Windows 7 Most Pages Keep Loading - But Don't Open

[Adamc]

Firstly, yes, I did look up on the internet about this and it didn't help me much, as far as I can tell. The problem is that most pages show the loading icon, spinning, but never loading the page. It doesn't show any error message, after a while, it just shows an empty screen. I use Windows 64bit and this problem has started recently. At first, it was fine when I opened the computer, then after 1 hour or so, this happened. But as days passed, I noticed this time had gradually decreased and now, it instantaneously happens. Google, Facebook, WindowsForum(obviously) and some other pages open flawlessly, and others don't. And also, this problem only happens on my laptop, and other computers/tablets in my house don't have this issue.

 

[Neemobeer]

Try booting into safe mode with networking and test the internet. If it works fine I'd say the issue is probably related to malware.

 

[trstick1]

You might have a infected browser. Do a malware scan and clean up your hard drive and get rid of old internet browser trash by installing CCleaner.

Sent from my LGMS631 using Tapatalk

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Hi,
I think Neem might be on to something. How is your computer connecting to the Internet; via Wi-Fi (as with a Laptop) or on a desktop PC with an Ethernet cable? If it's a laptop with Wi-Fi, you might have developed a glitch with your built-in WLAN card (Wi-Fi chip inside the laptop). This can be tested by plugging in an Ethernet cable to your laptop and disabling your Wi-Fi by using the Wi-Fi switch on the laptop or via a keyboard combo (such as <Fn-key+F5>). If your browser problems are fixed, with a hardwired connection then your laptop and windows are ok, just a problem with your Wi-Fi hardware.
This can be caused by a Windows update that scrambled your Wi-Fi driver. Visit the website for your laptop maker (Dell, HP, Toshiba) and download the latest Wi-Fi driver and reinstall it. That should then fix things!

If it doesn't you should follow the suggestions to check your laptop for viruses/malware if you haven't already done so. After scanning for viruses and removing all that are found, retest your browsers. If things are good, then you had a virus infecting your laptop and you're good to go.

If the problem persists, your Wi-Fi WLAN card inside the laptop could have failed and must be replaced. That's typically a repair that costs well over $100 and often requires complete disassembly of the laptop. A workaround for this is to purchase a good quality USB Wi-Fi plug in adapter for about $60. You can plug in the adapter and install it, once you're are the Internet retest your browsers. If they work, then all is well, just take your USB Wi-Fi adapter wherever you go with your laptop!

Best of luck,
<<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>

 

[Adamc]

Thanks for your answers, I'll try each of them and edit this post to tell whether it worked or not.

Edit: Apparently it was just a malware, doing a scan fixed the problem. Thanks for your help anyways!

Edit 2: The malware is back. Not sure what causes it. Any ideas?

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

Thanks for your reply, yes we're interested in your solution or if you need further assistance. Always glad to help!! Remember we are here for you 24x7x365!

<<<BBJ>>>

 

[pnamajck]

" Thanks for your answers, I'll try each of them and edit this post to tell whether it worked or not. Edit: Apparently it was just a malware, doing a scan fixed the problem. Thanks for your help anyways! Edit 2: The malware is back. Not sure what causes it. Any ideas? "

adamc … welcome to windowsforum.

1. you need to know which malware it is?
2. why does the malware return?
3. which product removed the malware in the first place?
4. how long has your computer been infected by this malware?
5. you might consider purging your system-restore check points … as they may contain qualifications for re-infection of that malware.

once you establish the name of the infection, adamc … research the exact name on the internet. a good place to start researching is the forum for the product which originally alerted/disinfected the first instance. reason i emphasized "exact name" is because there are variants behind the infections … each has specific protocol for diagnosing / removal.

edit:
oh, and adamc … you should investigate which website is reinfecting you … recalling one from recent past is good … but try and narrow down the recurring websites you visit. check each with your anti-malware. yes … it can be frustrating … but it also can be rewarding.

 

[Adamc]

I have tried scanning again(using Malwarebytes Premium Trial) and this time, it found nothing. The problem is that it found the virus before, but now for some reason can't. Should I use another malware scanner, or try a different approach?

 

[BIGBEARJEDI]

@Jack: Thanks for the assist! Many fine points made there.

Hi Adam: That's a great program which many of us use here regularly. However, there are many categories of malware that are not picked up by Malwarebytes (MBAM) as that program only picks up Spyware viruses. There are Rootkit viruses, Trojan viruses, Day-Zero Attacks, Phishing E-mail viruses, E-mail worm viruses, etc. etc. Jack's question you didn't see to answer, unless your Malwarebytes found zero spyware viruses. This is very unusual for most infected computers, even for computers infected with different types of viruses. Some spyware viruses are almost always found on computers we regularly repair.
If no viruses were found by MBAM, you can visit trendmicro.com and use their free online virus scanner called HouseCall. Scan/remove all viruses found. Next, download their RootKitBuster which checks for Rootkits/Bootkits category of viruses which cannot be found by regular AV programs or MBAM as they hide in the hidden system partitions of your Hard Drive.

Also, you didn't mention whether or not you were able to check your browsers and Internet in Safe Mode as suggested by Neem in Post #2. Were you able to do that, Yes or No?

If the problems persists after this further cleaning, and you are unable to get into Safe Mode on your laptop for whatever reason, you should consider Jack's suggestion of "rolling back" your Windows on that laptop to a point in time prior to when this problem occurred. If it's virus/malware related, or Windows corruption related due to a bad program installed, or from a recent update, System Restore is your best bet. With that suggestion in mind, we strongly suggest that you FIRST BACKUP ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA TO EXTERNAL MEDIA! THIS WOULD INCLUDE YOUR LIBRARY FOLDERS FOR DOCUMENTS, PHOTOS, MUSIC, VIDEOS, AND ANY SAVED E-MAILS OR ATTACHMENTS IN ORDER TO AVOID IRRETRIEVABLE DATA LOSS!!

Should all of that fail, you might have failing hardware and should test it yourself or pay a Tech to do for you. If you decide to DIY on the hardware testing, then take a look at my free TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE here: Windows 10 - Unclickable Task Bar

If any failed parts are found or you find you must reset or reinstall your Windows, and you've never done those things before yourself, you may have to take apart your laptop for example, we urge you to consider taking it to a licensed Computer Pro and paying to have that done professionally. Remember that laptops are 3x more difficult to service than regular desktop PCs.

Hope that proves helpful to you.
Best of luck,

<<<<BIGBEARJEDI>>>>

 

[Adamc]

@BIGBEARJEDI
Yes, the scan found 0 viruses, I found it strange too.(BTW, I don't know it'll help at all, but I think some viruses the scan previously found were SpyHunter related). And yes, I have tried safe mode and it worked. So, I think it's pretty clear that the issue is malware related and the only problem is finding what causes it- and removing it. Anyways, I'll tell you whether Housecall worked or not, and thanks once again for answering.

 

[nmsuk]

Boot to safe mode with networking, download and install malwarebytes and do a scan. It should find any malware.

 

[Adamc]

@BIGBEARJEDI
@nmsuk
I have tried Housecall but because it didn't work normally(it didn't get past checking internet part), I had to use Safe Mode to do the scan and it found nothing. I tried MalwareBytes too and it has found 1 virus and now it's quarantined. It says the virus should cease infecting the computer but the problem is still going on.(Also, the virus MalwareBytes found is called "PUP.Optional.GameHa..." it doesn't show the rest due to the length. Location is C:\PROMGRAM FILES (X86)\CHEAT ENGINE 6.4\STANDALONEPHASE1.DAT) Should I try System Restore or is there any other solution?

 

[pnamajck]

open malwarebytes software and go to history … locate the infection. at top of field you will note field-menu which contains different columns (vendor, date, type, registry, location, etc) … position your cursor in front of the menu … move mouse until arrow-cursor bisects two of the fields … the cursor changes from "arrow" to "resize" cursor … click/drag to resize field. in your case specific … you are resizing the vendor-field. this procedure would eliminate the "truncated" text strings you refer to in your post.



conversely, and more desirable … one can open windows-explorer (file explorer) and access mbam log files … usually located at:

C:\ProgramData\Malwarebytes\Malwarebytes Anti-Malware\Logs​

due to the inclusion of special unix-chars in today's exploits (the "m" char in GameHa could actually be U+036B) … i would advise against typing what you think you see … and going directly to where text-file of the specific malware infection … in other words, the second option outlined above. once you have copied the infection's exact name … you can then paste it into google for searching. if you get no hits at all from google … you might consider posting to malwarebytes forum. i had taken the liberty and googled your earlier post "PUP.Optional.GameHa..." and got no hits. i have, however, noted some valuable advice regarding someone else's infection variant …

PUP.Optional.MailRu (Registry key)​

… again, the above url seems to be not specific to your infection … but does offer some valuable advice.

just fyi … occasionally, i have also used roguekiller (free version) to combat some infections. if you decide and try this program … make sure you go straight to the developer's site (in this case, adlice.com) and download from there … may lead to fosshub.com which is acceptable. of course, before you click "download" copy/check the url with virustotal.com … and, once downloaded, again check with your local sentries. select "custom install" option if offered … and elect to not install any third-party crapware.

 

[Adamc]

@pnamajck
Apparently, it just ends with "GameHack"; also, the location you said has three files, two can be opened with notepad and are called "mbae-default.log" and "MBAMSERVICE.LOG", the other one is called "mbae-protector.xpe". I tried Ctrl+f and typing "hack"(it doesn't have any m's in so it should've been same) but no results came from either log files. Anyways, thanks for the advice, I'll look up the programs and the virus you mentioned.