Unable to view any websites

I have been searching forums and following the suggestions in threads similar to this one but have not been able to solve my problem. On my desktop running XP with a Dell 1450 Wireless Adapter I am not able to view any websites. Using Explorer it gives a cannot display website message, using Firefox it just shows blank pages. I have tried plugging it into the router directly and that does not work. I have disabled the firewall. I have uninstalled virus protection. I have run winsockxpfix. The network connection shows that it is connected. My laptop connects fine. Please help.

 

From your desktop do an IPCONFIG /ALL and post the results.

 

I forgot to mention that I have run IPCONFIG /ALL but the command window just flashes up for a second and then closes. How do I get the results to post?

Thanks!

 

START > RUN in the box type CMD and OK. The command prompt window will open and enter IPCONFIG /ALL >> c:\ip.txt

Attach the ip.txt file to your next post.

 

Here it is.

Thanks!

 

OK...thank you for the info.

Lets get into the command box again and type "nslookup www.complete-cs.com >> c:\ns.txt" without the quotes and attach file.

 

BTW......is this a home machine?

 

Here is the file. It is a home machine but it was a castoff from my previous place of work. It worked fine for a couple years after bringing it home with no problem connecting.

Thanks again!

 

OK. Looks like a DNS issue. You have already seen that you can not find www.complete-cs.com with the default DNS. Lets try this "nslookup www.complete-cs.com 208.67.222.222 >> c:\ns.txt" no quotes.

 

Can you get into your router? If you can do a status and tell me what the router is using for DNS settings. I assume its using the Univ. of Wiscon. DNS systems.

 

I ran the ns, which is attached. I also ran the ip on my laptop which is connecting to the wireless network and it is also attached. Can you give me instructions to get into my router? I don't think that it would have the UW DNS entry in it because I purchase it after leaving UW.

Thanks Once Again!

 

OK. Looks good. What ISP do you have? Verizon? Comcast?
I'll look up the router.

 

Comcast

 

Sorry.....what kind of router do you have?

 

Netgear Rangemax Ruckus Wireless with Motorola Surfboard SB5100.

 

http://192.168.1.1 log on to your router. If you have not changed the settings the username "admin" and "password" for the password. Go to the MAINTENANCE screen and select ROUTER STATUS and it should give you the IP address, the DHCP settings and the DNS settings.

 

Whats your geographical location?

 

Nothing is ever simple. My wife set up the router with a friend and she does not remember the admin username or password but she is going to email our friend, although he is out of the country. I tried various usernames and passwords and could not get anything to work.

 

Bummer.

 

I have manually reset the router with a paperclip twice now and it still will not let me log into the IP 198.162.1.1. The first time I left the default password, the second time I changed the password but it just keeps giving me the password prompt. I spent half an hour on hold with Netgear Technical support to have them tell me that because the router is not new there is another number that I have to call. I tried logging in wirelessly with the computer that cannot access the internet and it accepted the password, so it is obviously connecting to the router. Attached is a text file with the router and connection settings.

Thanks so much!

 

OK. Looks like you are in Oregon by the Comcast DNS I see. Lets try this. Go to the properties of TCP/IP and put 68.87.69.150 and 68.87.85.102 as your DNS servers. Then do an "ipconfig /all" and lets see if the DNS changes.

 

Sorry, yes I am in Corvallis, Oregon. Just so I don't mess this up, you want me to go into the router LAN TCP/IP Setup or the PC TCP/IP? If it is the PC's TCP/IP, how do I change that?

Thanks!

 

On the PC, START > CONTROL PANEL > NETWORK CONNECTIONS right click on the Dell 1450 network connection. Scroll down to Internet Protocol TCP/IP and click PROPERTIES. Click on the radio button that says "Use the following DNS addresses" and enter 68.87.69.150 and 68.87.85.102. Click OK OK.

 

I entered the new DNS but still cannot view websites. I rebooted and the DNS entries were still there but I still could not view websites.

Thanks!

 

Could you do the IPCONFIG /ALL?

 

Sorry! It is attached.

 

OK. The IPCONFIG looks good. Lets try a ping to 68.87.69.150.

 

The ping is attached.

 

Well that looks good. Now can we do the "nslookup www.complete-cs.com"

 

Halo - My next suggestion was going to be to remove the wisc.edu entries, followed by deleting the wireless card in device manager and reinstalling.

 

I tried the netsh resets and then rebooting three times and still can't see websites.

 

Can you try "nslookup www.complete-cs.com"?

 

Here it is.

 

Thank you. Lets open those TCP/IP settings and get rid of all the wisc.edu DNS entries.

 

How do I do that?

 

START > CONTROL PANEL > NETWORK CONNECTIONS right click on the Dell 1450 network connection. Scroll down to Internet Protocol TCP/IP and click PROPERTIES. ADVANCED and DNS tab.

 

Since we flushed the DNS when I go to TCP/IP both the IP and DNS have been reset to obtain address automatically. When I go to the Advanced DNS tab there is nothing there in any of the windows they are just blank. Should I change from automatically detect and put the correct ones into both the general and the advanced tab? Where are these two UW DNS server entries coming from after being flushed?
I googled this and found that these phantom DNS entries are something that baffles IT professionals. On forums I found recommendations for drastic steps like just giving up and buying and installing a new network card.

Thank you so much for your ongoing assistance!

 

On the DNS tab make sure "DNS server addresses order of use" is clear, make sure the second box is clear, make sure the "DNS suffix for this connection" is clear and "register this connection addresses in DNS is unchecked.

 

Yes, we do not want to obtain DNS addresses automatically....we have specified them statically.

 

I ran the two netsch commands again. I went into TCP/IP Properties and added the two 68.87... DNS addresses back in and made sure that they were checked instead of obtain DNS addresses automatically. I went into advanced and the two of them appeared in the first window. Nothing appeared in the second window and I left "Append primary and connection specific DNS suffixes" and "Append parent suffixes of the primary DNS suffix" checked. Should I have typed something into the blank window, that is the two DNS addresses? Should I have unchecked those boxes? I did uncheck "Register this connection's addresses in DNS." I rebooted and everything is just as I set it in the DNS window but I still can't view websites. I ran nslookup and the log is attached. It doesn't look like anything is different.

 

It is still using that wisc.edu DNS server 128.104.27.190. Lets go the device manager START > CONTROL PANEL > SYSTEM hardware tab and select Device Manager. Under network adapters find your Dell 1450 card and delete it. Reboot the system and when Windows finds it it will get reinstalled. Lets see if that works for you.

 

I deleted the Dell 1450 card and rebooted. I ran a nslookup and all that came up was 127.0.0.1. But I still couldn't view websites. So, I specified the two 68.87... DNS addresses in the TCP/IP properties. But I still couldn't view websites. I ran a nslookup again and the 128... and 144... entries were back. I deleted the card again and rebooted but could not connect to the wireless network. It asked me to specify my location in the driver advanced tab which I did. It just sat there with the acquiring network address message. I rebooted a third time and it still won't connect to the wireless network. My laptop is still connected though, so it's not the network.

 

I guess that it is time to give up and buy a new computer. Trying to reestablish the internet connection with this one seems futile.:cry

 

Since I'm already using a USB wi-fi device do you think that buying a new one would make a difference?

 

I have essentially given up but it would seem that if it was a bad wi-fi device then I should be able to view websites when I unplug the wi-fi device and plug the computer into the router but that is not the case. Wired or wireless, it won't view websites.

 

Here it is ip4.txt The old wisc.edu DNS entries still appear.