help! internet connectivity issues

Abuela · Post by **Abuela** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:11 am

BobG wrote:Try entering your DNS servers using manual configuration of the NIC in the TCP/IP properties. many times, when you have basic connectivity as demonstrated by pinging, but can't pull in a website, it's because the system cannot find an appropriate DNS server.

Thanks -- I just tried that, and still nothing... though I hadn't suspected this since I pinged domain names, so I presumed (am I incorrect? I need to know this - I teach this stuff!!!) that there was full connection to a good dns server.

Abuela · Post by **Abuela** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:14 am

Bulkley wrote:Do you have any idea what immediately preceeded the problem? An automatic upgrade for example? Installing or removing software? An e-mail with a joke attached? Power outage?

Nope, no idea. According to sleepy/grumpy partner two hours ago, "it hasn't worked in several days" but that was the first I'd heard of it, and that's all I could get out.

Are you sure that the problem is on your end? One can ping out sucessfully without your ISP letting you log on. My ISP made a change in log on proceedure without telling me and it took a while to sort out.

I may have to call our ISP and see if they can help. I'm not sure why it would affect one PC and not the other, though.

FYI to all, I dug up a USB wireless adapter, found the installation CD/drivers, and got it up and working. Same problem, so I've just eliminated the NIC as the source.

Abuela · Post by **Abuela** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:18 am

BrooklynRowHouse wrote:Try to hit my web server by telnet:

Start -> Run
telnet http://www.magpie.com 80
GET /index.html HTTP/1.0

After typing that GET line you should see a flash of text and then the Run window will close. If you don't see that, that will eliminate the browser as the problem.

Also try it by IP: replace http://www.magpie.com with 64.81.199.225

I try the telnet but it won't let me connect to host, using either URL or IP. Message, your basic "could not open communication to host on port 80".

BrooklynRowHouse · Post by **BrooklynRowHouse** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:31 am

Abuela wrote: I try the telnet but it won't let me connect to host, using either URL or IP. Message, your basic "could not open communication to host on port 80".

Let's try it with another port. Use that same Start -> Run command but type this instead:

telnet ftp1.us.freebsd.org 21

And another:

telnet time-a.nist.gov 13

Also, if you're running DHCP-only on the router make sure that your computer isn't trying to hand it a static IP to use. Can you ping the desktop from the wireless and v.v.?

Abuela · Post by **Abuela** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 12:03 pm

thanks to everyone for all of your support!! I finally ended up doing a system restore to a LOT further back than I wanted, but at least it fixed the connectivity problem, though not without creating some other problems that had me up until 2am trying to fix them (the perils of uninstalling McAfee since I had reason to suspect that there might be problems that were contributing to what was going on, then setting your PC back to a time before you uninstalled it). It looks like I have things working again, or at least the basics. I'm now cleaning up the mess left by the resultant uninstall of Mcafee, then need to get it reinstalled, then need to do a backup, then need to let Partner know that anything installed in December has to be reinstalled now.

The cool thing is that I wrote up a list of what I tried and what others suggested (except for Brooklyn's link to his personal server) and I'm going to incorporate it as an example when I teach PC troubleshooting in my Windows class!

Thanks again to everyone for your help.

jeepnstein · Post by **jeepnstein** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 2:15 pm

McAfee? That's a load of trouble for not much protection. They're right below Norton on my list of sources of pain.

Try the free AVG or the quite affordable Computer Associates. I have no patience with so-called security suites that tend to knock you off line and burn up time that could be wasted otherwise.

I'm re-doing a laptop for a gentleman who relied on McAfee for virus protection. He's not going to lose any data but it did cost him down time for me to repair it. Time is something he's not got in buckets anymore. The guy is in his early eighties, battling cancer, and depends on the laptop to communicate with friends all over the world. He also has his woodworking portfolio on there. None of it was backed up...

J.

BrooklynRowHouse · Post by **BrooklynRowHouse** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:02 pm

jeepnstein wrote:McAfee? That's a load of trouble for not much protection. They're right below Norton on my list of sources of pain.

Try the free AVG or the quite affordable Computer Associates. I have no patience with so-called security suites that tend to knock you off line and burn up time that could be wasted otherwise.

I'm with you. McAfee and especially Norton are major performance suckers as well.

I've been using Kaspersky A/V for the past three years. In its first pass, it found a trojan that Norton had overlooked. Worse, it was planted in Norton's own directory and it still didn't see it.

http://usa.kaspersky.com/products_servi ... -virus.php

Abuela · Post by **Abuela** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 3:34 pm

Thanks for the antivirus suggestions. I must admit that I've just been lazy, since McAfee is free for us (so's Norton but I'm not that much of a masochist), but I seriously hate how much performance it sucks out of the systems.

Anyone have a suggestion for one of the utilities that supposedly helps to ID and delete unnecessary crap off of an XP-based system?

BobG · Post by **BobG** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:07 pm

I use (and love) NOD32 from ESET. It's great, runs unnoticed, uses very little system resources (~ 35K), and is 30 bucks a year, and it updates pretty much daily.

Bulkley · Post by **Bulkley** » Wed Jan 02, 2008 9:15 pm

Abuela wrote:The cool thing is that I wrote up a list of what I tried and what others suggested (except for Brooklyn's link to his personal server) and I'm going to incorporate it as an example when I teach PC troubleshooting in my Windows class!

Since you have the skills, why don't you dump Windows altogether and install Linux? I've been using it for ten years and never had a virus, worm or rootkit of any kind. Linux is safer, faster and more configurable.