Issues With Google

[topherlover555]

Everytime i open the google page, it says
OOPS THIS LINK APPEARS TO BE BROKEN!

and i try to refresh or search or ANYTHING but all it does is go back to tht same page. Does anyone know how to get rid of the issue nd hv tht search enginge again!? thanks in advance

 

[andysayshi]

Do you have the same problem if you click on this link?

(Hee hee, I tested the link and Google is celebrating Sesame Street's birthday!)

 

[topherlover555]

yea it still does the same thing
nd this isnt new, its been happeneing for months

 

[trinket]

Everytime i open the google page, it says
OOPS THIS LINK APPEARS TO BE BROKEN!

and i try to refresh or search or ANYTHING but all it does is go back to tht same page. Does anyone know how to get rid of the issue nd hv tht search enginge again!? thanks in advance

What browser/version are you using? I see some mention of this issue with IE 8 or Chrome.

Are you using a browser's link (like Firefox Search Engine form) or "Home" or typing it in?

Just as an experiment, see if you can hit Google's other worldwide sites, like http://www.google.ca or http://www.google.co.uk/.

It might also be a domain thing with your own local "Hosts" file or your ISP's domain servers, though unlikely. Try this IP directly and see if you have luck which is one resolution of Google:

http://74.125.53.100

Try a Start --> Run and type "CMD". At that black command prompt, type "ping google.com" (no quotes) or "tracert google.com" (no quotes) and see if it resolves/is reachable.

Please tell us your OS (XP, Vista, whatever). Depending on what you get from trying the above we can point you to your HOSTS file but you didn't provide this info.

 

[topherlover555]

the IP with the numbers worked, but wen i searched i had the same issue

i went through the Run and typed the ping google and the tracet google and no luck either time

im with windows XP
thanks for the stuff so far guys

 

[LittleDove]

Just an idea, but...

What are you seeing in your browser's address window when you're getting one of these broken link messages? Is it the URL of the page/site you were wanting to go to, exactly as it was written on the page, or has it changed, and there's another, different URL interposed before the actual URL of the page/site you wanted to visit?

 

[topherlover555]

http://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8

thts the url i get

 

[trinket]

the IP with the numbers worked, but wen i searched i had the same issue

i went through the Run and typed the ping google and the tracet google and no luck either time

im with windows XP
thanks for the stuff so far guys

Might be a DNS issue - where "Google.com" is not resolving or being blocked. Good news that you could reach it with the IP numbers directly, but yes, searching will try to utilize the hostname after reaching it directly. (You didn't mention if the Google Canada or UK flavors were okay always.) You also didn't mention your client (IE, Chrome, Firefox, etc.) which I asked you for - it will really help in understanding how you're interacting with your browser and Google and what the browser might be settings as its default, etc.

Have a look at your Hosts file. You open it with a plaintext viewer (like Notepad). As that link notes, typically will be in C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\ETC\ folder. This page has a screenshot of how it might look. (Ignore all the stuff about the free "HostsMan", etc. - it's just the first graphic on the page I'm pointing you to.) See if you see a line for Google.com is listed in there at all.

Sometimes if you had a virus or Trojan, it might try to load its own "Hosts" entries and redirect your Google searches somewhere else. If you do see an IP address next to Google.com, you can edit that hosts file to remove the line (and restart). You could also try using the IP I gave you above and adding a line and pointing it to google.com.

 

[Corny]

i agree .. this very much sounds like a troja/virus to me ..

 

[trinket]

i agree .. this very much sounds like a troja/virus to me ..

I once saw a nasty trojan on someone's machine that part of what it did was not only add entries to the "hosts" file, but alter the DNS servers to their own servers to intercept what you were typing. It actually kept generating errors on trying to reach Google pages because it didn't support the strings passed after the URL and was notably slower than the "real" Google. topherlover555, I also should have told you to check your DNS servers as well. From a "CMD" command prompt in XP (same Start --> Run --> CMD as above), type "ipconfig /all" (no quotes) and look at the line for "DNS Servers". Google that number (use Google.ca or Google.co.uk) and make sure it's your ISP's recommended DNS server and not some strange one. Also look at running Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware as a scan.