BIG Problem with Google

[yalamo]

I am running WIN XP SP3, For the past 3 days (since January 1) I have been having big problems getting into all kinds of Google sites, including Gmail. Normally I would post this problem on a Google forum, but I can't get into their sites for posting, so I'm posting it here,

The problem was first noticed when trying to get into Gmail, which didn't show up. I could search for something in Google and get a search list, but none of the links ln the list would would work. I could not get into my iGoogle page either. In Firefox 3.0.5 I would always get a blank page, and in Internet Explorer 7 I would get "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage". All other sites except for Google work fine.

The problem is on my PC and my wife's laptop - we are both on the same router and modem (hers is a wi-fi connection). So I took out the router and connected the cable modem directly to my PC - problem remains.

So I called my ISP. They said they tried using my user name to go to Google sites and had no problems, so they weren't much help.

I then removed all the Google cookies in FF, and lo and behold - I had GMail and Google search OK. So I went to my wife's laptop and did the same thing, and I got Google search, but no Gmail. I went back to my PC, and closed the Gmail, and tried opening it up again - no luck. No Gmail. (By the way GMail notifier works -it shows that I have Gmail waiting.)

I didn't find a virus or spyware (unlikely to have the same bug in 2 browsers on two computers.) I also tried a couple of Gmail proxy sites - no luck.

So the situation now is:
*Google Search - works
*Gmail - can't get it. Had it immediately after I removed Google FF cookies, and when ISP told me to lower security settings in IE, and maybe another couple of times at random in last 2 days, but in general, no Gmail on either computer.
*Google Maps - I get it, but can't get to the "My Maps" feature in FF. I removed the cookies, and I can't get to the Google sign in page, In IE, where I didn't remove cookies, I can get to "My Maps"
*iGoogle - can't get to my page
*Google Forums - can't get to a page from which I can post.
*Google Earth - works fine

Sounds like a connection problem at Google? My ISP says no, and proxy sites don't work. Has Google been monkeying around with new versions lately? If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it.

 

[smah]

Just for experimentation add these lines to your hosts file:

74.125.45.83 mail.google.com
74.125.45.83 gmail.com

There are numerous other google/gmail servers, but that one is the one that I happen to be using at the moment. If this works, the problem is purely name resolution.

 

[yalamo]

smah, thanks. I hate to sound ignorant, but what's a hosts file? How do I use it on my PC. I tried putting the numbers you sent in the URL line, and I got to Google, but not to Gmail.
Searching for a file called "Hosts" on my C:\ drive came up with nothing.
Can you clarify?

 

[smah]

In XP you should find that file at %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers\etc You can copy & paste that path into windows explorer's address bar (not internet explorer). Then open the hosts file with Notepad and add those lines to the bottom. Save & close. Then try using IE to open

http://gmail.com

or

http://mail.google.com

 

[yalamo]

smah, thanks again. I did as you said, but the result was the same. No Gmail. Unless - do I have to restart the PC before this takes efect?

 

[smah]

You shouldn't need to restart, but since you've gone this far, you might as well.

This is very strage. Are these the only sites that you can't get to? Do other internet-related tasks work? For example: instant messengers, conventional e-mail, windows update, ftp, your antivirus software updates, etc?

It might also be worthwhile to run a couple of online scans from faq760-3862

 

[linney]

Make sure your date, time, and time zones are correct.

Have you tried accessing these site via "Safe Mode with Networking", just to see if any of your Security programs are interfering with your access?

Have a look at this now old thread but it contains a lot of ideas that are worth looking at, the actual solution was to allow Cookies specifically from the problem site.

IE6 blocking

http://www.nytimes.com

only...
thread779-601162

 

[yalamo]

smah, linney, thanks for your suggestions, but as you say things are very strange.

I have not found any other sites that are not working in the last few days.

Today I got Gmail on IE, but not on FF. On my wife's laptop, I couldn't get Gmail on IE or FF

Pinging

http://www.gmail.com

elicits a reply, and if I use the number in the reply in my URL, I get to Google, but no Gmail.

The time date, and time zone are correct.

My antivirus definitions and spyware are up to date, and so are my wife's. I use Norton, she uses AVG, so I don't think that it's a problem with that. We both use just the Microsoft Firewall. I tried turning it off on my PC, but that made no difference.

As I said, I had Gmail on my PC on IE. I shut off IE, turned it on again,and I don't have Gmail anymore. And when I had it, I tried to go to a link on the Gmail Help site, and the page wouldn't load.

Any suggestions? How can I contact Google if I can't contact Google?

 

[cmeagan656]

Have you tried deleting your browser cache in IE and Firefox? I POP my Gmail to Outlook and sometimes if I've logged into Gmail to clean out the spam, etc. I not only have to delete Gmail's cookies but also clear the browser cache or else Gmail will want me to authenticate every time Outlook attempts to connect to the Gmail mail server. It's apparently a known issue since I found the suggestion in Gmail's help section.

In IE - Tools ->Internet Options. In the Browsing History section on the General tab click on "Settings". Then click on "View Files", select all the files, and hit the delete key.

In Firefox - Tools ->Options. On the Privacy tab click "Clear Now", make sure that the checkbox next to "Cache" is checked, and click on "Clear Private Data Now".

Cheers.

 

[yalamo]

cmeagan656, thanks for your input. I think I already tried that once, but since there's no harm in trying again, I did it. No luck! Just to be on the safe side, I turned off IE and FF, turned them on, and tried again. Gmail still doesn't work.

 

[linney]

Can your wife's Laptop be tested at another location using another ISP, for example at a friends or relatives place?

 

[yalamo]

Linney, I was thinking of trying that, but we won't be able to get around to it for a couple of days.

In the meantime, I have been able to get Gmail a couple more times on IE. But if I shut down IE and try again, it won't come up. Then a few hours later, it will. Then I noticed that off in the corner of the Gmail Inbox page there's a small message:
"Your Internet connection is experiencing problems or your network administrator has blocked Gmail chat."
I never use Gmail chat, and the administrator of our 2 computer network is me, so it may be it's a Google-ISP problem after all (Nothing but Google is affected; I still can't post to a Google Help Forum).

I have found a truly ridiculous work-around to reading my Gmail. I search "Gmail" in Google Desktop, and this gets me all my Gmails in chronological order, latest on top. If I try to use the link to a particular message, I get a blank page. But if I press on "Preview", I can read the message in the preview box. Inconvenient, and I can't send mail, but I can read every thing.

If anyone has any other suggestions, I would appreciate them. Today it's a little better than yesterday, and since I'm an optimist, I'll wait to see what tomorrow brings.

 

[cmeagan656]

Next time that you can get into GMail try turning off chat, since you don't use it. You can turn it off near the bottom of the page, under where it says, "You are currently using XXXMB (X%) of your XXXXMB.
Last account activity: 4 minutes ago at this IP (24.XXX.XX.XXX3)."

Gmail view: standard | turn off chat | basic HTML

Cheers.

 

[yalamo]

cmeagan656, I should have mentioned in my previous post that right above that small message on the Inbox, it says "Chat is disabled", and Gmail view says just "standard | basic HTML" (I haven't closed IE since I got Gmail a couple of hours ago.)

 

[yalamo]

OK, this problem was finally cleared up today. After I had to go on a trip for a couple of weeks (and after I found that my wife's laptop worked just fine in a local cafe with a wi-fi hotspot, and after I switched ISP's), I asked the cable company to send a technician with a new cable modem. They did, he installed it, and everything works fine.

I have no idea how a modem can discriminate against Google sites, but it did. Thinking back, it seems to me that my internet has been gradually getting slower (although not showing it on speed tests) with more interruptions and sudden stops in downloading in the past couple of months. Do Google sites require better modem performance than other sites?

Anyway, thanks for all your suggestions.

 

[LOKIDOG]

I had these problems and it was malware. Try using Malwarebytes to test. It was difficult to remove, but afterward google worked just fine. I think the malware loaded, but the popups that would have alerted me to use bogus protection software were disabled.

 

[gbaughma]

Could be a malware problem, certainly.

However, I'd try going to a command prompt and do a:

IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS

... and see if that helps.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com

 

[reynolwi]

I have done work for a cable company before. Modems when they are starting to flake out start to drop packets. Missing packets can cause traffic to sometimes be redirected to other sites mysteriously and also causes sites from loading. It also explains why your internet was slowing down because of all the packet loss. The endpoint is trying to dechiper the message and its missing information.

Wm. Reynolds
Premise Communications
Texas Public Safety Solutions

http://www.rrwds.com

http://www.txpubsafety.com

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