OT, but HELP! Computer Techies! I am Desperate.

[WaltD4Me]

I know there are some very savvy computer techies here and I am absolutely desperate. If I keep pulling my hair out over this I will be bald soon.

My parents have a 2 year old Dell computer running Windows XP, for some reason all of a sudden web pages will not load. It does not say "Page Cannot be Displayed." The screen just is white, nothing on it, but looks like it is trying to load. When you first boot the computer and open the browser you can slowly get on some sites, but in about 10 minutes nothing will load. I have tried everything I can think of.

I added another 1GB of memory

I downloaded another browser (Firefox) I thought the problem was IE8, but same problem with Firefox.

I've run every kind of computer check, spyware check, virus check, anything I can think of. I've emptied the cache, run disk clean ups, PC tune ups, any I could do. That all is fine.

I disabled plug-ins and add-ons on the browsers.

I call AT&T, the provide the DSL service, they tested the modem and said it is fine.

I removed IE8 and AOL, the only thing on the computer now is Firefox

I've Googled the problem, didn't find much, but tried the few fixes I found on some tech boards, no good.

I also removed AVG and turned off the firewall thinking they were blocking access for some reason. No difference.

I don't know what else to do or what the problem could be. I hate to re-install Windows if I don't have to. I don't think that is the problem. Everything else works 100% fine except the internet connection. All games play, Word works, the photo software works, ect...

I am out of ideas except maybe the NIC card is bad?

Any thoughts or ideas would be MUCH appreciated. I'm just baffled.

 

[elemusing]

It sounds like an ATT problem. (Even though they are denying it.) It even sounds like the computer is trying to block some sites. That is what happens here at work (I work at a school) when a page is blocked. Have you checked the security settings?

That's my 2 cents. I am a tech geek wannabe. Others who are genuine tech geeks will have other opinions.

Angie

 

[k5jm]

Could be:

DNS resloution error
IP address error
Router issue (you need one if you are not using one! THIS IS A MUST)
Could be ATT issue (but have my doubts)

You need to check the IP address of the PC and that will tell you almost all of the info you need.

1. go to Start=>Run
2. in the box type, cmd
3. in the black box that pops up, type, IPCONFIG /all
4. Write down all of that information

if there is any address that starts with 169.254. , then you have an issue with getting the IP address information automatically.

This is just the physical layer part of trouble shooting. If all of that pans out, then you have to move the applications.

 

[Ringmaster]

I'am sure you did this but, unplug the DSL modem and watch the lights when it reboots. Make sure the DSL light turns green. If it does you have a connection to the main office. Did you add anything to the phone line? New phone? Did you remember to add the filter that is required?

Do you have another computer that can be plugged in to narrow the problem to just their computer? It could be the nic card if all else fails. NIC cards are pretty cheap now or find one at a garage sale for a couple of bucks.

 

[tlcoke]

You might want to make sure you are running the most up to date version of Java, I have seen this keep a web page from loading before.

 

[safarihatguy]

I had an issue like this with our DSL provider a couple years back. In our case the DLS modem was constantly dropping the connection and recreating it due to poor signal quality. This cause it to work sometime and then stop. Watch the DSL modem. It likely has an LED that will flash when traffic is going over the line. If this LED goes out it likely dropped the connection.

I would recommend you call ATT and have them come out and test the signal quality. They have test equipment that they can hook to your line to determine this. Have them test it for a long period of time to make sure it is not fluctuating.

Before you call ATT here are things I would try first to eliminate issues that might be in your own home.

1. Make sure every phone, cable boxes ... has a filter on it.
2. Disconnect all phones, cable boxes, even the filters on your phone line then test the connection.
3. Swap out the phone cable between the jack and the DSL modem. Make sure this cable is less than 6 feet long.
4. Swap out the ethernet cable between the DSL moden and your NIC
5. Move the computer to another phone jack in the house.

There is nothing worst then having the tech show up and find it is something in your house that is causing the problem.

Hope this helps.
Jon

 

[WaltD4Me]

Could be:

DNS resloution error
IP address error
Router issue (you need one if you are not using one! THIS IS A MUST)
Could be ATT issue (but have my doubts)

You need to check the IP address of the PC and that will tell you almost all of the info you need.

1. go to Start=>Run
2. in the box type, cmd
3. in the black box that pops up, type, IPCONFIG /all
4. Write down all of that information

if there is any address that starts with 169.254. , then you have an issue with getting the IP address information automatically.

This is just the physical layer part of trouble shooting. If all of that pans out, then you have to move the applications.

I did check the IP address, I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure it was 191. something, I know it didn't start with 169.

I'm curious about the router. My parent's computer isn't using a router and actually I don't have one here on mine either. Do you need a router for a single home PC? Could a router resovle their problem?

I'm also wondering if maybe it's something as simple as a bad cable or phone line connector.

I have checked all the lights on their modem, all are green and good as they should be. The re-act, color and light like they should.

 

[robertgp124]

Do you have AIM or any other kind of program that connects to the internet (a mail program like Outlook Express, a twitter client, etc.)? Try to launch one of those and see if it is able to connect, if it is, you probably have a good internet connection.

You could also go to start -> run -> cmd -> and at the dos prompt try to ping something (for example, ping www.wvnet.edu and see if you get a response).

Also, try start -> run -> cmd -> ipconfig /flushdns That will flush your dns cache. DNS resolves the names you type into the address bar to the ip addresses that run the internet.

I found this suggestion on the internet. I laughed when I read it, but it might be another thing to try. Try to create a new account on the machine (a user account), login to that. Launch IE or Firefox and see if it works then.

And finally, if you have a laptop that you know is working at YOUR house, take it to your parents, plug it into their connection, and see if it works. If both their computer and yours fail, it's somewhat easier to pin the problem on the ISP or equipment.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[rkdahl]

Does email work OK? In other words is it a web browsing issue or an internet connection issue? Can you hook another PC or laptop to the router and see if that works? Did you reset the router and DSL modem by unplugging it for a bit and then replugging it? What kind of router is it? Linksys?

The router provides a NAT firewall so I would leave that in there personally.

Try going to a cmd prompt (Start, Run, type CMD) and typing IPCONFIG. Let us know what that says.

Also, what version of IE is it? 8? In IE got to Tools, Internet Options, Connections and Lan Settings. Is anything checked on that page? Let us know what.

And you did run Spybot and Malwarebytes correct. Some malware will mess with your Hosts file and do DNS redirects.

 

[doconeill]

Some ideas...

from a command prompt (Start/Run/"cmd"), run "tracert www.cnn.com". This should tell you the IP address of www.cnn.com (there are several, but they all begin with 157.166), and then it will show the various network devices to get to the destination. It probably won't get all the way there - some networks block it - but you should get several hops through your local provider and eventually on to other networks.

This would at least tell you that your internet connection is functioning correctly, and if so then you are having a browser problem.

Of course, there is no substitute for having someone familiar with internet connections look at the box directly.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Do you have a friend or neighbor that would let you hook up to their internet connection and test? All of the above are good suggestions but it can get pretty technical. If you hook up to a "known good" internet connection you have really cut your troubleshooting in half.

 

[WaltD4Me]

Okay, first of all THANK YOU all SO much for your suggestions, I got called into work and just got home to look at the thread. I will be going over to my parents tomorrow to try some things and will have this thread printed out to take with me.

I am fairly computer savvy, but by no means a real techie. I think I can manage most of the instructions given here though.

I'm thinking of lugging my computer over there and hooking it up to see it what happens. I do not have a laptop, my brother and SIL both do, unfortunately they are out of town.

My mom called me and said my dad was able to get online and actually get on websites normally for about half an hour earlier tonight. She said she tried later and pages weren't coming up again. This confuses me more, but I'm HOPING it means there is a problem with the connection line, like noise in the lines are something that is disrupting/slowing the connection. Who knows though.

I will report back tomorrow with what I find and again, I really can't thank you all enough. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond. My mom sounds so sad when she calls. She misses her email and can't do her Christmas shopping!

 

[FireDancer]

While a router isn't a necessity if you only have one computer I would get one. If you do get one though, and this is for anyone, not just the OP, please take this advice as a PSA:

Turn off WAN administration
Turn off uPNP (universal plug and play)
Change the default administrator password

If it is wireless also:

Turn on WPA2 if available (aka WPA AES). If not WPA is ok (aka WPA TKIP).
If the only option is WEP return it and start over
Change the default SSID
Make the pre-shared key cryptographically strong. If you are using WPA and not WPA2 make it at least 20 characters long.

A good example of a cryptographically strong key is:

@B;,EQN4yUOqh\*S0_sd.

To create your own go here and copy a string out of one of the boxes, preferably the middle one.

 

[elemusing]

The next time I have a PC problem - I am coming straight here! You guys are great!

 

[WaltD4Me]

Okay, I flushed the DNS cache and I got the IP Configuration Information.

When I went to run and typed in IPCONFIG/ALL this is what I got

Primary DNS Suffix.......................
Node Type..................BROADBAND
IP Routing Enabled........NO
WINS Proxy Enabled......NO

Connection specific DNS Suffix
Description...........Inter (R) PRO/100 VE Network Connection
Physical Address.... 00-13-2-DF-C4-C4
Dhcp Enabled........YES
Auto Configuration Enabled....YES
IP Address........... 70.239.11.159
Subnet Mask........ 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway... 70.239.11.159
DHCP Server......... 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers......... 192.168.0.1
192.168.0.1

I was able to bring up the DIS, but it's reeeeeeeeeeeeeally slow. Slower than dial-up. I had a cup of coffee waiting for the DIS to come up. I am going to disconnect all the phones and everything now and see what happens just when the computer is connected. Maybe I'll be back.......maybe not. Fingers crossed.

 

[rkdahl]

Your DNS servers is pointing to your modem? That's the bug I think. Although I don't yet understand why that is.

Anyway, I sent you a PM with some info.

 

[Castaway Dave]

My Att modem started doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago. I thought my wireless on my computer was going out. I've got a really old 2Wire modem. Come to find out, the power adapter was going out. Once I pluged a new adapter in, it work great. I went ahead and bought a new one, $99 at the ATT store, and going to keep the old one for a backup. Anyway, I agree with the moderator that you find yourself a known internet provider, maybe a coffee shop with free wireless. Good luck.

 

[FireDancer]

I was just about to post that I found the addressing strange. I am a big fan of using OpenDNS and there instructions there on how to manually set the DNS for your computer instead of getting it through DHCP (Yeah, I know, we love our acronyms).

For those of you unaware you can set up a free OpenDNS account and do parental filtering. Of course that takes away the fun of updating the firmware on your router to run more advanced software but how much fun can one person really have in a lifetime?

 

[WebmasterAlex]

Your DNS servers is pointing to your modem? That's the bug I think. Although I don't yet understand why that is.

Anyway, I sent you a PM with some info.

Could be but not neccesarily, some routers will pass DNS. Easy way to tell is copy and paste each of these in to the address bar of your internet explorer, if the sites come up really fast you have a DNS issue, if not that isn't it

216.167.116.58
should bring up the boards

157.166.226.26
should bring up CNN

72.21.207.65
should bring up amazon

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

It sounds like an ATT problem. (Even though they are denying it.) It even sounds like the computer is trying to block some sites. That is what happens here at work (I work at a school) when a page is blocked. Have you checked the security settings?

I don't believe a proxy filter would be setup without anyone knowing about it, especially after it's been running fine.

AT&T can actually pull the stats from both the DSL modem and the DSLAM it connects to outside. The devices these days are smart enough to tell the tech everything they need to know about the line, fairly accurately I might add.

I'am sure you did this but, unplug the DSL modem and watch the lights when it reboots. Make sure the DSL light turns green. If it does you have a connection to the main office. Did you add anything to the phone line? New phone? Did you remember to add the filter that is required?

What model DSL modem are we talking about here, Westell or 2Wire? While I am not positive on the Westell, the 2Wire will give you the same signal quality stats reported to AT&T, making the old reset and watch for the green light trick obsolete.

Do you have another computer that can be plugged in to narrow the problem to just their computer? It could be the nic card if all else fails. NIC cards are pretty cheap now or find one at a garage sale for a couple of bucks.

This is what I would try first. Hook up a friend's laptop to see if the problem is with the computer or the modem. You can also swap with another modem. Don't worry about changing any modem settings for this, the modems are no longer associated with your phone line. Now they are linked to your AT&T online account.

I had an issue like this with our DSL provider a couple years back. In our case the DLS modem was constantly dropping the connection and recreating it due to poor signal quality. This cause it to work sometime and then stop. Watch the DSL modem. It likely has an LED that will flash when traffic is going over the line. If this LED goes out it likely dropped the connection.

I would recommend you call ATT and have them come out and test the signal quality. They have test equipment that they can hook to your line to determine this. Have them test it for a long period of time to make sure it is not fluctuating.

Again, the modem should be able to tell you all you need to know about whether it drops the connection. I would tell you how to pull the stats, but for the life of me I can't remember right now. I'd have to check my documentation, and that's all at home.

My Att modem started doing the same thing a couple of weeks ago. I thought my wireless on my computer was going out. I've got a really old 2Wire modem. Come to find out, the power adapter was going out. Once I pluged a new adapter in, it work great. I went ahead and bought a new one, $99 at the ATT store, and going to keep the old one for a backup. Anyway, I agree with the moderator that you find yourself a known internet provider, maybe a coffee shop with free wireless. Good luck.

With both the Westell's and the 2Wires, power adapter issues are very common.

One thing I have seen during my travels is the owner unplugging the modem and other things, and plugging the printer or router power supply into the modem. They are different voltages and wattages, and will cause the very problem you describe.