TSGL: An interesting problem

[Alan Mitchell]

Thanks Don,

What was really interesting about this particular set of problems was that
our access was restricted to ONLY ONE site. We had complete access to all
the other sites we tried, just email in one case and browser in the second.
As I said in the original message, during the first episode I ran tracert
(similar to a ping but more informative when trying to track down a specific
problem) but couldn't solve the problem until I downed the router and
restarted. As I understand routers, they are ecumenical and SHOULDN'T all of
a sudden decide to block access from a particular site. The other routers
I've worked on required a configuration change to block site access and then
required another configuration change to restore access, not simply powering
down and up.

Anyway, it's still a mystery as to why it occurs, but as you said,
occasionally power cycling the modem and router is probably a good routine
anyway.

Thanks,
Alan 

-----Original Message-----
From: list-bounces at tsgserver.com [mailto:list-bounces at tsgserver.com] On
Behalf Of Don Penlington
Sent: Monday, June 02, 2008 3:05 AM
To: Tech Support Guy Mailing List
Subject: Re: TSGL: An interesting problem

At 11:04 PM 5/31/2008 -0400, you wrote:
>We could not connect using either IE or Firefox. This time instead of 
>wasting time testing I unplugged the router and, when powered up again, 
>normal browser access was restored. Since I doubt that the month of May 
>is involved, does anyone have a suggestion..>>


It's quite a common problem. Most modems need to be rebooted occasionally,
just like a computer.

Sometimes, right-clicking the connection icon in the systray and clicking
"repair" will restore functionality.

You are probably aware of this Alan, but for those who are not, and are
experiencing occasional connection dropouts, you can quickly test whether or
not your modem is actually connected to the internet. (NOTE---the appearance
of a connection icon in the system tray does not necessarily mean that you
are connected to the internet--it's only telling you that your computer can
"see" the modem.)

Open a Run window (Windows key+r) and type  cmd  to bring up a command
window, then type "ping google.com" (without quotes). If it times out after
a few seconds, that means your internet connection is lost. Unplugging the
power to the modem (or switching it off if it has a power switch), leaving
it for 30 seconds to clear memory, then rebooting should restore the
connection. You might have to do that several times.

If it happens frequently, your modem/router is possibly faulty, or you have
a bad phone line or an unreliable ISP. Modems don't last forever.

Hoping this May solve your problem.

Don Penlington


 From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html


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