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Author Topic: Browser keeps periodically breaking and other network woes
Blayne Bradley
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Basically before it stops working alltogether it looks like its ability to read HTML code breaks as I see a page partially loaded with it garbled for the remainder of the page, when it finally breaks totally it just refuses to load any web pages at all and just stays at either a white page or stays at the current page with it loading but timing out to load the next, the progress bar basically never makes any progress.

Rebooting is the only thing that helps, sometimes I can prolong my internet use using a proxy but that will also enevitably stop loading as well.

I am behind a standard router and high speed cable modem.

Also when I have MSN on it will periodically reset my computers internet so any program using the internet, will disconnect including msn. Sometimes even without msn my internet will randomly disconnect/reconnect just really fast, checking my router log shows the DHCP lease renewed at that point but why would renewing the DHCP lease disconnect the internet?

Also my router doesn't appear to keep time settings saved so the log shows everything as happening in 2002 and I cant change it.

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TomDavidson
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Um....Okay.
You went for your A+ certification, IIRC. What questions would you ask yourself if you were trying to diagnose your problem from the information you've posted above?

Here are the ones that spring to mind:
1) What browser are you using?
2) Have you tried a different browser?
3) What router are you using?
4) Can you continue to ping websites from a command shell once your browser stops delivering GET requests?
5) Why the heck are you using MSN for any reason?


Note that when a machine renews its DHCP lease, it is also releasing its IP address. During that period, it has no IP address and thus no network connection of any kind to anything but your router. I don't know whether your computer or your router is renewing its lease; if you're using PPOE to connect to your cable provider, for example, your router is receiving an IP address via DHCP from your provider and must occasionally renew its lease on a schedule that you cannot change but which is usually set by the provider to a fairly long period; in the very brief time it takes for this to occur, no machines on your local network will have Internet access. If your computer is renewing its lease, you have to ask yourself these questions: Does my computer need to renew a lease at all? Could I just assign it a static internal IP, and never need to worry about it ever again? And if I do need a lease, can I set the lease to expire after a few weeks instead of a few hours?

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BlueWizard
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Yes, what Browser?

What version of that browser?

Have you updated the browser recently?

Are you sure that some other program isn't 'leaking memory' to the point where there is none left for your browser?

What other programs are running? Chat? Instant Messaging? Etc....

How much memory do you have?

Also, periodically, my Internet connection just stops working, but it is something to do with the DSL service, and usually straightens out on its own in a short time.

Have you cleared your Browser Cache?

Have you cleared your Java temp files?

Have you clear your computer's temp files?

Have you defragmented your hard drive in recent history?

Have you cleared our Recycle Bin in recent history?

How much hard drive space do you have left?

How much DRAM memory do you have?

Window or Mac?

If Windows, which version?

Is the problem occurring during peak usage times? Not your personal peak times, but the general system peak times.

So many questions that need answers.

Steve/bluewizard

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Blayne Bradley
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I am not yet A+ Certified nor have I looked through the course material, my DEC in Computer Sciences is more of a purely C++ programming program not much into Network Engineering.

Mozilla Firefox (reinstalling did nothing) but all my browsers, Chrome, Internet Explorer also stop working, sometimes all at once mostly at once, sometimes at different intervals. And yes I can ping websites just fine.

Yes my browser is up to date but wouldnt explain why all of them cease to function a completely random amount of time after I turn on my computer (but partially linked to usage, if I turn on my computer and do nothing for 12 hours it will still work for 5 minutes to an hour before it stops)

Windows vista business.

MSN is off 99% of the time as the times it is on it desyncs my network connection (turns off turns on) repeatedly so I leave it off and use meebo.com

4 gb of ram

quote:

Have you cleared your Browser Cache?

Have you cleared your Java temp files?

Have you clear your computer's temp files?

Have you defragmented your hard drive in recent history?

not yet but the first didnt make much sense since it suddenly happened to all my browsers simutaniously.

And I have low hard drive space remaining.

"Have you cleared our Recycle Bin in recent history? "

I dont think it has anything in it ever, I shift-del stuff.

"Is the problem occurring during peak usage times? Not your personal peak times, but the general system peak times. "

No clue. My browsers seem to "break" after using it for a random amount of time (and it is random, sometimes I can go for hours of light browser surfing with no problems other times just minutes)

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TomDavidson
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Okay. How familiar are you with telnet? I ask because the next thing I'd like you to try is this:

When your browsers stop working, first try all the browsers on your machine and confirm they cannot bring up any pages. Next, check your drive's free space. Next, bring up a CMD shell and try to PING the site you just tried to reach in your browser. If you can do all these things, then open a telnet window and try to telnet to port 80 of that site's server. If you connect over telnet, issue a GET command and see if you get back an HTML header.

Let me know.

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Blayne Bradley
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using my ssh secure shell client type telnet www.google.ca 80 yes? Does it matter this connects to my schools server or can it work with my command prompt?
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TomDavidson
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You shouldn't go through your school's server for this test if you aren't already using your school's server as a web proxy. Basically, you want this telnet request to go out the same way your browsers' telnet requests do.

There's no need to use SSH for this, either. If you're running Windows, just use the standard Windows telnet app.

What you're testing here, if you can ping those sites, is whether or not you can communicate with those sites over port 80.

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Blayne Bradley
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doing telnet in cmd prompt gives me a message that exists for a split second, goes away, blinky cursor for a few seconds and then back to pwd.
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BlueWizard
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Exactly how much hard drive space do you have on drive C:?

Do you have partitions other than drive C:, and if so what size and how much free space?

And, when was the last time you defragmented the drive?

With 4gb of Ram, you shouldn't be running out.

Are you using a firewall? Which one?

Are you using a virus scanner? Which one?

Is your version of Windows up to date?

Are you sure the problem is in your computer?

As I said, occasionally my DSL line stalls, but it comes out of it soon enough. It is usually related to some maintenance back at the phone company.

I believe you claimed you has a router. I was having problems with my DSL line, it eventually quit all together. Turned out the DSL modem bit the dust.

Also, do you have a fixed IP address or is it assigned each time you log on. Does your network DSL TCP/IP setup show Domain Servers. You can frequently PING these by IP number to see if they are active.

I think a few times my DSL line has not been working it has been because both my primary and secondary Domain Servers were off line.

Domain Servers look up web addresses and converts them to IP addresses.

Also, my DSL Modem/Router has an IP address programmed into it. If I can PING that IP address, it usually means my computer and Ethernet are working.

Part of what I'm trying to say, is that you need to try an isolate the problem. Is it really your computer, or is it your Cable connection that is the problem? Is the problem between you and the router, or is it beyond the router? You are just assuming the problem is your computer. But since, when it happens, it happens for all your browsers, that may not be the problem. It may be the cable connection is down for some reason.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard

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TomDavidson
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When you've got that blinky cursor in Telnet, try typing "GET" and hitting Enter.
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Blayne Bradley
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when I do GET I get a bunch of HTML, looks like the whole page followed by connection to host lost which upon testing happens either way.
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Blayne Bradley
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quote:
Originally posted by BlueWizard:
Exactly how much hard drive space do you have on drive C:?

Do you have partitions other than drive C:, and if so what size and how much free space?

And, when was the last time you defragmented the drive?

With 4gb of Ram, you shouldn't be running out.

Are you using a firewall? Which one?

Are you using a virus scanner? Which one?

Is your version of Windows up to date?

Are you sure the problem is in your computer?

As I said, occasionally my DSL line stalls, but it comes out of it soon enough. It is usually related to some maintenance back at the phone company.

I believe you claimed you has a router. I was having problems with my DSL line, it eventually quit all together. Turned out the DSL modem bit the dust.

Also, do you have a fixed IP address or is it assigned each time you log on. Does your network DSL TCP/IP setup show Domain Servers. You can frequently PING these by IP number to see if they are active.

I think a few times my DSL line has not been working it has been because both my primary and secondary Domain Servers were off line.

Domain Servers look up web addresses and converts them to IP addresses.

Also, my DSL Modem/Router has an IP address programmed into it. If I can PING that IP address, it usually means my computer and Ethernet are working.

Part of what I'm trying to say, is that you need to try an isolate the problem. Is it really your computer, or is it your Cable connection that is the problem? Is the problem between you and the router, or is it beyond the router? You are just assuming the problem is your computer. But since, when it happens, it happens for all your browsers, that may not be the problem. It may be the cable connection is down for some reason.

Just a few thoughts.

Steve/bluewizard

4.3/80.6 GB on C
10.2/239
6.04/225
1.05/29.7


Months ago.

Zonealarm

Above

Yes

The network seems to be fine.

Videotron whose reliability as been nigh perfect.

Modem is new

DHCP

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TomDavidson
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You say the modem is new. When did your browsing problems start?
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Blayne Bradley
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several months ago, i know they were occureing in my apartment but i cannot recall if they were occuring before that before Videotron replaced the router.
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TomDavidson
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Have you tried calling your ISP about this already?
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Blayne Bradley
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Its not happening on any other computer in the house though, so it being an ISP issue is unlikely.

As I see it there's two separate problems:

-Network resets, and the inability to set the time on my router.

-Browser unable to read html/timesout when trying to access webpages.

I don't think their related.

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King of Men
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We keep telling you, stop with the pr0n downloads.
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Mucus
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Try the unfortunately named dslreports.com it has a forum at least on Ontario ISPs that has a pretty high level of traffic. I think your ISP is listed too.
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Teshi
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My wireless suffers from periodic outages unless I constantly download, which seems to stabilize it.
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BlueWizard
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Look in your Network Settings -

[Start] [Settings] [Control Panel] [Network Connections] [Local Area Connection]

The right click on 'Local Area Connections' and select 'Properties'. Now select 'Internet Protocol TCP/IP' and press the [Properties] button.

Look at 'Default Gateway'. This is the IP address of your router.

If you have trouble with your internet connection again, type this IP address into your location/address bar in your browser.

This will connect you to the user interface for you Router. Mine asks for a password, which I don't have, but still bring up the Router webpage. This 'router webpage' is literally in the router not on the net.

If you can't make that connection, then something is either wrong with your network card or your router. If it can, it means the problem is likely beyond the router.

If you actually can get into the router without a password, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT make any changes to anything there, or you will be paying for a new router, or at minimum, a service visit from your internet provider.

This is simply trying to isolate the problem. If you can connect to the router, but you can't connect to the internet, then the problem is beyond the router.

Steve/bluewizard

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