Suddenly Unable to Access a particular Web Site - Web Site is OK!

[victory]

I have XP Pro SP2 using IE 6 and am suddenly unable to access the
local weather web site here in Ireland at www.met.ie.

I get the message " Unable to access server at www.met.ie ". I have
checked by phone at the Office of this service and they assure me that
the web site is up and running normally .

I get the same message if I turn off Zone Alarm.

I'm having no other problems accessing other web sights.

I also have this same difficulty with the Firefox browser.

This problem occurred today for the first time.

Can anyone suggest why this should happen?

B.N.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

I have XP Pro SP2 using IE 6 and am suddenly unable to access the
local weather web site here in Ireland at www.met.ie.

I get the message " Unable to access server at www.met.ie ". I have
checked by phone at the Office of this service and they assure me that
the web site is up and running normally .

I get the same message if I turn off Zone Alarm.

I'm having no other problems accessing other web sights.

I also have this same difficulty with the Firefox browser.

This problem occurred today for the first time.

Can anyone suggest why this should happen?

B.N.

Check C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc for a file named HOSTS with no
extension. (Not Hosts.sam)
Make sure Windows is set to show hidden files and folders and is NOT set to
hide extensions for known file types.
If HOSTS exists, rename it to HOSTS.OLD
Reboot an try again.

Or, In a Cmd window, enter
ipconfig /flushdns
then clear your TIF also, and re-boot.

 

[victory]

Check C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc for a file named HOSTS with no
extension. (Not Hosts.sam)
Make sure Windows is set to show hidden files and folders and is NOT set to
hide extensions for known file types.

Have so checked - it is set as you suggest.

If HOSTS exists, rename it to HOSTS.OLD

Have done this.

Reboot an try again.

Did so - no change.

Or, In a Cmd window, enter
ipconfig /flushdns
then clear your TIF also, and re-boot.

Did this also - no change.

B.N.

 

[victory]

I seem to have solved this problem by deleting some files I had
installed a few days ago when I was attempting to slipstream an XP
-Pro Installation CD with the SP2 file. I had some of these installed
on my Desktop as I had intended to create a slipstreamed CD for my
laptop .

There appeared to be some corruption of these which resulted in
Checkdisk running after one of several re-boots and producing quite a
long "correction" operation resulting in the production of some ".000"
files.

After deleting all these and the installed slipstreamed stuff, I got
access back to the Web Site again.

I'm sorry I can't be more specific in describing exactly what action
it was which caused the "cure" but that is because I'm as much in the
dark about it as anyone ! There also seemed to be several "host" files
sprayed about several of my Partitions , whether as a result of this
or whether they had been left over from some other of the many
"tinkering"operations I never seem able to resist getting involved in
, I have no idea I'm afraid . I also deleted these.

I reckon I'll never make the MVP status!!

Once again - thanks for helping