Help please, Symantec is of no use to me....I am forced to use work access to figure out problem with my home computer.
A little background, don't laugh, but still have Windows ME at home. I have been diligent in every update and system fixes for the ME. The latest is updating my Norton System Works to 2005 from 2001. I currently run Norton Personal Firewall 2004 also, due to requirements for remote access between work server and home computer.
After a successful download of the 2005 program from cd, and after registering product, I can no longer access the Internet from Internet Explorer (I have cable modem). I can however use remote access to get out of my computer to another server I utilize. Any suggestions other than dumping the current computer and software and getting newer with XP?

The only suggestion that would make sense, is to get rid of that Norton. Return to the shop and ask for your money back. There are hundreds like you on this forum who got problems with Norton/Symantec crap bloatware (and probably also a few lucky ones, who don't, but they must be a silent minority).

See if you have any proxy-settings all of a sudden, or if your firewall is blocking it.

It has been trying to make proxy connections via Symantec. The firewall is not blocking. I have tried all of the Symantec "fixes" turn of Firewall, turn off security, etc....still can't access web via Explorer. How is the Proxy setting interfering? What set up this new proxy setting? Is this part of the Ghost product on the Norton System Works?
As an after though...I'll never buy their products again.......
Experience is knowledge gained to late........ :hotouch:

Reading your first post again, it looks like you have 2 firewalls fighting each other, the old 2004 and the new 2005. Make a note of the 2004-settings. Uninstall 2004 and see if you get 2005 to work (it should really). You may have to uninstall both, and then reinstall 2004 if you need that for work.

Your proxy-settings might point to 127.0.0.1, which would lead to your own PC and get you... nowhere.
Try to run without proxy alltogether, it should run just as good.
Also, stop using IE, go to www.getfirefox.com and use that from now on.

And if you want to upgrade a PC from the ME-era (1998/99?), your best bet would be Windows 2000 Pro, rather than XP. W2K will definitely run on it, and be rock-solid, whereas XP has much higher PC-requirements and sucks (just read some of the posts on this (and other) forum.)