need help with Internet/browser/? problems

[melancholymecha]

Well I just downloaded IE 8 to see if it can solve a problem Ive been having with IE 7 but it hasnt solved it. Ive been having trouble for about a week now: I keep getting "IE cannot display webpage"(white page, light blue text) error messages when I try to visit various sites. Sites I used to have no problem with before, now I have trouble getting the pages to load. They either take very long to load or dont load at all, & I also get the same error message in those side windows that are supposed to play animated banner ads. Im also having problems uploading to sites. I got this other error mesage when I tried to upload something to Deviantart (well I was going to post a jpeg of the message that I copied/pasted into Paint but I cant even get it to upload to Imageshack). The message says, apart from the usual "there was a server error while processing your request" that it might be a problem with my browser privacy controls or firewall- or- it could be a browser extension, virus protector, or adblocker that is interfering with the upload script.

Since Im having trouble uploading I wonder if that might be the problem. Ive had Spybot S&D, Spywareblaster, Malawarebytes AMW & AVG since last summer & havent had any trouble with them. The only recent thing Ive changed is Adaware which I updated to the newest version last month. If its one of those causing the problem, then I have no idea what to do to figure out which one it is or how to fix it b/c to be honest I dont really know much about how they work. I just run them & hope they do their job.

Anyone have any ideas based on the info Ive provided what might be going on, or of it sounds familiar?

BTW I just downloaded Firefox & Im having the same problems. God this is so frustrating.

PS-it took me 7-8 tries before this message would even go through...dammit!!!

 

[Brent]

I don't think its your browser, may not even be your computer. I would look toward your internet connection itself. What kind of Internet connection do you have, cable? dsl? satellite? If any of these, try rebooting your modem and router, unplug both, wait 20 minutes, then plug them all back in and wait to re-initialize. Also restart your computer.

 

[melancholymecha]

Im gonna try that now. I havent considered that b/c I *can* view some websites(especially if they arent too graphics intense) & when I get the IE error page there is a link to test your connection to see if its running & it has so far come out ok.

 

[Captain Ice]

This really, really looks like a firewall problem. What firewall are you using? Try disabling the firewall for a few minutes. After the firewall program is completely disabled, try your browser again. I would bet that you'll find that the problem is with it.

 

[Brent]

Im gonna try that now. I havent considered that b/c I *can* view some websites(especially if they arent too graphics intense) & when I get the IE error page there is a link to test your connection to see if its running & it has so far come out ok.

Let us know what happens after the restart of the modem, router and computer. If you've got two browsers doing the same thing, I'm betting it isn't the browser that is at fault. Also, as the above poster noted, perhaps a firewall or something is stopping you. Do you have any piece of software firewall installed like ZoneAlarm?

 

[melancholymecha]

^I only have the Windows firewall on. I just turned it off & tried to go into Comcast.net . Didnt work. Im going to try it a second time.

second try didnt work(to get into Comcast.net). Im not having too much trouble on Trekbbs, except when I need to post. The posts take a long time to get through.

I was able to get onto Imageshack's site, but I still cant upload anything. I got this error message:

Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.

 

[Similitude]

How can you tell how many Firewalls you have up? My Internet has been slow as all hell lately and I know its not a Virus or Maleware.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

Sounds like you're either losing wifi connectivity, or losing a lot of packets due to signal loss somewhere. Do you have cable? Is the coax cable connected securely? Is the cable whole (ie: no broken mantle at places)?

You still might want to try a different browser though, be it Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Opera; it'll open your eyes to a whole new internet.

 

[Colin Xavier]

Also try out OpenDNS and see if that helps

 

[melancholymecha]

Sounds like you're either losing wifi connectivity, or losing a lot of packets due to signal loss somewhere. Do you have cable? Is the coax cable connected securely? Is the cable whole (ie: no broken mantle at places)?

no wifi, I have a modem. Is the "cable actiity" light supposed to be constantly blinking? I need to check the condition of the cable outside... but its raining right now.

How can you tell how many Firewalls you have up? My Internet has been slow as all hell lately and I know its not a Virus or Maleware.

Id like to know this too. Does Malawarebytes, Adaware, Spyblaster or AVG place firewalls when you install them on your system? b/c if not the only one I have is the one that comes with Windows and I shut it off & Im still having the same problems.


EDIT-I was able to get to the Comcast Network Health page to check my status. Everything is fine except that I have 4 warnings for something called CSA / Abuse Security - Issues. Does anyone know what that means?

 

[Brent]

You may have to end up calling your cable company and tell them your Internet symptoms.

 

[The Fatman]

You still might want to try a different browser though, be it Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Opera; it'll open your eyes to a whole new internet.

This is what you'll want to try first. If you get the same trouble in multiple browsers you know its a global issue, like bad connection or firewall, or corrupt network stack.

if you call ISP support, this is going to be the first thing they do after clearing cache and cookies.

 

[Teelie]

EDIT-I was able to get to the Comcast Network Health page to check my status. Everything is fine except that I have 4 warnings for something called CSA / Abuse Security - Issues. Does anyone know what that means?

I have Comcast too (curse monopolies!) and I'm seeing the same exact thing on their page. They don't make it very obvious though but click on the arrows.

CSA / Abuse Security - Issues
Warning Alert Start Time: Jun 14 2009 1:05PM EST
Comcast is aware of a fraudulent website and/or email asking for personal information (a.k.a. "phishing"). Please be reminded that Comcast will never solicit account information or username/password though an email communication. Our security team is in the process of identifying the source of this fraudulent activity and closing it down.

For more information and to view the latest security alerts and ways to protect your computer, your identity, and your digital assets please visit the: Comcast Security Chanel

They all say that, with the Chanel (sic) typo included.

 

[Similitude]

Yea I definetly have something wrong with mine.

Somehow my computer connected to an open Wifi signal in my APT complex and every page is loading instantly right now. On my Cable connection pages take 30 seconds sometimes and most images and ads are usually broken.

 

[Jadzia]

Are you losing bandwidth at all? Are you able to check the figures: The upload/download data rates and recent usage. Any anomalies there?

If you have the option of dynamic IP allocation, you might get better results requesting a new IP.

Third thing you could try is the cache cleaner tool, that can make web browsing smoother.

 

[melancholymecha]

First of all I just want to thank everyone who has been helping. I really appreciate it...

This is what you'll want to try first. If you get the same trouble in multiple browsers you know its a global issue, like bad connection or firewall, or corrupt network stack.

I tried it with IE 8 & Firefox, both have the same problems. Should I try a 3rd one? is it ok to have so many browsers installed in one computer?

is clearing the cache the same a deleting temporary internet files, cookies etc? I did all that too.

I have Comcast too (curse monopolies!) and I'm seeing the same exact thing on their page. They don't make it very obvious though but click on the arrows.

so this message appears for everyone? is it just to let their customers know they are working on catching the phishers or am I being directly targeted?

Are you losing bandwidth at all? Are you able to check the figures: The upload/download data rates and recent usage. Any anomalies there?

How exactly do I check my bandwith? would you mind if you could explain to me how I can do this? Would this info be available at Comcast's site? Its so frustrating that Comcast's is the site Im having the biggest problems with loading, so any info I need to look up there takes forever(or I cant even access it at all).

If you have the option of dynamic IP allocation, you might get better results requesting a new IP.

I just looked up what this means...its very confusing.

some info I looked up:
...Most IP addresses given out by the Comcast DHCP system are in a leased mode. This means that if your modem is turned off for several days or more, the IP address goes back to a group of IP addresses to be automatically reassigned to other users. Turning off the modem for short periods of time will not reset the leased IP address because the modem is assigned the IP address based on the original computer's MAC address. Every type of networking hardware has a unique code that is the Media Access Control address or MAC address for short.

I dont have a router...I dont think my modem's ever been turned off for so long anyway.

 

[Brent]

Did you try unplugging your cable modem (and router if you have one) for 20 minutes then plugging back in and restarting your computer yet?

If you have another computer in the house, can you surf fine on it or not? If another computer works just fine then its your computer, if the other computer has the same problems then it is your cable connection.

 

[melancholymecha]

^ yep, I just did it again, nothing changed. Though I cant remember now if I plugged it in before or after the computer....

btw I made sure to go to Internet Options & clear my browser history again, & delete everything(cookies, passwords etc). I did that before I restarted the computer, but now when I came back onto this site I notice that Im still logged on to the forum.

oh & I only have one computer....

 

[Brent]

What Operating System are you running?

 

[melancholymecha]

sorry for the late reply, its been really difficult to get my posts to go through.

I have Windows Vista...