Computer help... again.

[Serpentine]

I'll be calling my internet provider tomorrow, but I figured it could be worth getting some opinions from here.
Hokay, so... It started when my modem started conking out. The internet would randomly disconnect, and the little D-link modem arrows would change from green ("Data") to yellow ("no signal"). Also the phone would start buzzing and be completely useless as long as the modem was plugged in. Conversations with my internet provider (Spiderweb) indicated that it was the modem being broken. So, I went to get a new one. The only one they had was wireless, so now I have a wireless modem. I followed all the instructions, and started it up. The internet worked fine on my computer. However, it did not work on my housemates' computers (with wireless USB thingies). It just wouldn't connect. So, I called the modem people (Belkin, some Indian guy). After a long and convoluted conversation in which I did a lot of stuff that made little to no sense to me, we managed to get it working. Hurrah!
The internet on both computers refuses to load about 3/4 of sites. The Playground works, obviously. So does the Bigger than Cheeses webcomic. Google, Hotmail and my uni's website do not. Oh, Ask.com works. I hate Ask so much.
What's wrong with my internet? :sigh:

edit: Cuz I'm bored: Looks like Bigger than Cheeses isn't working, or only after a long wait, Questionable Content works, as does Flaky Pastry. Looks like various real estate pages aren't working (dagnabbit - I need to look for a house!). Slightly Damned is, Yet Another Fantasy Gaming Comic is not, Penny Arcade is, anti-Heroes is not, I Can Has Cheezburger nearly-but-not-quite works, etc. etc. so on and so forth.

[Renegade Paladin]

Sounds like a DNS problem. How long has it been happening?

[Serpentine]

Since as soon as we got the wireless router-modem to work on both computers. Friday evening. What's DNS?

[Blayze]

The only time I had a problem like this when half the Internet loaded and the other half didn't work, our ISP was messing with something technical to do with our Internet. Have they mentioned anything to you about changes or maintenance?

[Serpentine]

No, but then I can't look at their site or check my emails :smallsigh:

[Lycantrophe]

Im not sure i got it rigth but ill try to help =)

If the problem is occuring on every computer: try connecting using proxy (that hides some information about your computer makes it annonymous) if taht works the problem you are having is becouse of your service provider.

If the problem occurs on only the ones connecting wireless: from each computer (assuming you are using windows) go to network connections, right click on teh connection you are using to connect to the modem (probably the only wireless one with the name of the USB thingy on it) go to proprieties. ofrom the list choose tcp/ip and go to its settings. there make sure ip and dns are all set to automatic. if that doesnt work check teh same thing on YOUR computer (which is working i assume) if there is a DNS adress entry there.. copy it to other computers too.

make sure signal reception is fine and nothing is interfering with it (computers are weird creatures.. even the less likely things can create such an outcome)

if none above is working take your modem. go to the store where you bougth it.. throw it to their faces =)

[Renegade Paladin]

Since as soon as we got the wireless router-modem to work on both computers. Friday evening. What's DNS?
The Domain Name System. It's basically what makes the Internet as we know it work; there is a system of DNS servers which perform it's many functions, the one with which most Internet users are concerned about is the one that translates URLs (Uniform Resource Locators, or the website name; http://giantitp.com is a URL) into the IP addresses that computers identify the site by. If this doesn't work for some reason, your computer can't find the site, because it has no idea what http://google.com means; it's looking for http://66.102.1.104/ (Try that link, by the way; that's Google. If you can see it that way, but not with http://google.com, it's probably a DNS error.)

[LordZarth]

TIf this doesn't work for some reason, your computer can't find the site, because it has no idea what http://google.com means; it's looking for http://66.102.1.104/

Do you mean "it needs to look for"?

[Renegade Paladin]

Do you mean "it needs to look for"?
Yes, that.

[Serpentine]

Tried the link. It doesn't work. However, the title thing at the top (e.g., the one that presently says "Giant in the Playground Forums - Reply to Topic - Windows Internet Explorer") included "dnserror" while it was loading.

[Renegade Paladin]

Tried the link. It doesn't work. However, the title thing at the top (e.g., the one that presently says "Giant in the Playground Forums - Reply to Topic - Windows Internet Explorer") included "dnserror" while it was loading.
Have you tried clearing your browser cache?

[Serpentine]

If you do it by going Tools->Internet Options->Browsing history: Delete->Cookies: Delete cookies, then yes. If not, then no. How do you do it?

[Renegade Paladin]

Are you using IE7 or IE8?

Or heck with it, I'll post the instructions for both.

Internet Explorer 8

1. From the Safety menu, click Delete Browsing History... .

2. Check Temporary Internet files and History, and then click Delete.

Internet Explorer 7

1. From the Tools menu, select Internet Options... .

2. Choose the General tab.

3. Under Browsing history, click Delete... .

4. Next to "Temporary Internet Files", click Delete files... .

5. Click Close, and then click OK to exit.

Courtesy of the Indiana University Knowledge Base. (http://kb.iu.edu/data/ahic.html)

[Serpentine]

Ah. I did that, too. I guess I could do it again...

[Lupy]

Have you tried calling Spiderweb again?

If that doesn't work, when can you switch ISPs?

NOTE: Internet Explorer is evil and deserves stabbity death!

[Starshade]

what about changing DNS servers? using http://www.opendns.com/ is independent of whatever ISP you have, just adding the numbers of those two DNS servers in the open field called "DNS" in your IP settings.
Most modems just grab your ISP's dns server by default, but you dont need to use them.

[Serpentine]

I called Spiderweb. The guy there thinks it's something to do with the modem, something's switched to stop it from finding certain DNSs or somesuch. So, I've gotta call Belkin again :smallsigh: ...after I try that... No, opendns.com is blocked, too :sigh:
edit: Man... The first Indian guy was cool, nice'n'friendly'n'had a sense of humour and stuff. Compared with thim, this guy was downright grumpy. But, it's all fixed now, from the look of things! :smallbiggrin:
Thanks for all your help, youse all.