Internet Help Needed!

[Drache]

Ok Ive got a problem.... there is a single website that isn't working for me! It works for everyone else EXCEPT me for some damn reason! Doesn't work in Firefox nor Internet Explorer!

I have tried everything from shutting every antivirus, firewall, antispyware, etc type programs down and that doesn't work. Ive tried clearing my cache, history, cookies, etc to no effect. Ive just about run out of options.....

Everytime I go to the webpage I get "Address Not Found".... 

[Troy]

If it happens in multiple browsers and/or from the command line (ping, trace, etc.) then you have a DNS problem.

Perhaps this is happening:
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/15/forget-net-neutrality-isps-to-serve-up-address-not-found/

Troy

[Drache]

If it happens in multiple browsers and/or from the command line (ping, trace, etc.) then you have a DNS problem.

Perhaps this is happening:
http://gigaom.com/2008/10/15/forget-net-neutrality-isps-to-serve-up-address-not-found/

Troy

Well this website is hardly worth banning and it works for everyone else who has the same ISP as I do. And it seems I can ping the website as well....

Ok when I typed in the IP address of the website, it loaded fine. When I tried to sign in for the forums though I got a near blank page that only said this:

In order to accept POST request originating from this domain, the admin must add this domain to the whitelist.

[Troy]

Sounds like they've got your IP address blocked. There's a chance that your IP address was used in the past by a spammer/hacker (or you have a virus/trojan and you are the spammer). For example, if I blocked your IP address at the server/machine level (not through the forum software but through the firewall) it will just drop all of your requests and your browser would think that the site/server didn't exist. In this case it seems like they've got a plugin in the forum software to reject connections(?). If you have an always on internet connection like DSL or cable see if you can get it to give you a new IP address. If you're on dial-up then this probably wouldn't happen.

Troy

[Drache]

They've got you blocked. There's a chance that your IP address was used in the past by a spammer/hacker (or you have a virus/trojan and you are the spammer). For example, if I blocked your IP address at the server/machine level (not through the forum software but through the firewall) it will just drop all of your requests and your browser would think that the site/server didn't exist. This is effective because the attackers think the server has gone offline AND it doesn't bog down the forum software with handling the ban. If you have an always on internet connection like DSL or cable see if you can get it to give you a new IP address. If you're on dial-up then this probably wouldn't happen.

Troy

Well I'm on dialup and Im not blocked. I can get into the website through the forums and if I go INTO the forums first and then sign in, it works although some of the forum sections or missing for me (you have to be signed in to see them yet even though Im signed in they don't appear). I can post in any of the other sections fine. 

[Troy]

Ok, so it works sometimes? I thought you said it didn't work at all? If you're on dial up it would appear (to you) to be an intermittent problem. The message about not accepting a POST is certainly coming from the web server. The "address not found" error points to a DNS or connectivity issue. If the DNS is broken or your IP address is firewalled then it should be broken all the time. It looks like you're getting a different IP address each time you're online but you keep that address for the whole time you're on (unlike AOL which switches the address constantly). Does the site act differently if you come back a while later?

Troy

[Drache]

Sorry for not making things clear.... This has happened to me twice....

The site worked fine and then for the past 16 hours I received an "address not found", yet the site was working fine for everyone else. While I got this "address not found" I could actively ping the site without problems. I can connected to the site by entering it's IP into the address bar and view/post on the site fine.

Then out of blue typing in the website address started working again and not there is no problem. Last time this happened it only lasted for about 4 hours. I have tried logging offline and back online, restarting the computer etc.

The admin states there is no problems on their end and it must be mine. 

[dodgecharger-fan]

Let me see if I'm reading this right:

If you type in the web address, you get an error.
If you type in the IP address, it loads.
If you click a link in the resulting page, you get the error again?


Sounds like a DNS issue to me because the links in the resulting page would all reference the full web address and your browser would be off looking for the web address in DNS again.

Try this:
get a page loaded using the IP address - like you've already been able to do.
Click a link.
If you get an error, change the address bar up top to reflect the IP address rather the the web address
(this assumes the link points to another page on the same site, of course)

If that works, you can try adding an entry in your hosts file on your local PC.
It's not a pretty solution, but it works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_file

[Drache]

Let me see if I'm reading this right:

If you type in the web address, you get an error.
If you type in the IP address, it loads.
If you click a link in the resulting page, you get the error again?


Sounds like a DNS issue to me because the links in the resulting page would all reference the full web address and your browser would be off looking for the web address in DNS again.

Try this:
get a page loaded using the IP address - like you've already been able to do.
Click a link.
If you get an error, change the address bar up top to reflect the IP address rather the the web address
(this assumes the link points to another page on the same site, of course)

If that works, you can try adding an entry in your hosts file on your local PC.
It's not a pretty solution, but it works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosts_file

If I typed the web address I got the error
If I typed the IP address the page loaded
If I clicked links on the IP addressed page they would load as IP's (which worked) and not web addresses.

[dodgecharger-fan]

If I clicked links on the IP addressed page they would load as IP's

That's telling. it could still be a DNS issue because with the pages loading that way, your browser is not relying on DNS to get the next page...

So, if you do the hosts file edit I mentioned, the problem should go away.

It doesn't actually fix the DNS problem. it just ensures that your browser can always get the ip address it needs.

Once you find the hosts file on your pc (It can vary depending your OS and version), open it up with notepad or other text editor and add an entry for the problematic site:

For example:
216.86.144.120       www.dodgecharger.com


Now your browser will always be able to resolve the web address to the IP address - which is what a DNS server does for you.

[Drache]

Ok I'll look into it since the webpage stopped working again and I have to go back to IP's....

[Finn]

Out of curiosity, have you tried accessing the site via a proxy server?

[Drache]

If I clicked links on the IP addressed page they would load as IP's

That's telling. it could still be a DNS issue because with the pages loading that way, your browser is not relying on DNS to get the next page...

So, if you do the hosts file edit I mentioned, the problem should go away.

It doesn't actually fix the DNS problem. it just ensures that your browser can always get the ip address it needs.

Once you find the hosts file on your pc (It can vary depending your OS and version), open it up with notepad or other text editor and add an entry for the problematic site:

For example:
216.86.144.120       www.dodgecharger.com


Now your browser will always be able to resolve the web address to the IP address - which is what a DNS server does for you.

Tried it, didn't work

[Troy]

dodgecharger-fan: an intelligent web designer (I know, not many of those) would use relative links within the site so the domain name wouldn't make any difference if the IP address was used to get to the site since all the links would also point to the IP address.

What kind of proxy didn't work?

Troy

[Drache]

No I meant I tried the changing the host file fix dodgecharger-fan suggested and that didn't work.

Im a computer dunce here and know nothing about proxies or DNS lol 

[dodgecharger-fan]

dodgecharger-fan: an intelligent web designer (I know, not many of those) would use relative links within the site so the domain name wouldn't make any difference if the IP address was used to get to the site since all the links would also point to the IP address.

Yeah, I know. I was just trying to cover the other base at the same time.... go with the worst case scenario..

[Troy]

dodgecharger-fan: an intelligent web designer (I know, not many of those) would use relative links within the site so the domain name wouldn't make any difference if the IP address was used to get to the site since all the links would also point to the IP address.

Yeah, I know. I was just trying to cover the other base at the same time.... go with the worst case scenario..

Yep, that's what I figured.

Troy

[SeattleCharger]

ow, my head hurts now, I was trying to learn somthing reading this thread.      

[Drache]

the admin of the site that's screwing up suggested I change my DNS... how would I do that?

[dodgecharger-fan]

If the hosts file edit didn't work, then changing the DNS shouldn't either..
The hosts file is like your own local DNS service - in a simple manner.

When you edited your hosts file, did you have a '#' in front of the entry that you added?

You shouldn't. That tells the OS and browser to ignore the line completely.

[Drache]

If the hosts file edit didn't work, then changing the DNS shouldn't either..
The hosts file is like your own local DNS service - in a simple manner.

When you edited your hosts file, did you have a '#' in front of the entry that you added?

You shouldn't. That tells the OS and browser to ignore the line completely.

no I didn't. But I woke up this morning and the site was working fine so maybe this is the end of it....

[Drache]

Got it fixed!

Swapped my DNS for another and it fixed the problem instantly!