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November 10, 2010 8:27 PM   Subscribe

What can cause a laptop/browser to display "server not found" almost every time a page is loaded for the first time, display it properly most of the time when it is reloaded (except for occasional formatting issues that are resolved with yet another reload)?

I'm using a Macbook and connect to the Internet just fine, through a router (Dlink DI 614+).

Ms aroberge is using a Toshiba running Vista and needs to reload almost every page twice (sometimes three times) to have them displayed properly. Most often she gets the "server not found" message when attempting to load a page for the first time.

We tried with both Firefox (3.6.12) and Internet Explorer ... with the same result. Tried to clear the browser cache: same result.

This problem did not occur at our previous house where we used a different (more modern?) router - which makes us suspect it is related to a computer-router communication problem. This is further supported by the fact that pluging the Toshiba directly into the cable modem (bypassing the router) appears to solve all problems.

Still, my Macbook is not having any problem connecting wirelessly... Is there a network setting on the Vista computer that might help?
posted by aroberge to Computers & Internet (2 answers total)
 
Best answer: Could be an MTU problem, or, since its a new router and provider, more likely it could be DNS - like the primary is failing and the secondary is sometimes exceeding ttl to resolve...try pinging the site URL host and domain and then plug the IP address into your browser in the URL, if that gives you no problems, it's probably DNS then.

(or try nslookup from command prompt, if your first server times out or is unreachable, then it's likely dns as the issue)

Verify the DNS servers your machines are using (or your router is getting) and that you are using the correct ones, or use a public dns server as primary, I think google's is 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4 - could try hard setting your dns to one of those and see if it resolves the issue, at least you know you are the right track then...

compare the DNS servers your MAC is using with the ones Vista is using and see if they match, if not, then thats likely the issue- if they do, something else may be up with the Vista machine, MTU maybe...
posted by clanger at 8:46 PM on November 10, 2010 [1 favorite]


sorry, missed the part about your router into cable modem... make sure your router is either allowing DNS passthrough and your PC is getting its dns from that, OR just plug PC into the cable modem since that fixes the issue, open a command prompt, type ipconfig /all and see what DNS servers your PC got from your provider, hard set those on your router, or hard set them on the PC in the NIC settings under IPv4 tcp properties for DNS servers.
posted by clanger at 8:49 PM on November 10, 2010


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