Laptop says it's connected but pages do not open

[Guest sheel]

We have 3 classrooms each with 4 x RM Mobile One laptops connected to a wireless internet connection.

Everything has worked well for a year.

 

About 3 weeks ago 2 of the laptops stopped opening internet pages.

 

I checked various settings and did a system restore on both. This fixed one of the laptops. I'm not sure what exactly fixed it.

 

The other laptop says it's connected and that the connection is excellent, but no pages open.

 

Hardwired and wireless have the same problem.

 

I've checked the proxy settings, pinged and did a nslookup.

The nslookup did not find the server at first.

The message was Can't find server name, unknown server.

 

When I gave permission for the nslookup it then found the server, but pages still do not open.

 

An RM man and a LA man have both got me to check things over the phone, but pages still do not open.

 

There might be a simple fix but I cannot find it, after 2 weeks of trying.

 

Any ides?

[Jamman960]

have you tried:

 

Opening a page on a local server without a proxy

make sure "automatically detect settings" is disabled

try it on a different network without a proxy if poss

connecting to a site via its ip

 

Sysinternals TCPview may also help - make sure no dodgy programs are using ports etc

[mac_shinobi]

for xp - not sure if its the same for windows 7 etc

 

How to reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

 

How to troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity with Windows XP

 

Reinstall TCP/IP on Windows XP

 

Winsock fix

 

Repair/Reset Winsock settings

 

Also after wards update NIC drivers for wired and wireless cards ( manufacturers websites ) and bios update as well would not hurt but may not help with said problem

 

Also try a few browsers ie firefox, IE

 

Also if its an IE problem then hijackthis ( HijackThis Logfileauswertung )

[Guest sheel]

I tried the Fix it for me button in your first link last week - and the Winsock fix, which is supposed to be a last resort.

Neither solved the problem.

 

I tried installing IE8 - from my memory stick.

The error page was the shortened one after that, but pages still did not open.

 

I'll try some of the other cures you suggest after the hols, but I think I've reached my tech limits now and can't get anyone out to have a look.

[mac_shinobi]

Use the netsh command to reset the tcp ip stack or re install it and use something like malware bytes and an av package that are both up to date to check for any malware, the above tcp monitor utility mentioned above will also help, assuming you are meant to be using a direct connection and not through a proxy also assuming there are no security packages blocking web browsing on the relevant ports ie 80, 443 etc

 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811259

 

http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm

 

2 above links may also help, not sure if I posted the first one already

Edited April 3, 2010 by mac_shinobi

[Guest sheel]

We have a proxy server - and Sophos - which also seems to be too complicated.

[mac_shinobi]

if you are using the correct proxy settings for the web browser then sophos has nothing to do with it just yet so would still try the above suggested items and see how you get on.

[Guest sheel]

Tracked down the problem today.

I went into Sophos Client Firewall Configuration - with no hope in my heart.

 

On the LAN tab, I clicked detect and add. This added the IP addresses that the computer needs although it was already entered in the proxy settings. Looking at a working laptop, this was not selected though, so it may be a bodge, but it works.

 

Looking on the Applications tab I saw that IExplore.exe was blocked instead of allowed. Don't know how that happened.

I allowed it and now pages open.

 

Both of these seemed to be necessary as when I then tried to download Flash I was asked for the proxy settings. I had turned them off on the LAN tab above to check if it was really needed there as well as in the proxy settings box. I turned them back on again and Flash downloaded.

 

Phew.

 

Thanks to those who tried to help.

[mac_shinobi]

Thanks for the feedback - never knew sophos had an inbuilt firewall - seems a lot of AV packages are starting to integrate a firewall with there AV packages