Randomly failing to load webpages?

[hat]

On my computer, Google Chrome, IE9 and Firefox 4 all randomly fail to load webpages. A few quick points:

• This happens even on a fresh install of Windows (and on my previous install as well)
• I thought it might have been my ISP's DNS server failing, so I switched to Google DNS and it still randomly fails
• My router is a homemade machine featuring a 2GHz P4 Celeron, 256MB SDR memory, and a 512MB CF card as the hard drive running the generic x86 DD-WRT client
• I've rebooted my modem/router many times and the problem persists
• I am no longer using my surge protector to protect my modem, the coaxial cable runs straight from the wall to the modem

What should I do?

[Dippyskoodlez]

Do the webpages fail to load when you are directly connected?

Also, with the normal network setup, can you ping an internet IP address (Google, or a ventrilo server or such), bypassing the DNS?

Break it down piece by piece and just eliminate working parts.

Is this the only computer on the network having issues? Double check your PC is getting the proper DNS too, roadrunner/Comcast DHCP likes to override gateway DNS settings when you acquire an IP.

[hat]

Directly connected to the modem? I have no idea. I don't really use any of the other computers in my house, they're mostly sitting in the corner folding/crunching away without any mouse/kb setup. The only other one that has a mouse/kb/monitor is my mom's, which I rarely use, but I don't recall having this issue with it.

I switched to google dns like so:

[W1zzard]

is it only certain sites that fail all the time? check the mtu on the router then

[OneMoar]

you need to change the dns setting at the router level ..

[W1zzard]

Originally Posted by OneMoar

you need to change the dns setting at the router level ..

not needed

[hat]

Originally Posted by W1zzard

is it only certain sites that fail all the time? check the mtu on the router then

It seems to randomly fail everywhere... even here at tpu.

I noticed the MTU was set to Auto, so I manually set it to 1500.

[W1zzard]

how long are the "outages" ?

[freebie]

Originally Posted by hat

Directly connected to the modem? I have no idea. I don't really use any of the other computers in my house, they're mostly sitting in the corner folding/crunching away without any mouse/kb setup. The only other one that has a mouse/kb/monitor is my mom's, which I rarely use, but I don't recall having this issue with it.

I switched to google dns like so:

http://img.techpowerup.org/110512/Clipboard01.jpg

Have you tried letting DHCP give your machine the relevant addresses? Your DNS looks really bizarre!!!

Once your on DHCP, run ipconfig through command line to check your dns, its normally the ip address of your router.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by freebie

Have you tried letting DHCP give your machine the relevant addresses? Your DNS looks really bizarre!!!

Once your on DHCP, run ipconfig through command line to check your dns, its normally the ip address of your router.

That is google's open DNS. It is the correct IP address.

Definitely a good idea to just set the DNS at the router level, as I've found my linksys likes to ignore my machine settings (Time warner DNS is terribad.)

[OneMoar]

Originally Posted by Dippyskoodlez

That is google's open DNS. It is the correct IP address.

Definitely a good idea to just set the DNS at the router level, as I've found my linksys likes to ignore my machine settings (Time warner DNS is terribad.)

yep I use opendns on a WNR3500l running ddwrt

[hat]

It usually lasts for like a minute. Some pages I can load, other pages I can't.

[Dippyskoodlez]

Originally Posted by hat

It usually lasts for like a minute. Some pages I can load, other pages I can't.

I just noticed you are in ohio, too.

If it's time warner, make sure the DNS is set on whatever device is your gateway, and give opendns's 208.67.222.222 a try. i just recently started picking up google's since the secondary is easier to remember

I have noted pretty much the exact same problem with time warner around Lima, you really have to work to purge their crappy DHCP DNS setting.

[hat]

It's Armstrong Zoom Internet, not Time Warner.

[OneMoar]

Originally Posted by hat

It's Armstrong Zoom Internet, not Time Warner.

same idea
have you tried running a tracert during the time of outage to see where its breaking ?

cmd > tracert www.failingurlhere.com
do not use http://

[hat]

The tracerts don't ever time out when I try it on a "broken" website.

[Neuromancer]

See if you can swap in a cheap router to eliminate the PC as the problem. Had the exact samething happening at my Aunt's house when I was dog sitting last month. Noticed the top of the router was brown (was a white router) swapped it out and all problems dissappeared.

You can also try reseting your modem, although it really sounds like the router.

[hat]

I doubt it's the router. It's a box running the generic x86 version of DD-WRT. It's an old IBM IntelliStation E Pro with a 512MB CF card as the hard drive, 1x256MB SDRAM, and a 2GHz P4 celeron. It's the only one I have that works (properly). With my Netgear router I can't connect to most BC2 servers (apparently this is a common issue with Netgear routers), and with another oddball wired router I have around here, I get horrible lag when I connect to my Alien Swarm server over LAN. I have rebooted the modem and router many times through this process, so I doubt it's that...

Could it possibly be some software I have installed? A service I disabled (using Black Viper's Windows 7 "Tweaked" config)?

[Neuromancer]

Well as long as you tried another router. I have 'doubted it was' stuff too, always helps to be thorough

Yeah it could be the blackviper guide.

[hat]

Originally Posted by Neuromancer

Well as long as you tried another router. I have 'doubted it was' stuff too, always helps to be thorough

Yeah it could be the blackviper guide.

Any ideas on what service(s) specifically could make it do that? I doubt it's the guide as well, since with a service it's either on or off, you'd think it would either always fail or always work.

My guess is something randomly fails to resolve a DNS name somewhere along the line... and that could be anything, right? If something breaks along one of the hops, it doesn't necessarily mean it's my network.

[westom]

Originally Posted by hat

My guess is something randomly fails to resolve a DNS name somewhere along the line... and that could be anything, right? If something breaks along one of the hops, it doesn't necessarily mean it's my network.

Do some simple tests to first learn what you have. For example, load the Command Prompt. Then enter the command:
PING xxxx
where xxxs is the web site URL. Ping will do two things. First go to DNS to obtain an IP address. Then attempt to connect to that IP address.

If your DNS is not operating, then PING will not be able to resolved that address.

You can also ping yyy.yyy.yyy.yyy
where yyy are the numbers for an IP address. Then ping need not talk to a DNS. Instead ping only tried to access that site.

These test report what you actually have without speculation. Provide what you discover here to learn more; learn what to do next.

[hat]

I've tried that too. I did ping -n 50 google.com for example, worked every time. The problem is too intermittent and goes away too quickly for those command prompt tests to work I think.

[BinaryMage]

Try running your computer off of an Ubuntu LiveCD and see if you still experience the problem. If you do, your router is the issue, or your physical connection (unlikely). If not, your OS/settings is/are at fault.

[hat]

Well, I put my Netgear router back in place, we'll see what happens...

[westom]

Originally Posted by hat

I did ping -n 50 google.com for example, worked every time. The problem is too intermittent and goes away too quickly ...

No, it doesn't. If the DNS is not accessed, then ping will always complain. DNS need only be good once. Then the information is stored in a system cache. If DNS does not work, ping will not work. If DNS works once, then your computer has an IP address and does not have DNS problems.

Many reasons exist for browsers to not load web pages. If ping does have an IP address for that web page, then your loss of connection is not due to DNS. Move on to other suspects.

What would installing a Netgear router accomplish? Do that only because you expect to identify a specific problem. Otherwise you are doing that because you have no idea what else to do.

You have a web page that does not load. Good. Execute this:
PING -t xxxxx
Now, when the web page at xxxxx does not work, does ping also stop working?

Appreciate the difference of your approach vs mine. I am not just randomly changing things on wild speculation. I am starting analysis at the lowest layers of the internet. Slowly confirming what does and does not work. Doing what some call "Follow the evidence".