If you can ping google that means you have internet connection. Try opening a command prompt and type "netstat -nbo" ... this will show you tha established connections and the application that is associated with the connection. Also, check the proxy settings on your internet browser. Try running IE in safe mode (with add-ons disabled). To check for virus/malware, if you know the date that the computer got infected, start the computer in safe mode. Then check for *.exe and *.dll files in the most common places where a virus would be stored. You can do so by opening a command prompt and typing "dir /o-d /a /p *.exe" or "dir /o-d /a /p *.dll". This will show you *.exe and *.dll files in order by date with the latest ones at the top. You can hit the space bar to scroll down the list. Run these commands in \windows, \windows\system32, %userprofile% (and subfolders by adding the /s switch to the commabd) and in the \program files folder and subfolders. Delete any *.dll or *.exe file that looks suspicious. If you're not sure about a file you can google the name of the file.
