desktop programs such as MSN and Google.

4. If using Windows XP, uninstall and reinstall IE7. Make sure you have the latest updates.

5. Create a new user account in Windows.

Hope this helps!
war1

In IE7 if it offers to troubleshoot the problem for you below the 'Page could not be displayed' message, click that link. If there's something wrong with the winsock driver it will prompt you before repairing it, pretty-much obsoleting the various winsockxpfix utils.

Sorry for the delay in posting this... things have been crazy around here.. you know how it goes!
Here's what I know about the problem:

It is Internet Explorer 7.
I have disabled all addons and that did not fix the problem.
I did the Winsockfix utility and that did not fix the problem.
I reinstalled IE7 over the current version and that didn't fix the problem.  I could not figure out how to uninstall IE7 to install a fresh copy.
Google Chrome works fine.

This is my boss's PC so I'd really like to get this fixed asap.  He has a Windows Mobile Phone that he syncs with the laptop and it's not syncing anymore (possibly because I disabled something in and addon or with msconfig).

Thanks!

Have you tried:
2. In IE, can you turn off "show user friendly HTTP error message" (in Tools-> Internet options -> advanced) and try reload the page. What exacly is the error message?

netadminjill,

1. To uninstall IE7, go to Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and uninstall Microsoft Internet Explorer.  If you cannot find Internet Explorer 7 in Add or Remove Programs, click Start, click Run, type %windir%\ie7\spuninst\spuninst.exe, and then press ENTER.

Note: %windir% is the location of your Windows directory, which can usually be found at C:\Windows. To do this, you need to have "view hidden folders" enabled.

2. If no joy, In some cases, you may get an error message when you try to uninstall IE7 that says you cannot uninstall from a specified user account. To get around this check you will have to edit the Windows Registry.

Warning: Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can cause the Windows operating system to stop functioning completely. This is a advanced operation and you are encouraged to back up the Windows Registry before you attempt any editing of the file. You have been warned.

Bypass the user account check with this Windows Registry edit:

Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer.
Right-click the Internet Explorer key, click New, and then click DWORD value.
Type InstalledByUser as the name, and then press ENTER to finish creating the new registry value.
Try to uninstall Internet Explorer 7 again.

3. Then prevent IE7 from automatically downloading. You can still manually download IE7 in the future.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=4516A6F7-5D44-482B-9DBD-869B4A90159C&displaylang=en

Is there a link offering to investigate what's wrong, and did you try it as I suggested?

e.g. See link outlined in attachment.

The "Diagnose Connection Problems" does not work.  I have turned off "show friendly error messages" and the message is the same... exactly what  Darr247 shows above.

I tried to uninstall IE7 from add/remove programs but no joy.  It is listed there but there is no option to uninstall.   I will try War1's other suggestions and report back.

Okay, I have uninstalled IE7 with steps above.  Rebooted the PC and then reinstalled IE7 manually.  It is still not working.  The diagnose connection problems shows that the connection is fine.  But the webpage will not display.  I have tried several different wepages and none of them will display.

Also his Windows Mobile phone will not sync anymore.

He installed Paltalk last week before this started happening.  He says that after installed Paltalk that everything still worked, and the next day it stopped working.  He has uninstalled Paltalk and I have disabled the Paltalk addon in IE7.

Suggestions?  

netadminjill, If you try another browser, like Firefox or Opera, does webpages load correctly?

This is a real bugger huh? This may be a long shot but could be damage to the LSP chain. Here is a link to instructions for LSPFix.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial59.html

WARNING: Don't remove anything with it unless you know it's bad. Read through all the instructions at the BC tutorial. You can post a list of the files it finds back here for review or a screenshot if you're not sure what you're doing.

Yes, I've used Google Chrome and it works great.  But there are some carrier websites that we deal with that only work with IE... plus his Windows Mobile phone won't sync (which is what he is most upset about at the moment).

netadminjill, since other browsers work, it is not a system issue. It is an IE specific issue.

Reset the Maximum Transmission Unit in the registry
http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/280/

netadminjill,
If you sign on as another user do you experience the same issue? Corrupted Profile ? You can rename his current profile folder to .old which will create a new profile during his next login but will leave the previous profile available if you need to copy files from it.

If all else fails, perform a system restore back to the day it was working and see if that resolves the issue.

I have tried the following:
Uninstalling IE7 and reinstalling.
Resetting all of the settings in IE7 and disabling all addons.
Running the Winsockfix utility.
Resetting the MTU in the registry.
Running sfc /scannow.
Using CCleaner to clean the registry.
Using Google Chrome as a web browser WILL work.

I am attaching the Event Viewer and the HijackThis scans.

Thanks!

HJT looks clean....

Good point by JonayJJB. Have you tried completely disabling F-secure? Both firewall and AV?

Thank you ALL so much for your help!  I wish I could give you all points because I always learn so much during the process of troubleshooting.  JonahJJB ended up being correct with the firewall issue.  The F-Secure Antivirus had set to block Internet Explorer and the Sync Manager for the Mobile phone.

I have corrected the issue and everything works beautifully.  

Thanks so much for your help!

Thank you!  The F-Secure Firewall had indeed blocked IE and the sync program.  Thanks! :)

Your welcome,
Glad i was able to help.