I may have to give up the Internet [Updated at #94]

Self | 6/12/'14 | Zionist Conspirator

[Zionist Conspirator]

I'll try to make this as short as possible, because I never know when a page is going to load.

As you may recall, I started having connection issues about three and a half months ago. After eliminating every other issue I wound up getting another (rebuilt) computer.

Late last month the same issue began showing up so I returned the computer to the repair shop at which I bought it. They hooked it up to their connection and announced that there was nothing wrong with it.

As recently as last Sunday this thing was working like a top. Now not only will it not play videos, it doesn't even want to load still pictures and sometimes doesn't want to load a page at all. I've been on the phone twice today with my ISP. The first guy remote controlled my computer, checked out my browser, and said it was working great (which it was for him). Then after hanging up I was once again having the greatest difficulty loading pages. I called again and was told there was absolutely nothing wrong with the network. So it's not the computer, it's not the modem (either one of them, since they both have the same problem), and it's not the network. I'm losing my ability to surf the Net at all and apparently there is nothing wrong with anything.

The DSL is sending someone to check out our wiring over the weekend (I'm grasping at straws that it may have something to do with the days of flash flooding saturating the soil and perhaps doing some harm to the phone lines, though we have no problems with the telephone itself). If he once again tells me there's nothing wrong with anything and to take the computer to the shop (been there, done that) I'll simply have to cancel my Internet account. I can't afford to keep paying this for service that's indistinguishable from dial-up.

I don't want to do this. But it looks like that's what it's going to come to barring a miracle. I'm absolutely sick about this. Everyone's jerking me around and disclaiming responsibility, every else says it's working for them, but i can't do anything.

I've been online for seveenteen years, the past seven on DSL, and never had any problems at all until just a few months ago. Furthermore 5/24 was my fifteenth anniversary as a FReeper.

Please don't tease me by asking if my computer is plugged in. Not funny, guys. Don't try to give me advice because I won't understand a word of it. And I don't have any laptops, smart phones, or any such thing . . . just one desktop plugged into one phone jack.

Please forgive my tone, but I am at my wit's end. I hope I will somehow be able to stay online, but if no one can find anything wrong, I don't know what to do other than cancel. And no, we don't have cable out here.

I hope this isn't the end, but if it is . . . well, I'll miss all of you. And I'm well aware of what an unpleasant jackass I am most of the time. Thanks to Jim Rob and everyone else for putting up with me.

[AppyPappy]

“Don’t try to give me advice because I won’t understand a word of it. “

It’s true. Ignorance is bliss. http://chutzpah.typepad.com/slow_movement/2008/07/calvin-hobbes-2.html

[Klemper]

Can you borrow another computer from a friend to hook up temporarily? Got any really good computer saavy friends or family to come look at it for you? There are ways that you can eliminate and rule out all but the ISP.

[EDINVA]

We had our dsl guy out (Verizon) a month or two ago after endlessly having to reboot our router. Turned out a setting in our router was higher than the master box it was transmitting thru (layman’s terms). Once that was fixed, the dsl has been operating very smoothly.

We’ve all become so dependent on our internet connections, when anything goes awry, we go nuts. And it’s so frustrating if you don’t speak the tech language.

Good luck. Hope it all works out for you.

[Kirkwood]

Several years ago I was having erratic problems with my DSL. Eventually it was tracked down to a loose ground wire inside a switching box about a half mile from my house.

[VeniVidiVici]

Good they are finally sending somebody out to check the line (see post #20).

Occasionally my crappy router will need to be reset. Unplug and replug will get my speed back.

Ask your dsl provider how to change your dns server address. Maybe theirs is hosed.

[KC_Lion]

If worst comes to worst you can always save up for a nice cheap computer that is really only for the internet.

That is once maybe you get a carrier that apparently doesn't suck!

http://www.walmart.com/browse/computers/desktop-computers/3944_3951_132982

[AzNASCARfan]

We had similar spuratic connection problems on Qwest DSL too... all that went away when I got cable. After years of having the problem only when it rained (not very often here in Phoenix) it was a real problem duplicating it as it usually was not still raining when the repair guy showed up the next day. Finally one honest repair guy told us the problem was in the old switches they used about a mile up the road. He put our pair of wires into a different set of pins and the problem seemed to go away for a little while, then it started up again and I called COX and put in cable, I needed a good connection all the time to work from home.

[holymoly]

Don't try to give me advice because I won't understand a word of it.

That sounds like a dare. ;o)

I see others have recommended scanning for malware. (I.E. using Malwarebytes, etc.)

You don't mention your OS. If it were me, I'd try a linux live-cd.

Puppy Linux ISOs are relatively small (around 125mb).

If you need something to burn an ISO with, DeepBurner Free works well (I've been using it for years).

You just download the Puppy Linux ISO to a folder (where you can find it), fire up DeepBurner, select "Burn ISO image", direct it to the ISO file, and burn.

Then you reboot w. the Live CD in the CD/DVD drive (making sure the BIOS boot order is set properly), and *voila*.  (It's easier than it sounds.)

IMO If you can connect/surf w. a Linux live CD/DVD, it would pretty much eliminate hardware as a cause of the problem.

Good luck.

[Chode]

can you think of anything electrical that changed in your house 23 months ago? new this or that, wiring, etc? are you running a router? can you take your machine to a friends house and see it it does the same thing there? can you try using your machine in a different room?

grabbing at straws here

[First_Salute]

Go to: http://mxtoolbox.com/NetworkTools.aspx

Among the Network Tools, find “whatismyip” and click once on “IP and location”. (Do not tell us what your Internet IP address [aka “WAN IP” aka “Public IP”] is.)

Go to: http://mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

Enter your Internet IP address and click on the “Blacklist Check” button.

If your Internet IP address is blacklisted by more than 3 blacklisters and/or Spamhaus and Spamcop are among the blacklisters, then it’s possible that your machine is acting as a server to the Internet ... unbeknownst to you.

- - - - - - -

Yet, your machine may otherwise be bogged down by excess cache files. Piriform’s CCleaner (the freed download) can help you with that.

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Also, despite your wish to not dig deeper into technical details ... you will learn some things by exploring the basics of the Event Viewer:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/226084-event-viewer-open-use-windows-7-a.html

- - - - - - -

Lastly, anti-whatever processes can bog down your computer as they automagically download and install updates.

Same for Windows Updates.

You may find that your machine performs better by NOT allowing either update process to run automatically.

Same for Adobe software updating

[jaydee770]

Two different computers developing the same behavior issues makes me think it’s not the computers.

Do you know someone with a laptop (or desktop if they want to lug it) who can come by and check the same web sites over your connection at the same time you are experiencing the issues? If they have the same issues, it’s *probably* not your computer and it’s something with your connection (from the cable to the modem to the ISP).

But if they *don’t* have the same issues (they can surf/browse just fine), then you may want to look at your computer.

You should try to check the other computer during those period when you are experiencing the issues.

You can google “speedtest” and run a few different ones to see how your connection performs right when you are experiencing the problem. If the speedtest reveals a significantly lower bandwidth than what your ISP is supposedly providing, then there may be a problem with the cable connected to your computer, the modem, or the ISP’s equipment. It could also most certainly be a bad buried line or similar if you notice the problem when the ground is really wet. A bad speedtest performance is a clue that something is not right with connectivity.

Have you scanned with:
- Malwarebytes
- Spybot
- your preferred flavor of Anti-virus?
all with current updates to see if you have a malware issue?

Best guess (and it’s only a guess as there just isn’t enough info yet): I would expect that it’s either your connection (which could be sporadic) -or- somewhat unlikely, but possibly you’ve unknowingly infected your new computer from your old computer or revisited some website that is propagating malware.

I would start looking at those two areas, keeping in mind that it could be a combination of problems in those two areas. If neither one is confirmed, then it’s a head-scratcher with the information given so far.

Good luck with it!

[Fai Mao]

I had intermittent connections a few months back. It was caused by the ignorant woman across the street constantly backing her huge 4X4 truck over the junction box. She was using the box to tell her when she got close to the fence and had pulled my connection lose in the process. The Internet would work, sort of, until it rained. I’d cal GTA would come repair the box and the next week I’d have to call them again

The telephone company finally put up a concrete post in front of the junction box

[Pelham]

I had DSL for years and this last year I began having constant problems with it. Eventually AT&T offered to switch me over from DSL to Uverse, and did so at a discount. UVerse is of course much faster than DSL.

The technician who installed the UVerse equipment told me that AT&T hasn’t been putting much money into maintaining their DSL equipment, it’s an obsolete legacy technology, and that’s why I had been having connection problems. If you have the option of switching to Uverse or FIOS you should see if that solves your connection problem.

[Pajamajan]

Sorry your having trouble. Hope you can find a solution.

[Nuc 1.1]

Intermittent problems are the hardest to find, however they are usually the easiest to fix. Like some have posted I bet a wiring / connection (physical as in terminal) or modem problem. In my working life I have seen seen simple problems cause consternation for years. For example, in one case a cold solder joint in the back plane in 32/77 was forcing us to screw our load. In another case a broken ribbon wire was causing intermittent problems with the full core display on the reactor control bench board for a simulator we were building. So...hang in there.

[Carriage Hill]

Check your download/upload speeds, and compare to others:
http://www.speedtest.net/

Use this to test the PC for adaware/malware:
http://www.malwarebytes.org/

[Zionist Conspirator]

I've been on the phone twice today with my ISP. The first guy remote controlled my computer, checked out my browser, and said it was working great (which it was for him).

This was a mis-type. He went into my modem, improved it, and said it was working great. It was for him. It refused to do so for me.

I regret the error.

[rockrr]

I know how frustrating dealing with browsers and the internet can be. I hope that you don’t give up just yet. Do you have the ability to plug in a different machine (laptop perhaps) to test whether it is something with your connection vs. something with your computer?

Take care FRiend.

[KarlInOhio]

Do you have wireless or wired connections? If you have wireless try connecting with an ethernet cable to see if the wireless part is screwed up. The next test is to have a friend (or even an enemy) with a WiFi device do a speed test to see if it is the router/modem/line or if your computer is the slow part. If you don't have WiFi, you'll need a friend with a computer to come over and hook in and do the same thing.

[Cold Heart]

As we “speak” my DSL connection is disconnecting.

I've been through all the problems you have had plus a few more. I've spent days on the phone with technicians, crawled through the attic, garage etc, following wires & testing connections. More often than I care to remember.

The toughest problems to solve happen when you have more than one occurring at once.

Corroded copper wire connections, three different times, three different locations. We are 500ft from the fiber optic box where the optic signal converts to electrical.
I suspected wire connection when that problem occurred more often during higher humidity. Each one of those required hours on the phone going through the same tests before they would send out a technician even when I told them it was their wires.

Deep seated viruses/malware/hacking, once causing the destruction of hard drive

Bad signal strength/interference from provider (as is happening intermittently now) Rotating brownouts that occur more frequently when school is out. The fix on that is often to disconnect the phone line into the modem count ten seconds, plug back in & hope you got a new line (hope & change) Occasionally I get no connection most of the day

Bad Modem, theirs. Hours on line & phone for them to work on that.

I think there were a few more, but there's a start. Good luck.