cant access websites unless full url is used?

Soldato
Joined
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this issue is only affecting my brothers computer. it first started happening yesterday. he uses firefox but i tried on edge browser too. here is what happens:
in browser search bar if you type bbc.co.uk then it goes nowhere and keeps spinning around. even putting in www.bbc.co.uk does nothing. but if you put in the full https://www.bbc.co.uk then it loads up instantly.
clicking on links in google search for bbc opens link up straight away. bbc is just and example its happening on a lot of stuff.
thought it may be a dns issue so manually set the machine to use google dns servers but still same issue. and this is the only machine in the house affected which is odd. only thing i can think of is that this machine does use windows 7 so im pointing the finger there but bro is adamant he wants to stick to it even though i said i can skin 10 to look like 7 etc.

anyone got any ideas?
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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26,053
Don't use an OS that isn't getting security updates any more. Holdouts on Windows 7 are as misguided as the people still running Windows XP into the 2010s.

I could maybe understand if this was an isolated system used to run an old piece of software, but as a main PC connected to the internet? lol
 
Soldato
OP
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Midlands
yep told him again today. now he asking me to find a workaround for it lol. he should be on 10 its best way.

anyone else with a win7 machine virtual or otherwise able to replicate this?
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Jun 2021
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UK
could try the browser extension https everywhere

 
Soldato
OP
Joined
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19,359
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this is now sorted. apparently the router was the cause and needed a reboot. once done everything working proper. was odd but noticed i could only ping the machine by ip address and not unc path name.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,821
Don't use an OS that isn't getting security updates any more. Holdouts on Windows 7 are as misguided as the people still running Windows XP into the 2010s.

I could maybe understand if this was an isolated system used to run an old piece of software, but as a main PC connected to the internet? lol

If people are that worried about security... sadly they probably don't want to be using Windows 10 or 11 either :s you really don't change your security position as materially by moving from 7 to 10 as people seem to think (not that I'd advocate people staying on 7 in that respect).

(In fact if you aren't running the August 9th updates for 10 you are way wider open than a fully patched 7 machine currently)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
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90,821
MS have put out the odd security update since, there are also some small quality of life and several security updates but you won't get them unless you have an extended support agreement/product.

For a desktop user if you are behind a hardware NAT/firewall (even the basic provision of most consumer routers) use an up to date web-browser and anti-virus/malware protection and are circumspect about where you source files from your are still reasonably secure on Windows 7. No one really should be exposing any OS directly to the internet or using a Windows 7 OS variant to provide external services anyhow. (I'd also avoid Outlook the number of times MS have messed up with security there)

People get their knickers in a twist about the security situation but Windows 10/11 have far too many security vulnerabilities which should never have existed in the first place and an alarming level of constant new discoveries of weaknesses so you don't really gain as much security as you should from moving to them - some of them are known to be being actively exploited yet in some cases MS has taken months or years to even fix them.

EDIT: The office PCs at work are still on 7 with ESU, not a decision anything to do with me, (after 2 aborted attempts to use 10) not sure what they are going to do when ESU ends as Windows 10/11 has proven not fit for purpose in that environment - too many instances of stuff like this (despite it "shouldn't" happen):

"Had a fun one today at work - SCCM forced a restart on the system I was using, outside of the maintenance window, for a Windows update... snooze option disabled and a count down while I was in the middle of stuff I couldn't just put on hold... and according to IT wasn't an authorised event by them."

(This was on one of the systems on 10 due to using newer hardware which doesn't work on 7)
 
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