Some of this has been around before, but the beginning section is more recent, and related to an issue both that I ran into, and that I came across with a member. I can't say for sure about the member, but for my part it happened due to a virus on my personal laptop that changed a rarely seen file in Windows named Hosts.
If you are using Toolkit6, the way it checks for an active internet connection is to try to connect to www.google.com; if it cannot connect to www.google.com, Toolkit will give an error message that it cannot connect, or that an internet connection needs to be established.
The first, and easiest test to see if there is an issue will be to open your web browser, and see if it can connect to www.google.com
If it cannot, a file named Hosts may have been changed; for this, please see the steps listed below for a possible correction. If your browser CAN connect to www.google.com, then skip down to the section on Checking Internet Explorer.
1. Go to Start > Computer > C > Windows > System32 > Drivers > etc
2. Double-click the hosts file. If it does not open automatically, choose Notepad from the list of available programs.
3. There will be several lines that start with a # symbol; ignore those, and look at any line that does not start with a # symbol.
4. There may be a blank line, but the only line of text that does not start with a # symbol should look like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost
If there is any other line of text that does not have a # at the start, it should be erased.
For an example of what the file should look like, please see the following web site:
www.tech-pro.net/how-to-...k-repair-hosts-file.html
Once your hosts file looks like this, go to the file men, choose Save, and then close the window.
From here, try re-opening Toolkit, and see if it will connect to the internet. If Toolkit does not connect, exit the program, and continue to the next section.
Checking Internet Explorer:
We have found some rare cases where a member had removed or disabled Internet Explorer on their computer. You do not need to have Internet Explorer set as the default browser, but it does need to be installed on the computer.
If you are not sure, check in the Programs listing in your Start menu. If you are using Windows Vista, or Windows 7, you can also type Internet Explorer into the Start Search box. If Internet Explorer does not show up, we suggest to check with someone trained to troubleshoot Microsoft Windows; the process to remove or disable Internet Explorer cannot be done accidentally, and you would likely need some help in making it active again.
If you DO find Internet Explorer in the list of programs, then continue on to check the issues listed below
OTHER OPTIONS
If you are able to connect to
www.google.com, and Internet Explorer is installed on your computer, the next most common issue is a firewall or security program. This can usually be resolved by either temporarily disabling your firewall or security program before each use of Toolkit, or contacting your firewall or security program vendor to permanently allow connections to
www.google.com and iclub.com by the Toolkit software. Tell the vendor, "I have a program that goes to the internet to register and [Norton Internet Security/Zone Alarm/etc] is blocking it. Please help me set up an exception so it is no longer blocked."
Listed below will be instructions for disabling popular security software.
Windows XP built-in firewall
1. Open your Control Panels and select the Security Center control Panel.
2. Scroll to the bottom, and click on "Manage settings for Windows Firewall".
3. Place the check in "Off (Not recommended)."
For the permanent solution check the Microsoft site at:
http://www.microsoft.com...ecurity/winfirewall.mspx
Scroll down to the section on adding an exception to the firewall, and use this information to add a specific exception for the program.
Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall
1. Open NIS or NPF by double-clicking the icon on your desktop.
2. Click INTERNET STATUS.
3. Click CURRENT STATUS.
4. To disable NIS or NPF, click the DISABLE button. To enable NIS or NPF, click the ENABLE button.
For the permanent solution, contact http://www.symantec.com/techsupp/
McAfee Personal Firewall
1. Click Stop McAfee Firewall to disable the software.
2. From the Welcome to McAfee Firewall screen, go to the Network Control Settings and select Allow All Traffic.
This works for most versions of the McAfee firewall. However, there are many versions, each with different steps to disable. You may need to contact McAfee directly if this does not apply.
For the permanent solution, contact http://www.mcafeehelp.com
Zone Alarm
1. Right-click the Zone Alarm icon in the System Tray, and select Shutdown Zone Alarm.
For the permanent solution, contact http://www.zonelabs.com/.../support/techSupport.jsp
Earthlink Accelerator
1. Right-click the Earthlink Accelerator icon on the system tray next to the clock in the lower-right corner of your screen.
2. Select Disable Earthlink Accelerator.
For the permanent solution, contact http://support.earthlink.net/
Other Web Accelerators
While the Earthlink Accelerator is one of the more popular accelerator programs, the number of web accelerator programs available for free on the internet, or packaged with other software grows every day. If you are using a dial-up connection, you should check your computer for this sort of software.
Most accelerators will show up in one of three places:
1. As part of a toolbar on your web browser
Even if your web browser is not active, the accelerator can still be running, so make sure to start your web browser and double-check.
2. In the lower right-hand corner of your computer screen, with other running programs
For Windows XP users, make sure to click SHOW HIDDEN ICONS to make sure that all programs show up.
3. In the list of installed programs in the START menu
You should check all three of these places, as there is nothing to stop your computer from having more than one of this type of program installed. If you find anything with the word ACCELERATOR or WEB in the name in any of those three places, double-check if it is a web accelerator program. If it is, try disabling it and then using your program again.
Spybot
1. Open Spybot.
2. If you have a shortcut on your desktop, double click it. or Click Start, then All Programs, then Spybot - Search & Destroy and then Spybot - Search & Destroy.
3. On the left side, click Immunize.
NOTE: You will see 2 items that need to be turned off. The 1st item is the "bad products" that are being blocked. The 2nd item is the Blocker Helper.
4. At the top of the screen, click the Undo button. This will allow all bad products again.
5. In the Browser Helper section, un-check the Enable permanent blocking of bad addresses in Internet Explorer box.
6. From the File menu choose Exit.
NOTE: Spybot is now temporarily disabled.
For the permanent solution, contact http://www.spybot.info/en/support/index.html