A REALLY strange problem - for experts only.

[Paul]

3 for your ISP sounds likely but let's make sure. Is it 3 or Three?

When you say google do you mean google.com or google.co.uk?

Try some other sites (.com implied):

guglemail
google
aol
skype
youtube
badoo
bbc
msn
ji5
kiwibox
facepartry
myspace
facebook
jaiku
playboy (NSFW)

Get to a command prompt and ping some of the afflicted sites to
determine their IP address as nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.:

ping www.google.com

Try pinging known good sites and troublesome sites. Describe the
results of the ping if it fails.

If ping fails, ping from a configuration that does not have the
problem to get the IP address.

Enter the returned IP address into the browser address bar and
describe the results.

You listed 3 sites that don't work. Tell me 3 sites that you know do
work okay in the afflicted environment.

DNS problem ?

nslookup www.google.com ?

Google returns multiple addresses.

Addresses: 64.233.169.147, 64.233.169.104, 64.233.169.99, 64.233.169.103

nslookup www.ebay.com

Addresses: 66.135.217.240, 66.135.217.243, 66.135.200.27, 66.135.200.145, 66.135.214.176

nslookup www.hotmail.com

Addresses: 64.4.20.169, 64.4.20.184, 64.4.20.186, 64.4.20.174

All three of those web sites have multiple IP addresses.
It would be interesting to see if all the failures have
multiple IP addresses, but I haven't a clue what that
could mean. Maybe the OPs DNS translation is just failing
completely for those.

Some other test cases with multiple addresses...

www.hp.com two addresses returned
www.youtube.com four addresses returned
www.cnn.com six addresses returned
www.fox.com two addresses returned
www.news.com four addresses returned

Paul

 

[ArameFarpado]

Em Sábado 15 Agosto 2009 12:39, Paul escreveu:

DNS problem ?

nslookup www.google.com ?

Google returns multiple addresses.

Addresses: 64.233.169.147, 64.233.169.104, 64.233.169.99, 64.233.169.103

the problem may be harder to understand:
from my location, nslookup www.google.com returns:

Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.104
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.105
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.106
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.147
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.99
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.103

 

[Paul]

Em Sábado 15 Agosto 2009 12:39, Paul escreveu:

the problem may be harder to understand:
from my location, nslookup www.google.com returns:

Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.104
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.105
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.106
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.147
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.99
Name: www.l.google.com
Address: 209.85.229.103

nslookup www.google.com > output.txt

I redirected the output of nslookup to a text file, but not all of the
text is redirected. This is what mine shows at this minute. I get the
impression, the returned DNS results vary depending on where you live.

Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.1.1

Name: www.l.google.com
Addresses: 64.233.161.99, 64.233.161.104, 64.233.161.147
Aliases: www.google.com

The reason the DNS server seems to be 192.168.1.1 , is that is my
router. So the query goes to my router, and my router address being a
private one, there is no reverse lookup for it. That is the
reason it says "UnKnown". But the actual lookup, is done on
one of the two DNS servers provided by my ISP, and automatically
set up by DHCP. The identity of those servers is not shown in the
above result.

I'm a bit puzzled how we can get different DNS results for
the same symbolic address (www.google.com). It makes sense
for Google to redirect traffic to the closest physical node,
but this result raises the question of how this is possible.
I thought the intent was for DNS to return the same results
everywhere. If not, then how precisely can they tailor
what each person sees ?

Paul

 

[Jim]

nslookup www.google.com > output.txt

I redirected the output of nslookup to a text file, but not all of the
text is redirected. This is what mine shows at this minute. I get the
impression, the returned DNS results vary depending on where you live.

Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.1.1

Name: www.l.google.com
Addresses: 64.233.161.99, 64.233.161.104, 64.233.161.147
Aliases: www.google.com

The reason the DNS server seems to be 192.168.1.1 , is that is my
router. So the query goes to my router, and my router address being a
private one, there is no reverse lookup for it. That is the
reason it says "UnKnown". But the actual lookup, is done on
one of the two DNS servers provided by my ISP, and automatically
set up by DHCP. The identity of those servers is not shown in the
above result.

I'm a bit puzzled how we can get different DNS results for
the same symbolic address (www.google.com). It makes sense
for Google to redirect traffic to the closest physical node,
but this result raises the question of how this is possible.
I thought the intent was for DNS to return the same results
everywhere. If not, then how precisely can they tailor
what each person sees ?

Paul

Paul,
What happens if you change the DNS settings to OpenDNs
see
http://www.opendns.com/
for how to do it.

Jim

 

[ArameFarpado]

Em Sábado 15 Agosto 2009 13:26, Paul escreveu:

nslookup www.google.com > output.txt

I redirected the output of nslookup to a text file, but not all of the
text is redirected. This is what mine shows at this minute. I get the
impression, the returned DNS results vary depending on where you live.

Server: UnKnown
Address: 192.168.1.1

Name: www.l.google.com
Addresses: 64.233.161.99, 64.233.161.104, 64.233.161.147
Aliases: www.google.com

The reason the DNS server seems to be 192.168.1.1 , is that is my
router.

that is understandble... i have my own daemon bind running so i get
127.0.0.1 (localhost adress)

So the query goes to my router, and my router address being a
private one, there is no reverse lookup for it. That is the
reason it says "UnKnown". But the actual lookup, is done on
one of the two DNS servers provided by my ISP, and automatically
set up by DHCP. The identity of those servers is not shown in the
above result.

I'm a bit puzzled how we can get different DNS results for
the same symbolic address (www.google.com). It makes sense
for Google to redirect traffic to the closest physical node,
but this result raises the question of how this is possible.
I thought the intent was for DNS to return the same results
everywhere. If not, then how precisely can they tailor
what each person sees ?

sites like google have servers spread all over the world

and we all use diferent dns servers too

anyway, i don't believe the op's dns server is blocking google, maybe some
node used by he's isp is ith problems, but he should resolve this problem
talking to he's isp.

it would be nice if the op tell us the results of openning the adress:
http://64.233.169.104/
as an example.

 

[Jose]

DNS problem ?

nslookupwww.google.com ?

Google returns multiple addresses.

Addresses: 64.233.169.147, 64.233.169.104, 64.233.169.99, 64.233.169.103

nslookupwww.ebay.com

Addresses:  66.135.217.240, 66.135.217.243, 66.135.200.27, 66.135.200.145, 66.135.214.176

nslookupwww.hotmail.com

Addresses:  64.4.20.169, 64.4.20.184, 64.4.20.186, 64.4.20.174

All three of those web sites have multiple IP addresses.
It would be interesting to see if all the failures have
multiple IP addresses, but I haven't a clue what that
could mean. Maybe the OPs DNS translation is just failing
completely for those.

Some other test cases with multiple addresses...

www.hp.com      two addresses returnedwww.youtube.com four addresses returnedwww.cnn.com     six addresses returnedwww.fox.com     two addresses returnedwww.news.com    four addresses returned

    Paul

I'm more interested in what the OP ping says right now and access to
the other sites.

I understand nslookup (I get 6 for google) and multiple servers, but I
don't think that is the problem here.

 

[lemel_man]

My friend won't be around until Tuesday 18th so,since I don't have
access to the computer myself, I can't get any more information till then.
I just didn't want anybody to think I'd just stopped caring. I will
respond with the results of tests when she brings the m/c round.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

And you're replying to whom?

 

[Bennett Marco]

And you're replying to whom?
YOU.

 

[Paul]

I'm more interested in what the OP ping says right now and access to
the other sites.

I understand nslookup (I get 6 for google) and multiple servers, but I
don't think that is the problem here.

But if you enter

ping www.google.com

the first step of that, is DNS lookup to a numeric IP address.
Only then can the ping command attempt a test. That is why
I'm asking about DNS first.

If you do

ping 66.135.217.240

then the ping test already has a numeric address to try.

Another thing to note, is servers on the Internet can have
their ICMP response turned off. And then ping doesn't work
with respect to that node.

I just tested one server here, and this one seems to respond
to a ping OK.

nslookup www.altavista.com

ping 72.30.186.25

ping www.altavista.com

That server only returns a single IP address, so won't be
testing the potential failure case very well.

I tried pinging the numeric IP addresses of the three reported
faulty sites, and none of them respond to a ping. Which on the
Internet these days, is perfectly normal.

So I guess the Altavista test will have to do for now.

HTH,
Paul

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

How would anyone know that since he neglected to quote the post to which he
was replying?

 

[Bennett Marco]

How would anyone know that since he neglected to quote the post to which he
was replying?

Umm... maybe keep a few days of posts and check back like I did? The
post that was replied to was made the previous day to the reply.

------

What McAfee application is installed and is her subscription current
(assuming it's not that crappy McAfee Security Center freebie from her
ISP)?

Has another McAfee application or a Norton application ever been
installed
on this machine (e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled
when she
bought it)?

Did she disable McAfee VirusScan and Firewall and then enable the
Windows
Firewall prior to installing SP3? cf.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/harrywaldro...requisites-for-a-successful-installation.aspx

...She connects to the net
via a 3G modem (made by Huawei) that plugs into a USB port.

Possibilities include...

Device Manager may not show any devices and Network Connections may
not show
any network connections after you install Windows XP Service Pack 3
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953979

A Windows XP SP3-based computer loses wireless connectivity when it
resumes
from standby or from hibernation...
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/951447

NB: Free unlimited installation and compatibility support for WinXP
SP3 was
available from 14 April 2008 thru mid-May 2009. Such support will
cost
you/her US$59 per incident now.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Sorry, but I'm far busier than you and only keep 3 days' worth of posts
available.

 

[Bennett Marco]

Sorry, but I'm far busier than you and only keep 3 days' worth of posts
available.

Then you didn't even take the time to look, because the post you are
whining about is still within that three days.

 

[lemel_man]

And you're replying to whom?

Just so you can join the party...
Several helpful people have suggested that I check a few things to gain
more diagnostic data about this problem but, because I won't have access
to my friend's computer until next Tuesday I thought it polite to inform
those people of the situation.
Since I didn't want to exclude anybody, nor did I want to start a new
thread, I posted a blanket response so that anybody who was
participating wouldn't think I'd simply terminated the thread.

 

[lemel_man]

nslookup www.google.com ?

Google returns multiple addresses.

Addresses: 64.233.169.147, 64.233.169.104, 64.233.169.99, 64.233.169.103

www.google.com doesn't work,
but 64.233.169.147 loaded after a very long time
64.233.169.104 responded "done" but loaded nothing
64.233.169.99 timed out
64.233.169.103 responds "done" with "problem loading page".
but pressing "Reload" loads google page.

nslookup www.ebay.com

Addresses: 66.135.217.240, 66.135.217.243, 66.135.200.27,
66.135.200.145, 66.135.214.176

66.135.217.240 worked once but not when tried again
66.135.217.243 brings up an eBay "Page not responding" page, and
pressing "Home Page" eventually (after a long wait) brings up the "Sign
in" page
66.135.200.27 brings up eBay "Page not responding", but no "Home
page" button.
66.135.214.176 brings up eBay "Page not responding", but no "Home
page" button.

All the above were with IE 8

nslookup www.hotmail.com

Addresses: 64.4.20.169, 64.4.20.184, 64.4.20.186, 64.4.20.174

None of these worked.

 

[lemel_man]

3 for your ISP sounds likely but let's make sure. Is it 3 or Three?

The ISP name is the number 3

When you say google do you mean google.com or google.co.uk?
google.co.uk


Try some other sites (.com implied):

guglemail
google
aol
skype
youtube
badoo
bbc
msn
ji5
kiwibox
facepartry
myspace
facebook
jaiku
playboy (NSFW)

Please see results of trying the actual IP address that I posted elsewhere

Get to a command prompt and ping some of the afflicted sites to
determine their IP address as nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn.:

ping www.google.com

Try pinging known good sites and troublesome sites. Describe the
results of the ping if it fails.

If ping fails, ping from a configuration that does not have the
problem to get the IP address.

Enter the returned IP address into the browser address bar and
describe the results.

You listed 3 sites that don't work. Tell me 3 sites that you know do
work okay in the afflicted environment.

www.coventrymes.co.uk
http://sambrandist.blogspot.com
www.raintoday.co.uk
but when it was tried again, 20 minutes later, it just churns.

Its looking rather like a random problem between the modem and the ISP.
My friend intends to contact the ISP by telephone on her next day off -
she's not allowed to do it from work.

 

[Jose]

Its looking rather like a random problem between the modem and the ISP.
My friend intends to contact the ISP by telephone on her next day off -
she's not allowed to do it from work.

I have already talked to 3 (well... we've had some emails).

Did you try actually browsing to those sites I listed before?

You listed the three sites that don't work right. I am interested in
the results of browsing and pinging these others, not what nslookup
has to say.

www.aol.com, etc.

aol
skype
youtube
badoo
bbc
msn
ji5
kiwibox
facepartry
myspace
facebook
jaiku
playboy (NSFW)

I figured out what country you were in!

 

[Paul]

www.google.com doesn't work,
but 64.233.169.147 loaded after a very long time
64.233.169.104 responded "done" but loaded nothing
64.233.169.99 timed out
64.233.169.103 responds "done" with "problem loading page".
but pressing "Reload" loads google page.

66.135.217.240 worked once but not when tried again
66.135.217.243 brings up an eBay "Page not responding" page, and
pressing "Home Page" eventually (after a long wait) brings up the "Sign
in" page
66.135.200.27 brings up eBay "Page not responding", but no "Home
page" button.
66.135.214.176 brings up eBay "Page not responding", but no "Home
page" button.

All the above were with IE 8

None of these worked.

You should try the "nslookup" command from the command window (DOS window),
so you can verify that DNS translation works with your ISP. If your ISP
does not have working DNS, that prevents translation.

If you use a numeric IP address, then that should work for some purposes.

I use Wireshark, to watch what happens to packets on my Ethernet interface.
I haven't tested it with other network types.

http://www.wireshark.org/about.html

Paul

 

[lemel_man]

It took a long time but in the end the manufacturer of the modem
accepted that it was faulty. Even though it had been in use for abut a
year they replaced it, and the new one works fine.

I doubt they would have accepted responsibility without the the wealth
of evidence accumulated as a result of the assistance of this newsgroup.
So many thanks to all those who contributed with suggestions and
diagnostic tips etc..
The newsgroup worked. Thank you.