Cannot Find Server Or Dns Error

When I try to access my hotmail account I get this error "Cannot find server or DNS Error Internet Explorer". I have done a reformat, clean install of 98SE, upgraded with all the latest. I have tried to set all security setting on low and no firewall. I have added patchs from MS. I have tried to get to it from several various ways, MSN,Avant, Netscape and IE6 SP1. I have used test links for getting into secure sites and they were okay. Another site I can't get to is CNN.com. I have ran Spybot, Ad-Adware, Panda online scan, TrendMicro online scan And Sygate online scan. Everything came up clean. I have cleaned out the junk files. On MY MSN homepage I can see the e-mail messages, but I can not get into them. No wrong password/name errors, just "Cannot find server or DNS Error Internet Explorer". Any ideas?? Thanks.

First thing to do is to open a DOS prompt and ping the site. Your ISP's DNS server may be having problems with the site, giving you a site not found msg from ping. If ping does find the site you'll see the IP in the results. Copy this and try to go directly to the IP in your browser. All errors are not always spyware.

Tried to ping it. No go.

Call your ISP and see if they are having DNS problems on their network