Some websites do not load!?!

-=Vect0r=- · 8 Nov 2008 at 14:59

As per title really cannot access certain websites for love nor money and its driving me nuts! Problem exists in both FireFox and IE on my laptop running XP MCE. Rest of the web access is fine.

My Vista desktop however can access all the sites with no problem so do not believe this is a router problem...

Tried the following:

- Flushed the dns with ipconfig /flushdns
- Released/renewed my IP with ipconfig /release and /renew
- Rebooted the router (belkin pre-n)
- Cleared all cache and cookies from Internet Explorer and Firefox
- ping command results in 'timed out'
- host file appears fine

The pages always come up with a "Connection Timed Out".

The Argos web site is an example and tracert shot below:

Code:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\tracert argos.co.uk

Tracing route to argos.co.uk [129.35.70.106]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms    <1 ms     1 ms  192.168.2.1
  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  3     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     9 ms     9 ms    10 ms  osr01basi-v99.network.virginmedia.net [195.182.1
79.61]
  6    10 ms    10 ms    14 ms  bre-bb-a-ge-200-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.1
82.178.109]
  7    11 ms    10 ms     9 ms  bre-bb-b-ae0-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.105.
174.226]
  8    10 ms    14 ms    11 ms  telc-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.
185.74]
  9    12 ms    11 ms    10 ms  ns.de.prserv.net [195.66.226.27]
 10    11 ms    11 ms    10 ms  32.119.112.1
 11     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 12     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 13     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 14     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 15     *        *        *     Request timed out.
 16     *        *        *     Request timed out.

Any thoughts appreciated before I reinstall the OS in a frenzy!

Berserker · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:09

How are the two systems connected? Both wired, both wireless, or one of each? If the latter, you might try eliminating connection type as a possibility.

-=Vect0r=- · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:12

Both desktop and laptop are connected through wireless router (belkin pre n).

Strangely no probs with desktop, no access to some sites with laptop so I don't think there is a problem with the router in terms of firewall settings.

Berserker · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:31

Does www.argos.co.uk work? Ping without the www doesn't work for me either.

hybrid · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:31

Well as for the Request Timed Out Responses, you are more than like;ly getting those replies due to a firewall/router not accepting ICMP pings.

I'd try changing your DNS servers to OpenDNS and see if that works.

Berserker · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:32

DNS address is correct in the above traceroute, so I don't think it's DNS.

hybrid · 8 Nov 2008 at 15:38

Maybe not, but can you successfully tracert argos.co.uk?

I know for a fact that i can't.

Try the DNS solution anyways.

-----------

15 13 ms 14 ms 13 ms 32.112.133.2
16 13 ms 13 ms 13 ms 129.35.67.130
17 * * * Request timed out.
18 * * * Request timed out.
19 * * * Request timed out.

-------------

7 41 ms 41 ms 41 ms ns.de.prserv.net [195.66.224.27]
8 * * * Request timed out.
9 * * * Request timed out.
10 45 ms 44 ms 44 ms 129.35.67.130
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 * * * Request timed out.
13 * * * Request timed out.
14 * * * Request timed out.
15 * * * Request timed out.

-=Vect0r=- · 8 Nov 2008 at 19:22

Berserker said:
Does www.argos.co.uk work? Ping without the www doesn't work for me either.

tracert results with the www prefix less request timed out but site will still not load...

What is e624.r.akamaiedge.net in below? Previous tracert resolved www.argos correctly.

Code:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\>tracert [url]www.argos.co.uk[/url]

Tracing route to e624.r.akamaiedge.net [88.221.162.168]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     6 ms    17 ms    17 ms  192.168.2.1
  2     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  3     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  4     9 ms    10 ms     9 ms  62.30.243.53
  5    11 ms    24 ms    11 ms  bre-bb-a-ge-200-0.network.virginmedia.net [195.1
82.178.109]
  6    12 ms    11 ms    11 ms  gfd-bb-b-so-120-0.network.virginmedia.net [213.1
05.172.150]
  7    13 ms    15 ms    13 ms  redb-ic-1-as0-0.network.virginmedia.net [62.253.
185.78]
  8    18 ms    23 ms    38 ms  ldn-s2-rou-1002.UK.eurorings.net [195.66.224.54]

  9    19 ms    19 ms    18 ms  a88-221-162-168.deploy.akamaitechnologies.com [8
8.221.162.168]

Trace complete.

C:\Documents and Settings\

-=Vect0r=- · 8 Nov 2008 at 19:27

hybrid said:
Well as for the Request Timed Out Responses, you are more than like;ly getting those replies due to a firewall/router not accepting ICMP pings.

I'd try changing your DNS servers to OpenDNS and see if that works.

I am already running openDNS. This is set in the router. The desktop does reach the websites correctly through either the ISP (Virgin Media) and OpenDNS dns settings.

Incidentally, I have my router configured to block ICMP pings. It does not affect the Vista desktop. Could it affect the XP lappy?

tolien · 8 Nov 2008 at 20:04

I'd set the router not to block ICMP, but it's unlikely to change anything.

hybrid said:
Maybe not, but can you successfully tracert argos.co.uk? I know for a fact that i can't.

And that has what to do with DNS?

-=Vect0r=- · 9 Nov 2008 at 22:58

Disabled ICMP pinging, still no access to certain sites.

Tried re-setting TCP/IP settings through

Code:

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

and Winsock

Code:

netsh winsock reset

Still no joy, am I really going to have to reinstall OS having already re-installed new browser including new profile (both Firefox)?

tolien · 9 Nov 2008 at 23:24

If it's happening in IE, it's got nothing to do with Firefox, so you wasted your time there.

What other sites don't work? Checked your MTU's set to the same value on both machines?

-=Vect0r=- · 10 Nov 2008 at 19:16

Thanks Tolien, forgive my ignorance but how do I check the MTU setting? I don't appear to have that as configurable option in my router\s config pages...

tolien · 10 Nov 2008 at 19:20

DrTCP will show it.

-=Vect0r=- · 10 Nov 2008 at 20:43

Ok, ran DrTCP on both desktop and laptop, selected appropriate NIC yet both have no MTU value selected. It doesn't look like the screen shot in the link you posted. I see no 'TCP Receive Window' or 'MTU' value, both are empty.

What am I missing? Should I fill these in? If so, with what values?

I appreciate your help btw.

tolien · 10 Nov 2008 at 23:06

Default for MTU should be 1500.

Skidilliplop · 11 Nov 2008 at 10:23

-=Vect0r=- said:
Still no joy, am I really going to have to reinstall OS having already re-installed new browser including new profile (both Firefox)?

before jumping to an OS re-install I would try the following as they take a lot less time and hassle.
First run a linux live CD, something simple like DSL (Damnsmall) and see if it works under that. This will rule out any Router/ISP related issues for sure. It'll also rule out stuff like network hardware and MTUs (provided you make sure it's default 1500 in ifconfig)

If that works it means it's a windows resident issue.
Assuming the obvious doesn't work i.e checking some malware hasn't bjorked up your hosts file I'd consider uninstalling the network card, going into recovery console and rebuilding the TCP/IP stack, then re-install the network card. There's plenty of google results to talk you through it so I don't have to

Sounds like a lot but believe me, backup up your data, formatting installing and rebuilding the PC to how it was will take much longer and this way you learn more

(uninstalling the NIC is optional but I prefer to make sure no hardware is dependant on the TCP/IP stack before I mess with it.

-=Vect0r=- · 11 Nov 2008 at 22:11

Skidilliplop said:
before jumping to an OS re-install I would try the following as they take a lot less time and hassle.
First run a linux live CD, something simple like DSL (Damnsmall) and see if it works under that. This will rule out any Router/ISP related issues for sure. It'll also rule out stuff like network hardware and MTUs (provided you make sure it's default 1500 in ifconfig)

If that works it means it's a windows resident issue.
Assuming the obvious doesn't work i.e checking some malware hasn't bjorked up your hosts file I'd consider uninstalling the network card, going into recovery console and rebuilding the TCP/IP stack, then re-install the network card. There's plenty of google results to talk you through it so I don't have to

Sounds like a lot but believe me, backup up your data, formatting installing and rebuilding the PC to how it was will take much longer and this way you learn more

(uninstalling the NIC is optional but I prefer to make sure no hardware is dependant on the TCP/IP stack before I mess with it.

I don't mean this to be rude but you state that installing a new OS (Linux) may be less laborious than installing XP over again? I have no experience with Linux so that would be entering new territory for me....

I would be hesitant to install a second OS on my system to try an diagnose what should be a simple problem on the primary OS, I will however bear this in mind before I do seriously consider reinstalling XP to solve this ever increasingly frustrating problem.

-=Vect0r=- · 11 Nov 2008 at 22:14

tolien said:
Default for MTU should be 1500.

I selected the appropriate NIC and entered both 1492 and 1500 and saved these settings before restarting laptop and checking browser.

Guess what? Still no joy!

Any more thoughts before I throw the thing out the window? :mad:

tolien · 11 Nov 2008 at 22:42

Skidilliplop wasn't suggesting installing linux, just running it from a CD/DVD - it'll have a GUI, a command line for things like traceroute and some sort of web browser (probably Firefox).