Multiple browsers won't open a web page, but Skype and Mail work.

Testing in a new User will quickly tell you if the problem is system wide or if it's your User's folder that contains the problem.

CREATE A NEW USER

Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Accounts. Switch to the New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching.

Do you still see the issue?

If yes, then the problem is with your base files.

If no, then the problem is in your User's folder.

Download EtreCheck and paste results here for help troubleshooting. Once we have the report along with your test in new User we will be able to help resolve the problem.

http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

The exact same thing happened to me last week. On May 22 I was able to search the Internet like normal, and then I turned off my computer to go to bed. The next morning I tried using Firefox and found out that not many sites would load. I then tried Safari and had the same issue. I was able to search for something on google by typing a search term into the search box at the top of my browser, and it took me to the google page as you describe above.

However, when I clicked most links, they would not load. Some would, though, but only a few. After analyzing the links that did work, I realized that the sites that worked were https sites. Http sites would not work at all.

I had two things that updated on May 22 -- one was Adium and the other was Sophos anti-virus. The Sophos update was what caused the issue....but only because it must have had a conflict with AVG LinkScanner, which I had disabled a long time ago.

Before I realized that it was the AVG LinkScanner with the real issue, I turned off the web protection features on Sophos. I then refreshed some http sites, and it solved the problem.

However.....I did some more research and learned that AVG LinkScanner might be the real issue (even though it hadn't updated since Feb. and I had it disabled). I disabled it because I couldn't find a way to uninstall it. So I found this link:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4724011?start=0&tstart=0

And I uninstalled AVG Link Scanner, and after I uninstalled it, I turned back on the web protection features on Sophos anti-virus. The http sites still work.

I don't know if this is the same issue as I had, but it sounds so similar. Do you, by chance, have AVG LinkScanner, Sophos anti-virus, or any anti-virus program?

Any reason you even have virus software installed? It's really not needed on a Mac.

See John Galts reply here:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6276348?answerId=25915593022#25915593022

I have anti-virus installed because I also have VMware Fusion, which has Windows installed on it. I was told when I bought my computer in an Apple store that I needed anti-virus if I was going to run Windows on the computer.

I don't run Windows often, but there are some programs that I have that are Windows only.

Cool. I'm glad that your situation has been resolved 🙂

You run virus software on the Windows side not on Mac.

Depending on what you are doing on Windows you might not need virus protection. If you aren't download files or using email, you probably don't need it.

EDIT: Removed and posted as a new thread under OS X Yosemite. Apologies for the necro.

Greetings,

This is probably very late and a thread necro, however, I'm experiencing very similar problems. See bellow:

Problem description:

Can not open non-HTTPS websites using different browsers (Tested with Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Tor (Firefox based). Additionally, this is common across all User accounts. OS X reinstall has been attempted (without wiping the SSD) with no results. However, HTTP websites work correctly when running Chrome in a Bootcamp instance.

[redacted][/redacted]

Safari/other browsers – Website not loading