connecting to net

[cletus]

Hi,
I have a friend who has been experiencing difficulty accessing the internet (Telewest Broadband). He is running Win XP and does get a valid I.P. address (he is also able to release and renew it without any problem) and he is also able to ping websites. However when he tries to connect to the net via win explorer it cannot connect to server.
I have tried installing Mozilla in case the browser was corrupt but this didn't work. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[NHH]

Hi Cletus.

If your friend has a valid IP address and can ping websites by their URL (e.g. 'www.bbc.co.uk') then the only thing it could be is a firewall blocking applications from accessing the connection.

Is he using Norton by any chance? As this sounds like a common Norton problem.

If so enable the Windows Firewall (instructions HERE) and uninstall Norton or whatever 3rd party firewall that's installed.