I don't have a router. I don't have another computer, but I could try the modem on a neighbor's laptop. But it doesn't sound like the modem is the problem because the computer is recognizing connectivity; something's just keeping programs from connecting.

AVG didn't find anything yesterday, but it hadn't finished installing the latest update, and everything was working. Maybe if I run it now after the potential virus is active, it'll find it?

GAH GAH MOTHERFUCKING GAH. How did this happen? Goddammit. The last major thing I downloaded was the AVG update.

uninstall AVG and try to connect.

Zonealarm (years ago) screwed with a few programs I was using to connect to the internet - selectively - and I had to bail on that.

You have Norton and AVG? Why both? You said you disabled Norton. Did you also try disabling AVG?

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Anyone have any idea what's going on and why this randomly happened and how I can fix it? Please?

Could be a DNS problem. Switching to OpenDNS temporarily would be a good way to test that theory.

uninstall AVG and try to connect.

Would disabling it be sufficient to test? I'm hesitant to uninstall it and lose my virus protection if, indeed, that's what's going on. Although, given that the last thing that happened was an AVG update, it does seem plausible that AVG has gone haywire for some reason...yet, why would it block ITSELF from connecting?

Zonealarm (years ago) screwed with a few programs I was using to connect to the internet - selectively - and I had to bail on that.

Weird. What the hell, AVG? Can I not use you anymore or something?

You have Norton and AVG? Why both? You said you disabled Norton. Did you also try disabling AVG?

Norton came preinstalled on my computer, but I didn't pay for the updates, so right now I just have it for the Security or whatever. And I know it's a bitch to get off my computer. I did not try disabling AVG; I'll try that as well. Maybe if I disable it, it will allow itself to finish the update and stop being a bitch?

Could be a DNS problem. Switching to OpenDNS temporarily would be a good way to test that theory.

I tried flushdns followed by registerdns. Would that resolve a DNS problem? Because it didn't work.

norton has been known to cause problems. this is a fact. you sure norton is disabled?

I might - if I were in your shoes - remove AVG altogether, test the connect, then reinstall from a new download.

I really really really hate my iPhone a lot right at this moment. Someone gave me their phone number last night. I entered the contact name and hit save, then entered a phone number and hit save, then I must have just hit the Home button, instead of hitting that all important last save (for the whole contact).

Cut to a little while later, when I went to send a text, and the contact is gone. Unsaved. Too bad, so sad.

HATE PHONE!

Well, Sean, I'd be happy to take that problem phone off your hands. I'll even pay for postage.

In unrelated to iPhones stuff:

I would like to program an Excel macro that does this: Scans a column until if finds a blank cell. Moves over two cells (say from Column A to Column C) and copies what's in the new cell. Flips over to sheet 2 and searches for what it just copied. If it finds it, it will select that cell and the three cells next to it, copy those and flip back to Sheet 1. It will then paste what it just copied into cells D and on. Then it will resume searching column A for blanks. If it doesn't find what it's looking for, it will go back and move to the next blank cell and search again.

I'm probably not being clear.

I might - if I were in your shoes - remove AVG altogether, test the connect, then reinstall from a new download.

I'll give that a shot when I get home.