Strange Broadband/WiFI problem - this will make you scratch your head

Lord Snooty

Lord Snooty

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jan 6, 2002
Messages
11,394
Reaction score
2,752
Location
Redditch, Worcs
Over the last week or so I started having problems accessing some websites on my laptop e.g. BBC, Telegraph, Royal Mail, Outlook to name a few. Thankfully not UKGSer. However I have no problem accessing other sites such as Amazon, YouTube etc and I am able to access those websites on my phone and iPad.

In an attempt to isolate the problem I have carried out a number of checks on the laptop and also took it to a local business that helps with IT/computer issues.

Ran virus scanner – all clear
Tried different browser - no change
Tried different laptop - same problem
Rebooted router, powered off/on - no change
Factory reset on router - no change
Powered off/on optical network - no change
Rebooted laptop - no change
Cleared cache, cookies etc - no change
Cleared DNS - no change
Tried via a wireless dongle - no change
Tried Ethernet cable - no change
However, when the the laptop was connected to a different network at the IT/Computer shop – it was all ok.

I spent nearly two hours with a Sky Techie last night (a Bulgarian lad called Chris working from home in Bulgaria) who was very helpful. He does not think it is a problem with the router or broadband but it may be a VPN issue from the Sophos anti-virus on the laptop so whilst on the phone I uninstalled it and rebooted - same problem; I then did the same with Malwarebytes - no change. Now I can't download them again because I cannot get onto their websites!

I am at a loss as to is causing this problem, what on earth is preventing me accessing those websites just on my laptop yet other websites are ok? The message I get is
www.bbc.co.uk

BBC - Home

The best of the BBC, with the latest news and sport headlines, weather, TV & radio highlights and much more from across the whole of BBC Online.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk
is unreachable. There is no logic to this and I welcome any other suggestions.
 
What make of laptop?
I have an Asus one. It comes with a self diagnostic tool. I had a weird problem so ran the Asus tool. It identified there was a system bios update available. Installed it. Not seen the problem again.

If you do not have bespoke diagnostics, have you looked in Control Panel "Hardware settings" for a warning? On a Win 11 laptop just type control panel in the search box on the toolbar.
 
Open a console and try and ping the websites that you cannot access:

PING bbc.co.uk (151.101.0.81): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 151.101.0.81: icmp_seq=0 ttl=57 time=12.780 ms
64 bytes from 151.101.0.81: icmp_seq=1 ttl=57 time=13.932 ms
64 bytes from 151.101.0.81: icmp_seq=2 ttl=57 time=14.930 ms
 
and if laptop has a hard ethernet port try using a cable and see if any different results.
 
Have you recently started to use a VPN? Some sites and apps will not let you in if you are utilising a VPN, if so; just pause it for how ever long it takes.
 
wessie said:
What make of laptop?
I have an Asus one. It comes with a self diagnostic tool. I had a weird problem so ran the Asus tool. It identified there was a system bios update available. Installed it. Not seen the problem again.
If you do not have bespoke diagnostics, have you looked in Control Panel "Hardware settings" for a warning? On a Win 11 laptop just type control panel in the search box on the toolbar.
Click to expand...
 
I'd bet a pound to a pinch of snuff it's a VPN issue.
 
wessie said:
What make of laptop?
I have an Asus one. It comes with a self diagnostic tool. I had a weird problem so ran the Asus tool. It identified there was a system bios update available. Installed it. Not seen the problem again.

If you do not have bespoke diagnostics, have you looked in Control Panel "Hardware settings" for a warning? On a Win 11 laptop just type control panel in the search box on the toolbar.
Click to expand...
Lenovo - don't know if it has a self diagnostic tool
 
fatbaldbob said:
Have you recently started to use a VPN? Some sites and apps will not let you in if you are utilising a VPN, if so; just pause it for how ever long it takes.
Click to expand...
No I haven't, unless the Sophos virus software installed one without my knowledge
 
Happened to a friend of mine - some sites were not reachable

Fixed by a thorough update session of windows, drivers etc
 
Have you tried for windows 11 typing Start Up into the search bar and disabling unrecognised apps that windows loads at start up in case an application is interfering with some of the sites you are trying to access. You can also access this by invoking task manager ctrl-alt-delete and choosing start up apps which is the fourth menu item down on the left panel. A lot off aps want to load on startup to search for updates or otherwise collect data. Switching most of these things off improves boot time and you can always check for updates when you actually use the programme.
 
Are you in the UK?
Daft question i know, but some websites block traffic outside the UK, ive had this when in Spain trying to put lottery on.

Try disabling windows firewall.

reboot your router or PC... probably tried that i know

Disable IPv6 and go IPv4 in windows

Check your date and time settings, if wrong sites block you.

Flush DNS
Press Windows key + R, type cmd, and then press Enter. At the prompt, "ipconfig /flushdns" and press Enter.
 
As advised above, I suggest manually changing your DNS settings. Here are instructions from Google's AI, using google's free DNS.

AI Overview

To change your DNS to Google on Windows 11, go to Settings > Network & internet, click on your active network adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet), and select Edit under DNS server assignment. Change the setting to Manual, turn on IPv4, then enter 8.8.8.8 for the preferred DNS and 8.8.4.4 for the alternate. Finally, click Save to apply the changes.


Using the Settings App (Recommended)
  1. Open Settings: Right-click the Windows icon (Start button) and select Settings.
  • Navigate to Network: In the Settings window, select Network & internet from the left-hand menu.

  • Select Your Connection: Choose your active network connection, either Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

  • Edit DNS Settings: Scroll down to find the "DNS server assignment" section and click the Edit button next to it.

  • Choose Manual: From the dropdown menu, select Manual and then toggle on the switch for IPv4.

  • Enter Google DNS: In the "Preferred DNS" field, enter 8.8.8.8. In the "Alternate DNS" field, enter 8.8.4.4.

  • Save: Click the Save button to apply the new DNS settings.
Using the Control Panel
  1. Open Control Panel: Search for and open Control Panel from the Start menu.
  • Go to Network Settings: Click on Network and Internet and then Network and Sharing Center.

  • Change Adapter Settings: Select Change adapter settings from the left-hand menu.

  • Open Adapter Properties: Right-click on your active network adapter (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and select Properties.

  • Configure TCP/IP: Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list and click Properties.

  • Enter DNS Addresses: Choose the option "Use the following DNS server addresses" and enter 8.8.8.8 for the preferred and 8.8.4.4 for the alternate DNS server addresses.

  • Apply Changes: Click OK on both windows to save and apply the settings.
Click to expand...
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom