My computer will not connect to the Internet

[Rogue 9]

Okay, the problem is in the title. Details: My computer is on the same router as the one I'm posting from now; obviously the problem is not the router, at least not in any obvious way. I've reset it three times just to be sure, and it did nothing. (I can also access the router's control panel from my computer, so I'm definitely reaching the router if nothing else.) My computer insists that the Internet connection is present and functioning. I have used the function to repair the connection several times to no effect. I have restarted the computer several times, also to no effect.

When I left for work this morning, my connection was working fine. When I came back, I found that Windows had updated and forced a restart, but failed to fully shut down; when I came into my room, the computer was stuck halfway through shutting down, the icons and taskbar gone, but the desktop background still visible. It was unresponsive, and I had to do a hard restart to get it to work. Windows came back up fine and appears to be functioning normally in all respects; the only thing that isn't working is the Internet connection.

Does anyone know what might be causing this? It's mystifying me, and I'm rapidly growing annoyed.

[Rogue 9]

Still not working. I can ping sites through the command prompt (now, anyway; the first time I tried pinging Google it failed three out of four tries, but every attempt since then has worked perfectly on a number of different sites) but I still have no functioning Internet for any purpose, including browsing, IMs, and software updates.

Edit: For some reason I can't ping Librium Arcana, but other than that everything I've tried has worked. Still nothing loading in any browser.

Edit2: If it matters, the specific error Firefox is giving me most often is a network timeout, though I've gotten a couple others on occasion.

[Thag]

It's something in the patches they pushed out today. I had the same thing happen, although I got a successful install the first time through. I had a solid connection to the router, but nothing would connect (internet, AVG, AIM, etc.). I did a system restore to yesterday's configuration, and it worked just fine. FYI, the patches involved are yet another malicious software remover and another security update.

[Spyder]

Does it work if you turn off the windows firewall?

[Rogue 9]

Windows Firewall is off already; I use Zone Alarm.

I'll do a system restore to two days ago and see if that does the trick. Have they fixed their busted update, or do I have to turn off updates for awhile?

[Braedley]

I read something on /. about one of the latest windows updates fucking with zone alarm.

[Mr Bean]

The latest Windows update fucked with Steam, Zonealarm, Itunes and a few other programs. Zonealarms released a patch today to fix the issue, set your Zone alarm to "medium" security, download the patch and your good to go again. As for Itunes and Steam, both should be updated today.

[Rogue 9]

I use neither iTunes nor Steam. The system restore worked; I'll just patch ZoneAlarm and let the update run again.

[Napoleon the Clown]

I mock my Windows update. It keeps telling me to update, but I know it's dark secret so I ignore it. I'm just gonna wait until they fix it. Or just not bother on my current computer, since I'm getting a new one anyway. Damnable harddrive, trying to crap out on me.

[Edi]

I mock my Windows update. It keeps telling me to update, but I know it's dark secret so I ignore it. I'm just gonna wait until they fix it. Or just not bother on my current computer, since I'm getting a new one anyway. Damnable harddrive, trying to crap out on me.

ZA has fixed it, DL the newest version, install, patch Windows, no problem.