# Annoying Internet Explorer connection issue

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 27, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250 "2009-10-27T01:27:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![LivingInThePast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19b73/32.png) [@LivingInThePast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingInThePast)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250/1 "2009-10-27T01:27:16Z")

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I wonder if anyone else has run into this?

I have a couple of PCs connected through a wired router to a DSL modem. I am running XP Pro SP3, AVG 8.5 (but using the XP firewall), Firefox 3.5.3, and IE7 on both of them.

For a long time, I have noticed that for no apparent reason, IE7 will just stop connecting. It doesn’t matter what web site I’m on or what web site I try to navigate to. It just sits and then says it cannot connect to the site.

But if I use Firefox, it connects with no problems. I mean, IE7 fails and Firefox works at the same time.

😕

The IE7 problem happened before I installed Firefox, by the way. And the problem usually happened at different times on the different PCs. But now that I have Firefox, it is even more apparent that my web connection itself is okay.

(And please, don’t advise me to stop using IE7.)

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250/2 "2009-10-28T15:04:31Z")

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Nothing to add, other than to say I’ve had the exact same problem for over a year

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**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\
**Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250/3 "2009-10-30T14:25:40Z")

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I really dislike AVG. Its bloatware that puts its hooks into everything. Its poorly coded and is notorious for bugs and false positives. The first thing I would do is uninstall it and go with Microsoft’s better, lighter, and better QA’d Security Essentials virus scanner. Yes, its free.

Secondly, I would uninstall ALL toolbars from IE7. These third-party programs are often just as bad as AVG if not worse. Yahoo, Google, etc. Then I would upgrade to IE8 as IE7 is now old news.

Then I would reboot the dsl modem, the router, and when they are back up, reboot the computer.

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**Author:** ![LivingInThePast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19b73/32.png) [@LivingInThePast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingInThePast)\
**Post date:** [October 31, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-internet-explorer-connection-issue/515250/4 "2009-10-31T00:22:38Z")

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I will consider your advice about AVG. There are other folks who swear by it. :dubious:

I don’t have any toolbars for IE7 installed.

> [@HorseloverFat](#):
>
> …  
> Then I would reboot the dsl modem, the router, and when they are back up, reboot the computer.

As I said, Firefox has no problem connecting even when IE7 can’t, so it can’t be the modem and router. Can it?