Partially connected to the Internet?

[Grand_Poobah]

This has happened four times in the last week to my Vista Home Premium
SP1 (with all updates). I appear to be connected to the Internet. I
can surf about half the items in my Favorites (using Firefox 3) and
navigate their web sites BUT some of my Favorites will give me a "timed
out" page. It is never the same ones when this starts. At the time
this happens, IE7 won't go to the same sites that time out on Firefox.

I am still able to view all my other computers (and some web sites) so
it is, in fact, still connected to my LAN and the Internet. After I
clear all saved pages and whatnot, on the sites that still connect I can
navigate them fully.

This happens whether I am connected wireless or wired (after turning off
the wireless transponder). Rebooting will always clear the problem, but
if any one knows WHY this is happing I'd appreciate some insight.
TCP/IPv4 and 6 are both implemented under 'Properties' of the connection.

GP

 

[Malke]

This has happened four times in the last week to my Vista Home Premium
SP1 (with all updates). I appear to be connected to the Internet. I
can surf about half the items in my Favorites (using Firefox 3) and
navigate their web sites BUT some of my Favorites will give me a "timed
out" page. It is never the same ones when this starts. At the time
this happens, IE7 won't go to the same sites that time out on Firefox.

I am still able to view all my other computers (and some web sites) so
it is, in fact, still connected to my LAN and the Internet. After I
clear all saved pages and whatnot, on the sites that still connect I can
navigate them fully.

This happens whether I am connected wireless or wired (after turning off
the wireless transponder). Rebooting will always clear the problem, but
if any one knows WHY this is happing I'd appreciate some insight.
TCP/IPv4 and 6 are both implemented under 'Properties' of the connection.

Try disabling IPv6 and see if that makes a difference.

MVP Barb Bowman
http://digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com/ipv6-how-to-unbind-from-a-nic-in-windows-vista/

How to remove IPv6 and Tunnel completely on Vista -
www.howtonetworking.com/vista/vistaipconfig.htm

Malke

 

[Grand_Poobah]

--->

Try disabling IPv6 and see if that makes a difference.

MVP Barb Bowman
http://digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com/ipv6-how-to-unbind-from-a-nic-in-windows-vista/

How to remove IPv6 and Tunnel completely on Vista -
www.howtonetworking.com/vista/vistaipconfig.htm

Malke

I should have mentioned before that I briefly tried to disable IPv6, but
when I restarted the computer - wireless - the process hung so badly
that I had to kill it. There were no entires in the Event Log telling
me why but it definitely hung. When I turned it back on again and
restarted, connection began almost immediately. That scared me off
enough that I didn't try it with a wired connection.

It seems as if something is telling my browser to use an invalid DNS
address at times even though I have always used my router's address as
the DNS server on all my other (XP) computers. The message I get on the
browser status bar is "Looking up [whatever].com".

GP

 

[Malke]

--->

I should have mentioned before that I briefly tried to disable IPv6, but
when I restarted the computer - wireless - the process hung so badly
that I had to kill it. There were no entires in the Event Log telling
me why but it definitely hung. When I turned it back on again and
restarted, connection began almost immediately. That scared me off
enough that I didn't try it with a wired connection.

It seems as if something is telling my browser to use an invalid DNS
address at times even though I have always used my router's address as
the DNS server on all my other (XP) computers. The message I get on the
browser status bar is "Looking up [whatever].com".

Yes, saying what you already tried in your first post is A Good Thing and
Saves Time.

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: If the problem is new, what changed
between the time things worked and the time they didn't?

The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus
status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and
versions) did you use to determine this?

Be sure the computer is clean:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

 

[Grand_Poobah]

--->

--->

I should have mentioned before that I briefly tried to disable IPv6, but
when I restarted the computer - wireless - the process hung so badly
that I had to kill it. There were no entires in the Event Log telling
me why but it definitely hung. When I turned it back on again and
restarted, connection began almost immediately. That scared me off
enough that I didn't try it with a wired connection.

It seems as if something is telling my browser to use an invalid DNS
address at times even though I have always used my router's address as
the DNS server on all my other (XP) computers. The message I get on the
browser status bar is "Looking up [whatever].com".

Yes, saying what you already tried in your first post is A Good Thing and
Saves Time.

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: If the problem is new, what changed
between the time things worked and the time they didn't?

The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus
status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and
versions) did you use to determine this?

Be sure the computer is clean:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

Aha! Got it! Your "What changed?" question hit home.

When I was visiting my daughter down South late last month, we had to
alter my IP connections slightly in order for me to connect to her LAN.
She runs DHCP and I don't so we did all the normal things to change
the connection method, but one thing I forgot to do when I got back was
to remove the "Alternate DNS Server". Her LAN gateway/router runs as
192.168.0.1 and mine is 192.168.1.1. When I got back I just changed the
Primary and forgot to change the Secondary. So, when I started up the
computer, I think it got confused as to which one really was valid and
started messing up.

That, in itself, may not have caused the problem, but further research
into just how DNS works led me to finding the improper entry.

The two of us spent a while on the phone solving this one. My computer
has been online today for six hours and not a single glitch. I'll post
back tomorrow after leaving my email client on all night. It scans five
email accounts on three different servers.

GP

 

[Malke]

--->

--->
Grand_Poobah wrote:

This has happened four times in the last week to my Vista Home Premium
SP1 (with all updates). I appear to be connected to the Internet. I
can surf about half the items in my Favorites (using Firefox 3) and
navigate their web sites BUT some of my Favorites will give me a
"timed
out" page. It is never the same ones when this starts. At the time
this happens, IE7 won't go to the same sites that time out on Firefox.

I am still able to view all my other computers (and some web sites) so
it is, in fact, still connected to my LAN and the Internet. After I
clear all saved pages and whatnot, on the sites that still connect I
can navigate them fully.

This happens whether I am connected wireless or wired (after turning
off
the wireless transponder). Rebooting will always clear the problem,
but if any one knows WHY this is happing I'd appreciate some insight.
TCP/IPv4 and 6 are both implemented under 'Properties' of the
connection.
Try disabling IPv6 and see if that makes a difference.

MVP Barb Bowman

http://digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com/ipv6-how-to-unbind-from-a-nic-in-windows-vista/

How to remove IPv6 and Tunnel completely on Vista -
www.howtonetworking.com/vista/vistaipconfig.htm

I should have mentioned before that I briefly tried to disable IPv6, but
when I restarted the computer - wireless - the process hung so badly
that I had to kill it. There were no entires in the Event Log telling
me why but it definitely hung. When I turned it back on again and
restarted, connection began almost immediately. That scared me off
enough that I didn't try it with a wired connection.

It seems as if something is telling my browser to use an invalid DNS
address at times even though I have always used my router's address as
the DNS server on all my other (XP) computers. The message I get on the
browser status bar is "Looking up [whatever].com".

Yes, saying what you already tried in your first post is A Good Thing and
Saves Time.

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: If the problem is new, what
changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't?

The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus
status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and
versions) did you use to determine this?

Be sure the computer is clean:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

Aha! Got it! Your "What changed?" question hit home.

When I was visiting my daughter down South late last month, we had to
alter my IP connections slightly in order for me to connect to her LAN.
She runs DHCP and I don't so we did all the normal things to change
the connection method, but one thing I forgot to do when I got back was
to remove the "Alternate DNS Server". Her LAN gateway/router runs as
192.168.0.1 and mine is 192.168.1.1. When I got back I just changed the
Primary and forgot to change the Secondary. So, when I started up the
computer, I think it got confused as to which one really was valid and
started messing up.

That, in itself, may not have caused the problem, but further research
into just how DNS works led me to finding the improper entry.

The two of us spent a while on the phone solving this one. My computer
has been online today for six hours and not a single glitch. I'll post
back tomorrow after leaving my email client on all night. It scans five
email accounts on three different servers.

Well, there you go! I'm glad you got it sorted. Thanks very much for posting
your solution.

Malke

 

[Grand_Poobah]

--->

--->

Grand_Poobah wrote:

--->
Grand_Poobah wrote:

This has happened four times in the last week to my Vista Home Premium
SP1 (with all updates). I appear to be connected to the Internet. I
can surf about half the items in my Favorites (using Firefox 3) and
navigate their web sites BUT some of my Favorites will give me a
"timed
out" page. It is never the same ones when this starts. At the time
this happens, IE7 won't go to the same sites that time out on Firefox.

I am still able to view all my other computers (and some web sites) so
it is, in fact, still connected to my LAN and the Internet. After I
clear all saved pages and whatnot, on the sites that still connect I
can navigate them fully.

This happens whether I am connected wireless or wired (after turning
off
the wireless transponder). Rebooting will always clear the problem,
but if any one knows WHY this is happing I'd appreciate some insight.
TCP/IPv4 and 6 are both implemented under 'Properties' of the
connection.
Try disabling IPv6 and see if that makes a difference.

MVP Barb Bowman
http://digitalmediaphile.wordpress.com/ipv6-how-to-unbind-from-a-nic-in-windows-vista/
How to remove IPv6 and Tunnel completely on Vista -
www.howtonetworking.com/vista/vistaipconfig.htm
I should have mentioned before that I briefly tried to disable IPv6, but
when I restarted the computer - wireless - the process hung so badly
that I had to kill it. There were no entires in the Event Log telling
me why but it definitely hung. When I turned it back on again and
restarted, connection began almost immediately. That scared me off
enough that I didn't try it with a wired connection.

It seems as if something is telling my browser to use an invalid DNS
address at times even though I have always used my router's address as
the DNS server on all my other (XP) computers. The message I get on the
browser status bar is "Looking up [whatever].com".
Yes, saying what you already tried in your first post is A Good Thing and
Saves Time.

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: If the problem is new, what
changed between the time things worked and the time they didn't?

The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus
status of the machine? If you think it is clean, what programs (and
versions) did you use to determine this?

Be sure the computer is clean:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

Malke

Aha! Got it! Your "What changed?" question hit home.

When I was visiting my daughter down South late last month, we had to
alter my IP connections slightly in order for me to connect to her LAN.
She runs DHCP and I don't so we did all the normal things to change
the connection method, but one thing I forgot to do when I got back was
to remove the "Alternate DNS Server". Her LAN gateway/router runs as
192.168.0.1 and mine is 192.168.1.1. When I got back I just changed the
Primary and forgot to change the Secondary. So, when I started up the
computer, I think it got confused as to which one really was valid and
started messing up.

That, in itself, may not have caused the problem, but further research
into just how DNS works led me to finding the improper entry.

The two of us spent a while on the phone solving this one. My computer
has been online today for six hours and not a single glitch. I'll post
back tomorrow after leaving my email client on all night. It scans five
email accounts on three different servers.

Well, there you go! I'm glad you got it sorted. Thanks very much for posting
your solution.

Malke

Not a single glitch in 48 hours. That must have been the problem. It's
the little things that really try one's patience.

GP