Computer bimbo seeks help!

[Ms Piggy]

Hi All you lovely computer literate chaps or chapesses I'm having a problem with my PC not being able to display goverment dept websites! I cannot get into www.wcc.govt.nz or http://www.stats.govt.nz/ It just comes up with
"The page cannot be displayed
The page you are looking for is currently unavailable. The Web site might be experiencing technical difficulties, or you may need to adjust your browser settings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please try the following:

Click the Refresh button, or try again later.

If you typed the page address in the Address bar, make sure that it is spelled correctly.

To check your connection settings, click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the Connections tab, click Settings. The settings should match those provided by your local area network (LAN) administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).
If your Network Administrator has enabled it, Microsoft Windows can examine your network and automatically discover network connection settings.
If you would like Windows to try and discover them,
click Detect Network Settings
Some sites require 128-bit connection security. Click the Help menu and then click About Internet Explorer to determine what strength security you have installed.
If you are trying to reach a secure site, make sure your Security settings can support it. Click the Tools menu, and then click Internet Options. On the Advanced tab, scroll to the Security section and check settings for SSL 2.0, SSL 3.0, TLS 1.0, PCT 1.0.
Click the Back button to try another link.



Cannot find server or DNS Error
Internet Explorer"

I used to be able to get into them and now I can't. :angry: I really need to be able to for my Uni work. :mellow: I am a really PC bimbo so any and all help would be appreciated. I can access them at work but of course thats not a lot of use as I'm only at work 2hrs a day 4 days a week. Help, somebody please help!

Thanks Cathy :niceone:

[jrandom]

Nooooo... I can see those pages fine.

Did you try turning your computer off and on again? :whistle:

[vifferman]

Don't you mean "newbie" or "noob", rather than "bimbo"?

Where are you trying to access it from - if you're doing it from work, your firewall may be stopping access. I think.
Mebbe.
(I used to know this stuff, back when I was Systems Manager, but now I'm just a drone, who spends all day typing crap to KiwiBiker...)

[jrandom]

if you're doing it from work, your firewall may be stopping access

Silly person! She implied that she was at home by saying that she wasn't at work.

CSL - what ISP are you using for your dial-up? Xtra? ClearNet? Paradise?

[SpankMe]

[ctrl]-[f5] from explorer forces a refresh from the server rather than from cache. Try a different browser. Mozilla Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/) is a good one. It always a good idea to have two on your PC. It helps to determine if the problem is browser or PC related.

[jrandom]

CSL - run a command prompt (there will be an icon in your Start Menu for one somewhere) and enter the command:

C:\>ping http://www.stats.govt.nz/

and post here what it says as output...

[svs]

CSL - run a command prompt (there will be an icon in your Start Menu for one somewhere) and enter the command:

C:\>ping http://www.stats.govt.nz/

and post here what it says as output...

err. that should be "ping www.stats.govt.nz" (miss off the http bit)


Also what about other sites? Does google.com work?

[riffer]

Hey CSL...

are you using paradise at home?

I am, and have been having troubles of late getting to sites.

The error you are getting is usually caused by not being able to find the actual site.

When you type in a URL (you know, www.stats.govt.nz (http://www.stats.govt.nz)), your computer sends the request to a machine called the "Domain Name Server".

This machine has a list of all the sites and the actual address, ie 203.79.151.34, of the actual web site.

Every hour or so this list has to be updated. This is called a "zone rebuild"

Sometimes you can get caught in the middle of a rebuild and the DNS server is either slow to respond, or does not have that information available.

Another possible option is that your computer has not properly allocated a DNS server when you log on.

If you are like most people with dialup you will be using DCHP (or dynamically controlled host protocol) to assign your ip address, which basically means that when you log on you are "assigned" an IP address from a pool of available numbers. You should also be allocated the DNS server numbers dynamically.

Which brings me to my original question. I have found that paradise is slow to allocate the DNS servers on logon, which can cause you to have problems when you try and access the internet.

What OS are you using? ie Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP? Or MacOs, or any of the variety of *nixes?

Call me on 4743040 if you want to talk through it.

Simon

[Ms Piggy]

FFS!!! I seem to even be having problems replying!! Arrrrrghhhhhh!! 3rd time lucky!! :brick:

JR - We use broad band & our ISP is Slingshot and yes I have tried to restart & shut down & restart as well.

FS - definitely a bimbo, I have owned a computer for at least 5yrs and know very little! As JR pointed out, it's my home computer thats the problem.

SpankMe - I have tried the F5 trick to no avail and I don't know what you mean when you say "try a different browser" :o

SVS - I can get into google ok, it just seems to be Govt Dept sites.

[jrandom]

err. that should be "ping www.stats.govt.nz" (miss off the http bit)

I'm a moron. How did that get in there?

[vifferman]

Silly person! She implied that she was at home by saying that she wasn't at work.Au contraire, Mr Randomness. I was not silly (or praps, not just silly) but LAZY, as I neglected to read her post to the endward bit where it said "at home". (I got to all the error message blathering bit and tuned out... my bad.:blink: )

[jrandom]

CSL, log onto MSN if you like and I'll try talking you through a few things, quicker than posting here.

[Ms Piggy]

What OS are you using? ie Windows 98, Me, NT, 2000, or XP? Or MacOs, or any of the variety of *nixes?

Call me on 4743040 if you want to talk through it.

Simon

Thanks Simon,
I have to go to a lecture now. <_<

We're on broad band & I have Windows 98 (maybe that's the problem).

[jrandom]

Au contraire, Mr Randomness. I was not silly (or praps, not just silly) but LAZY, as I neglected to read her post to the endward bit where it said "at home". (I got to all the error message blathering bit and tuned out... my bad.:blink: )

Yes, I know what you mean. I meant 'silly' as used by Frenchmen atop castle walls, ie, a general sense of mild derision coupled with slight derangement on the part of the commentator.

:p

[jrandom]

Thanks Simon,
I have to go to a lecture now. <_<

We're on broad band & I have Windows 98 (maybe that's the problem).

Try power-cycling your DSL modem (assuming that's what you have).

[Antallica]

Wouldn't surprise me if it's Telecom's fault again.

[jrandom]

Wouldn't surprise me if it's Telecom's fault again.

I'm going out through an Xtra ADSL connection here and I can see those sites just fine. I've had a few niggly problems with my ADSL router at home; it gets confused sometimes and needs a reset to regain its routing sanity.

This looks like DNS failing to resolve; my home router defaults as DNS provider for local machines so if CSL's setup is the same it could just be her modem box needing a boot in t'head.

[Antallica]

It's always Telecoms fault :p..... just as well they're canning the 128k Jetstrem Starter connection. Now everyone can switch to Orcon or Telstra and forget about Telecom altogether.

Excellent.

[Hoon]

Yeah could be a DNS propagation problem since you can get to every other site except those two.

Try the following links instead and see if they work:

http://192.195.12.10/ for StatsNZ
http://192.190.108.37 for WCC

[MikeL]

I've had a few niggly problems with my ADSL router at home; it gets confused sometimes and needs a reset to regain its routing sanity.


I have exactly the same problem. Although tempted to drop the thing from a great height, which would provide a permanent solution, I find that turning the thing off, waiting a while and turning it back on generally brings it to its senses. But why would an ADSL router become choosy about particular URLs? In my case it either gets on to the net (any site) or not at all...

[jrandom]

But why would an ADSL router become choosy about particular URLs? In my case it either gets on to the net (any site) or not at all...

Yes, same here. But given that ADSL routers are not immune to exhibiting many and varied flavours of insanity, and also that most of them provide DNS (domain name system) services to connected computers, I wouldn't be surprised if their internal name-resolving cache got a bit buggered and failed to update properly. Which would explain CSL's symptoms.

[Ms Piggy]

Try power-cycling your DSL modem (assuming that's what you have).
Wots that then? Power-cycling I mean.

[svs]

turning it off then back on again. can you get throught yet?
did the links provided by hoon work?

[Ms Piggy]

turning it off then back on again. can you get throught yet?
did the links provided by hoon work?
I haven't tried cos I had to rush off to Uni. I'll have a play tonight when I get home - I'm at work at the moment. :niceone:

[What?]

Computer won't let you into govt sites, huh? Maybe it's started thinking for it's self!! This could be "I, Robot" turning to reality.
OK, I'll shut up...

[Ms Piggy]

Yeah could be a DNS propagation problem since you can get to every other site except those two.

Try the following links instead and see if they work:

http://192.195.12.10/ for StatsNZ
http://192.190.108.37 for WCC

Nope - same message. Thanks anyway.

[moko]

I dont know why this worked but I had a similar problem myself very recently.Had a web-site BB in my favourites list,clicked on it and got the same message you got.Tried again several times,same,turned my p.c. off and on again(no-nothing trick that seems to work usually,zilch.Typed it in the toolbar and clicked on the BB bit in the drop-down,same message.Got to it eventually by going to the sire`s homepage,clicking on the relevant link in their toolbar and I got there,havn`t got a clue why it worked but it did.typically I was trying to contact someone and that BB was the only place I knew where I could otherwise I`d not have gone to all that hassle.

[Posh Tourer :P]

Wots that then? Power-cycling I mean.

Simple and untechical... Cycle to power it. The electricity generated in that manner is more variable and rhythmic, and can make an ADSL router work better

[Devil]

ok windows 98... no idea if this will help.

Start > Run, then type the following
winipcfg /flushdns

[Ms Piggy]

Hmmmmmmm...I don't get it!! As of yesterday I can now bring up the sites that I couldn't! Strange & stranger!! :wacko:

Thanks again guys for all your help. :hug:

[jrandom]

Hmmmmmmm...I don't get it!! As of yesterday I can now bring up the sites that I couldn't! Strange & stranger!! :wacko:

That's DNS for you.

[wkid_one]

Ahhhh - the mysteries of the PC.

I had an equally frustrating problem yesterday. For some reason - all my picture files (.JPG, .GIF etc) had all defaulted to the option ' Print ' when I left clicked on them. Wondered why they weren't coming up on screen - only to find 20 copies spitting out of the printer across the room.

Serves me right for reinstalled Office XP apparently. Funny how is can immediately change all files with recognised picture extensions to 'print' - yet to change them back, one has to go in manually and do it for every appropriate extension.

[Hitcher]

Nooooo... I can see those pages fine.

Did you try turning your computer off and on again? :whistle:
Sounds like you work for a help desk...

[jrandom]

Sounds like you work for a help desk...

I work about ten levels of contact removed from our end-user customers, buried as far as possible in R&D. If a customer problem ever makes it to my desk, that will probably mean that we have to recall several tens of thousands of units from store shelves and declare bankruptcy next quarter, in which case being nice to that particular customer will be the least of my concerns.

Which is the way I like it.