Why would 2 toolbar apps in XP suddenly stop recognizing my internet connection?

uninstall both toolbars then if your using the windows firewall go into the settings of it and set them to “default” after doing this reinstall both toolbars and see if they work. If they dont you might have some issues with internet explorer and it might require to attempt to reinstall it.

Sorry, I said ‘toolbar’, but I meant ‘taskbar’. They’re small apps that run primarily minimized in my taskbar.

in addition to bunkin’s idea, have you tried just turning of your firewall for a couple of minutes? and see if the apps work? do you have any anti-virus software? Norton seems to cause stuff like this to happen all the time. also, when you reinstalled, did you reboot the computer before checking it?

@PnL – You are my hero!

I didn’t think to restart in between installations, and I ran CCleaner for good measure. Both worked when I reinstalled them. Thanks! :)

yay! i know how it feels when you are stuck with a small computer problem and know the answer is something simple but you just can’t put your finger on it. so i am glad i could help :)