DUN can't access certain web sites!!?

Anyone,
Is there a DNS service in Windows ME, or anything else mysterious, that
could cause certain web sites never to load? I use dial up to my local ISP,
and no one else has this problem with our ISP. For example, I can never
connect to Hotmail.com, cnn.com, etc., but can connect to many other sites
just fine. What in hell is the difference? Why would some sites come in
and not others! Help! Thanks.

EW

Win Me like other operating system uses whichever DNS server you configure
it to use, or if set to obtain it automatically, that which your ISP
provides. Note though that it is possible to block access to certain sites
in the registry (the Restricted Zone, you can check these out in IE by
using Tools | Internet Options | Security) and also by the use of a HOSTS
file (no extension) in the Windows folder. Some malicious malware is
known to add sites, mainly those of AV vendors to the hosts file so as to
block user access to these sites.

Turning to your problem, when next on line, open a DOS/Command window and
see if you can PING or better TRACERT to these sites. I suggest tracert
since many sites no longer respond to pings. For example, to tracert
hotmail.com:

D:\TEMPtracert hotmail.com

Tracing route to hotmail.com [64.4.32.7]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 13 ms 10 ms 10 ms 192.168.0.254
2 96 ms 28 ms 42 ms host-83-146-18-11.bulldogdsl.com
[83.146.18.11]
snip

indicates that hotmail.com was resolved and tracert started to log the
route to that site.

However if the output is similar to:

D:\TEMPtracert hotmail.com
Unable to resolve target system name hotmail.com

then your DNS server is unable to resolve hotmail.com

Try using tracert. Can you resolve the IP addresses of the various sites?
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



EW wrote:

Anyone,
Is there a DNS service in Windows ME, or anything else mysterious,
that could cause certain web sites never to load? I use dial up to
my local ISP, and no one else has this problem with our ISP. For
example, I can never connect to Hotmail.com, cnn.com, etc., but can
connect to many other sites just fine. What in hell is the
difference? Why would some sites come in and not others! Help! Thanks.
EW

Mike,
Glad I got you to answer. I will have to get back with you later -- don't
ask -- and I have your email address. This problem is driving me nuts!!

Anyway, here's more regarding my problem: As I said, I cannot access certain
sites using my dialup, ever. HOWEVER, I can access ALL sites using my
(primary) broadband ICS connection from my host computer using Internet
Explorer!! I can also access ALL sites using my free Netzero account. Only
my dialup connection to my local ISP (which is also my broadband provider)
is hosed! This is soooooo weird.

I will get back with you on the "tracert" and let you know by email. Note:
my HOSTS file is not the problem and neither is the Restricted Zone. Bear
with me, and thanks! If you have any other ideas, please reply.

EW


--
The New & Improved Wiatrek Site
www.geocities.com/wiatrekhomeplace
"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Win Me like other operating system uses whichever DNS server you configure
it to use, or if set to obtain it automatically, that which your ISP
provides. Note though that it is possible to block access to certain sites
in the registry (the Restricted Zone, you can check these out in IE by
using Tools | Internet Options | Security) and also by the use of a HOSTS
file (no extension) in the Windows folder. Some malicious malware is
known to add sites, mainly those of AV vendors to the hosts file so as to
block user access to these sites.

Turning to your problem, when next on line, open a DOS/Command window and
see if you can PING or better TRACERT to these sites. I suggest tracert
since many sites no longer respond to pings. For example, to tracert
hotmail.com:

D:\TEMPtracert hotmail.com

Tracing route to hotmail.com [64.4.32.7]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 13 ms 10 ms 10 ms 192.168.0.254
2 96 ms 28 ms 42 ms host-83-146-18-11.bulldogdsl.com
[83.146.18.11]
snip

indicates that hotmail.com was resolved and tracert started to log the
route to that site.

However if the output is similar to:

D:\TEMPtracert hotmail.com
Unable to resolve target system name hotmail.com

then your DNS server is unable to resolve hotmail.com

Try using tracert. Can you resolve the IP addresses of the various sites?
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



EW wrote:

Anyone,
Is there a DNS service in Windows ME, or anything else mysterious,
that could cause certain web sites never to load? I use dial up to
my local ISP, and no one else has this problem with our ISP. For
example, I can never connect to Hotmail.com, cnn.com, etc., but can
connect to many other sites just fine. What in hell is the
difference? Why would some sites come in and not others! Help! Thanks.
EW

EW,

Check the IP address of the DNS server allocated by each of the three
ISPs, (OK two really but one with two means of access) and then try using
the DNS servers of a connection that works when using dial-up. I can't
access a DUN on a PC running Win Me at the moment but you should be able
to do this by choosing to manually enter the DNS server addresses rather
than have them allocated automatically.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



EW... wrote:

Mike,
Glad I got you to answer. I will have to get back with you later --
don't ask -- and I have your email address. This problem is driving
me nuts!!

Anyway, here's more regarding my problem: As I said, I cannot access
certain sites using my dialup, ever. HOWEVER, I can access ALL sites
using my (primary) broadband ICS connection from my host computer
using Internet Explorer!! I can also access ALL sites using my free
Netzero account. Only my dialup connection to my local ISP (which is
also my broadband provider) is hosed! This is soooooo weird.

I will get back with you on the "tracert" and let you know by email.
Note: my HOSTS file is not the problem and neither is the Restricted
Zone. Bear with me, and thanks! If you have any other ideas, please
reply.

Thanks again, Mike, but I have continuing news! For the last two days I
HAVE been able to connect to those troublesome sites very well. Apparently
this was a temporary problem, and I know this non-connectivity was not there
weeks ago. Perhaps the problem had something to do with Akamai's problems
over the last 10 days or so -- their DNS innards had problems, I read.

In any case, I learned a lot, esp. from you. Bottom line: all is fine now,
but I still don't know for sure why it happened. I'll just move on from
here.

Best regards,
EW

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
EW,

Check the IP address of the DNS server allocated by each of the three
ISPs, (OK two really but one with two means of access) and then try using
the DNS servers of a connection that works when using dial-up. I can't
access a DUN on a PC running Win Me at the moment but you should be able
to do this by choosing to manually enter the DNS server addresses rather
than have them allocated automatically.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



EW... wrote:

Mike,
Glad I got you to answer. I will have to get back with you later --
don't ask -- and I have your email address. This problem is driving
me nuts!!

Anyway, here's more regarding my problem: As I said, I cannot access
certain sites using my dialup, ever. HOWEVER, I can access ALL sites
using my (primary) broadband ICS connection from my host computer
using Internet Explorer!! I can also access ALL sites using my free
Netzero account. Only my dialup connection to my local ISP (which is
also my broadband provider) is hosed! This is soooooo weird.

I will get back with you on the "tracert" and let you know by email.
Note: my HOSTS file is not the problem and neither is the Restricted
Zone. Bear with me, and thanks! If you have any other ideas, please
reply.

That's good news EW. Personally I always thought the problem was likely
to be external to your hardware. I agree that moving on is probably the
best approach and putting down the problem to being just one of those
transient problems that come and go every so often.
--
Mike Maltby MS-MVP



EW wrote:

Thanks again, Mike, but I have continuing news! For the last two
days I HAVE been able to connect to those troublesome sites very
well. Apparently this was a temporary problem, and I know this
non-connectivity was not there weeks ago. Perhaps the problem had
something to do with Akamai's problems over the last 10 days or so --
their DNS innards had problems, I read.
In any case, I learned a lot, esp. from you. Bottom line: all is
fine now, but I still don't know for sure why it happened. I'll just
move on from here.