Posted on 07/06/2009 2:54:01 PM PDT by sushiman
What do you think of this ? Computer and internet working fine when I went to bed last night . This morning discovered that the only site I can access is Free Republic ! Can’t even get to my Yahoo page to check emails there . No other sites in my favorites accessible . Also , all pics posted on FR are red Xs . Regular email OK . Have I been hit with a virus or what ? I use XP and IE .
Can’t access any other pages besides FR !
Domain Name Services.
Your browser gives it a name, it gives your browser an IP address - when it is working.
Looks like I am hosed . Google comes up ! What does DNS stand for ?
Sounds like a parental control of some sort is in use, but that is just a guess....
Have you rebooted the PC? Powered down router for a full minute? Anything in events logs?
check c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts -
How do I do this ? I’m a computer dummy .
Sometimes a reboot will do wonders..
IIRC DNS stands for Domain Name System.
Click
Start
All Programs
Accesories
System Tools
System Restore
restore to earlier date that you had a working computer,
always works for me.
No bueno .
Start > Run > (you type) notepad c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts
What does it say at the bottom of the file, below the lines beginning with #?
It will probably be something like this:
127.0.0.1 localhost
::1 localhost
If not, what does it say?
I know how to do this . Had to a couple of times in the @ast . This is easy . I’ll give it a try . Can’t hurt anything .
I don't see a problem!
If you have a restore point when it was working correctly, restore it to that point.
\
Just discovered I can’t type this mark ! When I hit the key I get a Japanese yen sign ! Huh ???????? Opposite way / works .
If this gets hosed up for some reason (some trojans will try to do this to redirect your computer elsewhere from where you want to go) then simply deleting the bad entries will work. If it's OK but your ISP (internet service provider)'s DNS servers are hosed, pointing your router at someone else's DNS servers helps.
The best way to address this is to call the HelpDesk at your ISP. They'll be able to see what your machine is trying to do and where it's failing. They may want you to reset your router - it's usually a little bitty button hidden somewhere. Caution - if you do so you'll be resetting back to factory defaults, so be ready to change your administrative username and password on the router to something every hacker-wannabe kiddie doesn't know. They'll talk you through that.
Hope that helps.
Then don't type, copy and paste. If you don't know how to do that let me know.
By the way, you should try rebooting your cable or DSL modem. Just unplug it for 30 seconds, plug it back in, and give it a minute to reboot.
Typed the # and got Google website .
This is what I got :
his is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
127.0.0.1 localhost is what it says .
Then it is probably not the problem.
Did you try rebooting your modem or router yet?
Sounds like your ISP may have had or be having DNS problems. One simple thing to try (if you have cable or DSL) is to just turn off your router (modem) for a bit and turn it back on. Let it get some fresh IP information from your ISP.
If that doesn’t do anything...
If you can open a command window, here’s a few simple commands that may freshen things a bit:
ipconfig /flushdns
{this clears the dns resolver cache, in case there’s some bad juju in there}
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
{this dumps your current IP information and forces your computer to get new information from your DHCP server (the router perhaps?)}
If the renew fails, then there is something wrong with your connection to your ISP, or they are having server issues... might need to give them a call.
anyway... my .02...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.