Topic: Help! Problems accessing links

[jonathan walker]

I'm currently unable to access many links listed on websites.  I know there's nothing wrong with the websites or links themselves as I've accessed them from my work PC.  When I click on a link, I'm getting a page consisting of tool bar, status bar, etc, with nothing but a blank space in between.  Have tried obvious things like rebooting, downloading Windows updates, etc, but to no avail.  It's getting desperately annoying  > and frustrating  .  The only recent changes I've made to my PC were disconnecting it, installing a CD rewriter and defragging.  I've logged onto PC Pals specifically for help with this problem!  My PC has a broadband connection, if this makes any difference.  Any advice much appreciated.

[Clive]

Are you using a firewall such as Zone Alarm?  Try disabling it to access one of these websites and see what happens.

[Adept]

Hi Jonathan, welcome to PC-Pals!

Do other Internet related things work (e.g. Email) or is the problem just with web pages?

Also, when you say that your browser screen is blank, is it totally blank or does it display something like the image below?

[jonathan walker]

Thanks for the replies, guys.  

I'm not using a firewall [although it's a 2nd hand PC - how would I check that there wasn't one I didn't know about which had somehow become activated?].  And no, I'm not getting the 'page cannot be displayed' thing - I'm familiar with that, and know that it's usually a fault with the website in question.  The sites I can't access are fine; it's just my PC that can't access them.  The page that comes up is usually just completely blank but with the bars still in place.  It looks as one would expect to see the webpage look but with absolutely no content!  The only anomolous occurrence I can think of recently is when I reconnected my PC and tried to get back online (bearing in mind I am not enormously IT literate).  I wasn't having any success so I tried running the modem installation disk.  In fact the modem wasn't the problem - the computer had automatically gone to the dial-up default setting (remember I have broadband) so I just had to cancel that out.  Could having 'reinstalled' by modem without 'uninstalling' it first be the cause of my problem? [Hope all this is making vague sense].  Your help, again, much appreciated.

[daveeb]

hi jonathan

i think it may be to do with the broadband connection and the transparent cache that it uses. i.e. your web page comes from a remote broadband server that stores lots of commonly used web pages.  i've had trouble accessing a few sites e.g. past-times. i believe you can remedy the situation by specifying a particular server to use in your connection properties.
try nthellworld.com for a list of the servers.

[jonathan walker]

Thank you Daveeb.  Had a quick look at the website but couldn't spot the list of servers immediately.  Guidance?  Also, if I locate this list, will attempting your suggestion be pretty straightforward?  

Any more advice re: my problem appreciated but as I'm away over the weekend I shan't be on my home PC again till Monday, so if I don't reply immediately to any suggestions, don't think I'm being rude.

Look forward to any responses.

[Tony]

[/i] appreciated but as I'm away over the weekend I shan't be on my home PC again till Monday, so if I don't reply immediately to any suggestions, don't think I'm being rude.

Look forward to any responses.  

Hi there jonathan,

you say it is a 2nd user PC, what sites are you struggling with cough cough  ::)could there be a parental control activated on the PC.


Check in Tools/ Internet Options/ under Security tab set it to Internet [the world globe icon]

No offence ment, and I'm not casting nustersians   but you did say any responces  


Course your not going to come back and say 'Thanks that Sorted it'  

[jonathan walker]

No offence taken  .  However, the problem is across the board.  Good example: www.moby.com.  Moby keeps an online journal.  If I click on the links to his specific journal entries, I get a blank box instead of a box containing text.  This is happening with many sites: links are just coming up blank.  Pop-ups are also coming up as blank boxes, if that helps.  There is no firewall on my computer; I followed your suggested procedure just on the offchance but no blocking software was revealed.  Any suggestions are welcome!  

I'm tending to presume something is wrong with my PC settings.  But does anyone think it would be worth ringing Blue Yonder, who provide my Internet connection?

[daveeb]

i'm not sure my original suggestion of proxy server cache is the cause of your problem as you say that you do get a screen, only blank.  i just dont get through at all to particular sites.

i'd be inclined to ring BY and hope you get someone on the line who has a clue (assuming anyone does answer).

[Tony]

I'm tending to presume something is wrong with my PC settings.  But does anyone think it would be worth ringing Blue Yonder, who provide my Internet connection?  

Jonathan,

if you only have one ISP you subscribe too, maybe it would be worth try  connecting via a pay as you go connection with another ISP. There are plenty ISP's  about that offer that service see Net4Nowt It will only cost you one phone call to find out.

[Clive]

Curiously, I tried accessing Tony's link and my firewall prevented me from doing so.  When I disabled it the home page came up but the ISP links wouldn't work so maybe that site is having problems right
now.

If you can't get through to your ISP helpline perhaps you could tell us what your settings are in Internet Options because, as daveeb suggests, your problem must lie there.

[Adept]

Hi Jonathan,

It definitely sounds as if something is stopping certain links from working and from the example you gave, they would appear to be popup-type links.

Are you certain that there is no popup-blocking software installed on your PC?

[DualBoy]

Sounds like a gateway routing issue to his DNS servers from certain other servers. Best thing to do is to use an independent DNS numbers. Like 207.34.3.1 should work. Try it and let me know.

[jonathan walker]

Strange ... problem solved simply by reinstalling Internet Explorer, as suggested by a work colleague.  It seems that my settings may have become changed somehow and reinstallation restored everything to the former settings.  Confused   but pleased .  

Many thanks to you all for your  generous advice and help, and I will continue to check PC Pals regularly.

[Clive]

Thank you very much for letting us know the outcome, it's much appreciated.