Can access the internet but can't access some number of sites

[DragoonKain3]

While my computer can access a lot of sites (ie. internet connection is working, otherwise I can't post here at all), I can't seem to get into a few key sites. Namely:

-any search engines I can think of. Google, yahoo, altavista and askjeeves are all the search engines I can think of, and none of them work. Which is really bad for me, because usually I'd google up some problem with my comp in order to fix it myself, but I can't access any search engines in the first place so here I am.

-concerning the above, some sites that use google to power their search engines but don't actually let me access google directly still works (ex. Animenewsnetwork). However, if I have to access google directly (ex. d-addicts), it doesn't work.

-hotmail.com. Actually, my router can ping hotmail.com successfully, but the site I'm redirected to (login.live.com) can't be accessed. Which again takes me down to my secondary resource of self-tech help, since I know quite a number of friends who can help me this sort of thing. Problem is, they're all miles away from me, so I can only contact them by mail.

-some number of BT trackers are also unaccessable to me. Thank god for DHT, otherwise I wouldn't be able to get some of the new eps, but as much as possible I don't want to use DHT so I came seeking help.




So does this look like a problem in my part? My router? Or have I been infected by a virus?

If not, is it a problem with my provider? Should I call them about it? Any ideas to actually what my problem is so I can give them a better description on why my comp can't access some big name sites?

[felix]

• I vote virus. What anti-virus software are you using?
• It's plausible that it might have something to do with your conection, my connection can freak out on me sometimes. (resulting in me getting things like the white screen of doom on the forum) Try switching browsers (try out Opera or Firefox). BTW, what are you using right now?

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As for the BT problems, it's normal. What BT Client are you using?

[DragoonKain3]

A few tests I've done

-I can't connect to some IRC servers, namely Rizon and IRCHighway. mIRC does work though, since I can connect to chatspike.

- disconnected router and connected to modem directly. Still can't access what I couldn't access before (rules out my router)

- tested my other computer, and that computer can't connect to things I can't connect to this computer. So unless for the small chance that BOTH comps are infected with a new virus, I find it highly unlikely thats its a virus. (Norton anti-virus btw, and a whole smattering of anti-spyware stuff is loaded in my comp ever since I got it 2-3 years ago and no problems)


So it's most likely either the modem, or it's really my ISP who's messed up my connection. Too bad that tech support for my ISP isn't available on weekends, so I'm all ears to any solution.

[Epyon9283]

Go to a command prompt and type "nslookup domain.name.you.cant.reach" to see if you can resolve the name to an IP. If you can't its probably a DNS issue. Try a different DNS server (4.2.2.1, and 4.2.2.2 generally work for me).

[Jinto]

@DragoonKain3,

What is your location? In some regions of this earth, providers forbid access to certain sources in the internet. They filter sites to protect their users of doing illegal stuff unknowingly. Let's say you live in the UAE (which is a arabic country), then certain ISPs filter the content of the internet based on UAE and (general) muslim laws.

In contrast the PR of China for example uses a similar approach but is huge enough to attract service providers that adapt to chinese law. You would have access to only one Google datacenter in China (the local chinese one with the filtered content applying to chinese laws).

So if you cannot find the problem on your side (means your PC), you might want to ask yourself, if your ISP might be the reason.

edit:

though you said it worked before...
Can you look up your hosts file and see if there are suspicious entries in it? That file should reside in your windir. (WINDOWS/system32/drivers/etc/hosts)

It still can be your ISP however. If its DNS servers are screwed...
You could sort of reverse test if you can access their IPs (209.85.135.103 is my local google host)

[DragoonKain3]

Thanks for the reply guys.

I'm in Canada, so unless there's something new with politics for some reason, I'm pretty sure that it's not the gov't whos doing the blocking.

But that google IP actually works. So it must be DNS servers? I tried to change to 4.2.2.1 as my primary and the 4.2.2.2 as my secondary in my router with no luck.

Using the google IP, I found several sites offering DNS servers. However, all that I tried required e-mail activation. And since I can't get to my hotmail account at all, I'm at a loss at what to do.


EDIT: Some things you guys asked for

Hosts file is this

Spoiler:

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

My nslookup for hotmail.com (192.168.0.1 is my router)

Spoiler:

*** Can't find server name for address 192.168.0.1: Non-existent domain
*** Default servers are unavailable
Server: Unknown
Address: 192.168.0.1

Non-authorative answer:
Name: www.hotmail.aate.nsatc.net
Address: 208.172.96.250
Aliases: www.hotmail.com, www.hotmail.com.nsatc.net

My nslookup of login.live.com (the site I'm redirected to from hotmail.com)

Spoiler:

*** Can't find server name for address 192.168.0.1: Non-existent domain
*** Default servers are unavailable
Server: Unknown
Address: 192.168.0.1

Non-authorative answer:
Name: login.live.com.nsatc.net
Address: 62.54.183.202
Aliases: login.live.com

nslookup for google.com

Spoiler:

*** Can't find server name for address 192.168.0.1: Non-existent domain
*** Default servers are unavailable
Server: Unknown
Address: 192.168.0.1

Non-authorative answer:
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 72.14.209.99, 72.14.209.104
Aliases: www.google.com

Now I changed my DNS server to 4.2.2.1 only, and I'm given a different set of IPs, but I still can't access it.

Gathering from this info, it seems that the DNS servers are giving me IPs. However, it seems I can't access these ips, which I believe to be now to be my ISPs fault (95% sure, with the other 5% being that both my comps are infected with a new virus). Ill be sure to contact them tomorrow to get this fixed up, but thanks for the help anyways.

[Jinto]

The hosts file is clean. And I checked some of the IPs, they work for me.
And these IPs really do not work if you use them in your browser? That is very strange, but I think you are right, contacting the ISP is the next thing I would do too.

[Epyon9283]

Try, in a command prompt window, "telnet host.name 80" and see if you're able to connect (should get a blank window with a flashing cursor).

[DragoonKain3]

Ahh telnet, how nostalgic. I remember using a lot of that back when MUDs were the MMORPGS of the time, hehehehe.

But in anycase, still doesn't work with telnet. It says it can't connect (could not open a connection to host on port 80: connection failed) for the sites that don't work. I know telnet works though, because for sites such as animesuki it shows a blank screen.

I think it's most definitely my ISP.

[bayoab]

Actually, this just popped into my head. What router do you run?
(I have a feeling your router is hosed from excessive BT connections. That output looks exactly like what happens.)

[LynnieS]

Originally Posted by bayoab

Actually, this just popped into my head. What router do you run?
(I have a feeling your router is hosed from excessive BT connections. That output looks exactly like what happens.)

It may also be your modem. Have you also tried powering it off then on already? I had a similar problem earlier (twice! ) where I couldn't access sites like Wikipedia, and this solved my problem then.

[IRJustman]

Originally Posted by bayoab

Actually, this just popped into my head. What router do you run?
(I have a feeling your router is hosed from excessive BT connections. That output looks exactly like what happens.)

Basically, that's exhaustion of the NAT translation table space. If you use a router capable of running DD-WRT or similar, you can change the size of the NAT table. That helped a lot when one torrent I was downloading insisted on using UDP ports because the tracker was unavailable, and boy, it used a LOT of traffic. As a result, I doubled DD-WRT's default NAT table size and thing worked again.

--Ian.

[DragoonKain3]

After letting the modem rest for the night, google and stuff are working now.

Most definitely it was not the router though, because before I connected directly and still had selective sites not showing up.

I'm not sold it was my modem though. I powered it on and off many times before to no avail. And there's still the chance that it might have been my ISP who might have noticed something was amiss this morning and corrected it before too many customers complained. XD

But thanks anyways guys!