Browsers not working, except for IE?

Windows 7 Ultimate
AVG antivirus

So, there was some sort of issue with bad sectors on my drive... I barely managed to fix the slowdown using the Windows Disk Cleanup tool. System speed seems back to normal now, almost like nothing happened, but my browsers aren't working—except for Internet Explorer. I usually use Chrome, with Opera installed, but whenever I type in a URL, they act like there's no internet connection at all.

I tried switching antivirus software, reinstalling the browsers, and running scans with CCleaner and Malwarebytes, but nothing turns up any errors.

I only really use this PC on weekends, so it's funny how this popped up after leaving it untouched all week... it just came out of nowhere. My only logical guess is that Windows updates caused this, since that's the only thing that actually changed.

Does anyone know a painless fix, or am I looking at a fresh Windows installation?

If you're dealing with bad sectors on your hard drive, running the standard Windows Disk Cleanup isn't going to do anything for you—it's kind of like trying to use CCleaner to tidy up a pile of actual trash, right?

You might want to grab CrystalDiskinf to check your drive's S.M.A.R.T. status; that'll give you a much clearer picture of what's actually going on under the hood. Feel free to snap a screenshot of the results so we can take a look together.

http://crystalmark.info/download/index-e.html

Here you go:

http://tinypic.com/r/j6k0uf/8

Yeah, the drive has bad sectors and really ought to be replaced—isolating them is just a temporary fix, I guess.
Maybe try something like a zero fill or a full format.

George Sanders37 said:Yeah, the drive has bad sectors and needs replacing; marking them as bad is just a temporary fix.
He could try a zero fill or a full format.

I need more details.

I assume there isn't one specific reason why these bad sectors appeared.

The report from CrystalDiskinf is flagging a "current pending sector count" warning for X sectors. Usually, that’s a telltale sign of bad sectors on your drive. Since you mentioned you were already aware of some bad sectors, the real question is whether they're spreading. If that number keeps climbing, I guess you should probably swap out the drive ASAP—before it eventually just dies on you.

That said, if the number stays flat, there's a chance—though not always—that those sectors might actually be recoverable. There are a few different ways to handle it, and honestly, some folks here have already suggested better methods than mine;

http://www.overclock.net/t/1341922/f...g-sector-count

Thanks for the help.