My computer can only connect to a couple websites
August 23, 2022 1:39 PM Subscribe
My computer will not let me connect to certain/most websites (metafilter is one that is not an issue--doesn't seem to be an https issue) when I am connected to my home wifi. If I connect to other networks (i.e my cell hotspot) this is not an issue. When I connect other computers to the home wifi, it is not an issue. I've tried resetting network, winsock flushes, etc. Anything that has worked for you?
Try setting DNS to the google DNS server, 8.8.8.8 in your computer's network settings. If you're using Chrome you may also be able to change it in the browser by going to settings > Privacy and security > security > enable private DNS.
posted by implied_otter at 1:46 PM on August 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by implied_otter at 1:46 PM on August 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
Windows? Is your hosts file corrupted or taken over by malign forces? The MVPS hosts file has not been updated recently, but it still works. http://someonewhocares.org/hosts/ also works.
posted by H21 at 2:01 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by H21 at 2:01 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Will your phone or other devices connected to the same wifi network display those websites? Might narrow it down to your router, or the computer.
If its all devices, i'd focus on the router, make sure it has the latest firmware, and reset its config.
posted by TheAdamist at 2:07 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
If its all devices, i'd focus on the router, make sure it has the latest firmware, and reset its config.
posted by TheAdamist at 2:07 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
To me it sounds like DNS issues. In addition to the above you may want to check that your ISP didn't activate some kind of filtering or DNS shenanigans. If you recently changed ISPs or plans especially. It's usually in security, privacy, or parental controls, that sort of thing.
Definitely possible it's malicious though, I've had various malware that blocks sites they don't want you to visit (like downloading malware detectors).
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:13 PM on August 23, 2022
Definitely possible it's malicious though, I've had various malware that blocks sites they don't want you to visit (like downloading malware detectors).
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:13 PM on August 23, 2022
This is low level and maybe too deep, but this is what happens when the MTUs do not line up properly across your networking pieces. I know it seems weird. But it may be worth just making sure all your MTUs in your routers align with whatever your WAN connection is.
posted by cmm at 2:41 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cmm at 2:41 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Is there a specific error that you're getting? Or just a generic connection reset message?
Have you tried refreshing the router with the current patch level (or reinstalling it if it's already at it)?
posted by Candleman at 2:59 PM on August 23, 2022
Have you tried refreshing the router with the current patch level (or reinstalling it if it's already at it)?
posted by Candleman at 2:59 PM on August 23, 2022
In Windows 10 (at least) the hosts file is here:
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
The lines that start with # are comments.
All kinds of hi jinks can be perpetrated by evil actors via hosts, but watch out for NON-commented "localhost" references, where they may be reflecting Web searches back to your own machine.
You'll probably have to open it with Notepad since it doesn't have a file extension.
Of course this is sensitive stuff, so it's more something you want to check, than go changing if you're not sure.
posted by forthright at 4:29 PM on August 23, 2022
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
The lines that start with # are comments.
All kinds of hi jinks can be perpetrated by evil actors via hosts, but watch out for NON-commented "localhost" references, where they may be reflecting Web searches back to your own machine.
You'll probably have to open it with Notepad since it doesn't have a file extension.
Of course this is sensitive stuff, so it's more something you want to check, than go changing if you're not sure.
posted by forthright at 4:29 PM on August 23, 2022
Really weird question: Do you have parental controls enabled on your router, perchance? It kind of smells like that class of problem... that your computer has accidently been marked in the router for parental controls, given that it seems specific to the router+computer combination (which is what makes me believe it's not hosts or other malware - because that would follow the computer everywhere), and that if you change either one, the problem goes away
My suspicion is that it's something on your router blocking your computer quite specifically - though it's absolutely possible that it's DNS (it's always DNS, as they say....), and so you should absolutely try setting to 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 if you can do it. But chrome, at least, will fall back to inbuilt if your upstream isn't working right, so it's a bit of a crapshoot on that one.
Something you could try is factory resetting your router - whether you can do this depends a little on your circumstances, and particularly if your router is provided by your ISP and/or is managed by them (the comcast devices, for example, are managed by them, and you actually have to modify these settings on the comcast website. Other ones, not so much, depending on your provider). But if it's your own router, a factory reset might clear out whatever has gotten stuck.
posted by jaymzjulian at 6:00 PM on August 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
My suspicion is that it's something on your router blocking your computer quite specifically - though it's absolutely possible that it's DNS (it's always DNS, as they say....), and so you should absolutely try setting to 8.8.8.8/8.8.4.4 if you can do it. But chrome, at least, will fall back to inbuilt if your upstream isn't working right, so it's a bit of a crapshoot on that one.
Something you could try is factory resetting your router - whether you can do this depends a little on your circumstances, and particularly if your router is provided by your ISP and/or is managed by them (the comcast devices, for example, are managed by them, and you actually have to modify these settings on the comcast website. Other ones, not so much, depending on your provider). But if it's your own router, a factory reset might clear out whatever has gotten stuck.
posted by jaymzjulian at 6:00 PM on August 23, 2022 [2 favorites]
You need to narrow down the suspects by trying other devices on the same Wifi network, different browsers on the same PC, so we can isolate where the problem is. Trying other DNS providers would help as well.
The filtering can be done at browser, PC, or router level.
posted by kschang at 6:33 PM on August 23, 2022
The filtering can be done at browser, PC, or router level.
posted by kschang at 6:33 PM on August 23, 2022
Best answer: I managed to create a problem with similar symptoms by mistakenly creating a firewall rule that blocked IPv6 (only) outbound TCP SYN packets. Sites using IPv4 worked fine, but lots of big stuff (e.g., Google search) failed.
Not saying that's your problem, but FWIW...
posted by sourcequench at 7:22 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
Not saying that's your problem, but FWIW...
posted by sourcequench at 7:22 PM on August 23, 2022 [1 favorite]
So, to summarize:
- this computer on other networks: no problem -> it's NOT the hosts file or some browser filter/oddity.
- other computers on your home network: no problem -> it's NOT the ISP, its DNS, or anything further upstream.
- you can see SOME websites OK -> it's NOT a low-level network mismatch, as then browsing wouldn't work at all, at best be excruciatingly slow or loading would stop after the first few bits of most sites that do get through are loaded.
Ergo, there is something specific to the combination of your computer and your home wifi, and the most likely culprit is indeed some parental control. Which you'll have to disable somewhere in the router's setting.
As a quick check, especially if you can't easily find the setting or are unable to disable it, you could either get some USB wifi dongle (even the cheapest you can find will very likely suffice) and use that to connect to your home wifi, or connect to your router using a network cable. Most router filters use the computer's MAC address to identify the systems on the network and with a different wifi adapter or using the wired network port comes a different MAC address, hence, yours is suddenly a different computer.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:18 AM on August 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
- this computer on other networks: no problem -> it's NOT the hosts file or some browser filter/oddity.
- other computers on your home network: no problem -> it's NOT the ISP, its DNS, or anything further upstream.
- you can see SOME websites OK -> it's NOT a low-level network mismatch, as then browsing wouldn't work at all, at best be excruciatingly slow or loading would stop after the first few bits of most sites that do get through are loaded.
Ergo, there is something specific to the combination of your computer and your home wifi, and the most likely culprit is indeed some parental control. Which you'll have to disable somewhere in the router's setting.
As a quick check, especially if you can't easily find the setting or are unable to disable it, you could either get some USB wifi dongle (even the cheapest you can find will very likely suffice) and use that to connect to your home wifi, or connect to your router using a network cable. Most router filters use the computer's MAC address to identify the systems on the network and with a different wifi adapter or using the wired network port comes a different MAC address, hence, yours is suddenly a different computer.
posted by Stoneshop at 9:18 AM on August 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Update: It turns there's some issue with IPv6. I disabled it and everything works.
posted by sandmanwv at 7:09 AM on September 1, 2022
posted by sandmanwv at 7:09 AM on September 1, 2022
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posted by nickggully at 1:40 PM on August 23, 2022