[hatchetheldhigh21]

Mods feel free to move this if this is in the wrong section.

I can't access www.iwsti.com after the site changed servers. I have two other computers on my network and I can access the site on those computers but not mine. I have contacted my internet provider and they had me try a few things:
-dns flush
-clear browsing history, cookies, etc.
-ping website (timed out)
-tech support adjusted security settings remotely
-Installed Firefox (didnt work either)
They came to the conclusion that the websites old dns was embedded in my system. They had me contact tech support for my PC's manuf. (emachines). They were no help at all. Is there anything else I can do to fix this problem? I really dont want to reinstall windows.
I am running windows XP, Internet Explorer 7. I would appreciate any help with this. Thank You.

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If Firefox also can't access the site, the site may have somehow been added to your host file.

Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc... Look for the file named hosts.
[attachment=26035:hosts.jpg]

Right-click on the file and select Open. In the Open with window, scroll down to Wordpad, select it and click Ok.
When Worpad opens the file, look for an entry that looks like this... file 127.0.0.1 www.iwsti.com. Highlight it, delete it, and save the file. You may have to restart your browser before trying to access the site again.

[makai]

If Firefox also can't access the site, the site may have somehow been added to your host file.

Go to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc... Look for the file named hosts.
[attachment=26035:hosts.jpg]

Right-click on the file and select Open. In the Open with window, scroll down to Wordpad, select it and click Ok.
When Worpad opens the file, look for an entry that looks like this... file 127.0.0.1 www.iwsti.com. Highlight it, delete it, and save the file. You may have to restart your browser before trying to access the site again.

[hatchetheldhigh21]

That worked! Thanks for the help Makai.

[cook777]

What is this host file for? I found only two things other then my internal IP in there. And I do not know them and they seemed to be dead sites.

[makai]

What is this host file for? I found only two things other then my internal IP in there. And I do not know them and they seemed to be dead sites.

Any website listed in the hosts file with the 127.0.0.1 address will be routed back to your own computer if that website is trying to be resolved by your browser. Any site listed thus won't open in the browser because the address is pointing to your computer rather than the internet.

The two sites listed in your host file may not be dead. They may only "appear" dead because they're listed in your hosts file. If you delete the two websites, you should be able to view them on the internet. However, sometimes the hosts file is updated by software, so those sites may not be safe and are being blocked on purpose... so be careful to identify them (google them) before trying to visit the sites. Some software is even capable of bypassing the hosts file to thwart cracking... Adobe Photoshop is one of those progams that will do that just so the cracker code doesn't block the Adobe software from calling home. You can also enter any website you wish to block into your host file for security reasons or parental censorship. Very helpful sometimes.

You can get a better description about the hosts file HERE.

Edited by makai, 05 January 2009 - 08:18 AM.

[cook777]

What is this host file for? I found only two things other then my internal IP in there. And I do not know them and they seemed to be dead sites.

Any website listed in the hosts file with the 127.0.0.1 address will be routed back to your own computer if that website is trying to be resolved by your browser. Any site listed thus won't open in the browser because the address is pointing to your computer rather than the internet.

The two sites listed in your host file may not be dead. They may only "appear" dead because they're listed in your hosts file. If you delete the two websites, you should be able to view them on the internet. However, sometimes the hosts file is updated by software, so those sites may not be safe and are being blocked on purpose... so be careful to identify them (google them) before trying to visit the sites. Some software is even capable of bypassing the hosts file to thwart cracking... Adobe Photoshop is one of those progams that will do that just so the cracker code doesn't block the Adobe software from calling home. You can also enter any website you wish to block into your host file for security reasons or parental censorship. Very helpful sometimes.

You can get a better description about the hosts file HERE.

This is great! thanks!

Edited by cook777, 18 January 2009 - 03:35 PM.