Trouble connecting with AAm

[Scruffydog777]

A few days ago, I wasn't able to connect to this site. I got a couple of e-mails from other members who had the same problem so I new the server was down. It happens every once in a while, but since then, for me, it went down a few more times, but I wasn't getting e-mails from anyone else and after I sent a few e-mails of my own, I found out the problem was on my end.

It was off and on too. Sometimes I could connect, sometimes not with the latter being the case most of the time.

The funny part was, I have about 30 other sites in my favorite's folder. Anyone I clicked on would connect almost instantaneously.

I went to Comcast's self trouble shooter. It detected a problem with the Gateway and reset it. That didn't do any good. I rebooted everything including modem.......no help. I chatted with a couple with Comcast, who only know how to follow a flow chart....no help. I cleared out my temporary internet files. I tried Internet Explorer instead of Chrome. I had a wifi connection to my modem. I switched to an ethernet connection. I tried using my laptop in the same way and got the same results. I also did virus and malware scans.

I thought I had the problem fixed last night and was able to connect, but after connecting in the morning, later on I had the same problem.

So after calling Comcast back and talking to a real techy type, they said they detected a degradation in the service and they are sending someone out tomorrow.

I'll be asking him why it only affects this one site.

By the way, I'm connecting now through my laptop, using my Verizon phone as a hotspot.

[Bamagirl]

A few days ago, I wasn't able to connect to this site. I got a couple of e-mails from other members who had the same problem so I new the server was down. It happens every once in a while, but since then, for me, it went down a few more times, but I wasn't getting e-mails from anyone else and after I sent a few e-mails of my own, I found out the problem was on my end.

It was off and on too. Sometimes I could connect, sometimes not with the latter being the case most of the time.

The funny part was, I have about 30 other sites in my favorite's folder. Anyone I clicked on would connect almost instantaneously.

I went to Comcast's self trouble shooter. It detected a problem with the Gateway and reset it. That didn't do any good. I rebooted everything including modem.......no help. I chatted with a couple with Comcast, who only know how to follow a flow chart....no help. I cleared out my temporary internet files. I tried Internet Explorer instead of Chrome. I had a wifi connection to my modem. I switched to an ethernet connection. I tried using my laptop in the same way and got the same results. I also did virus and malware scans.

I thought I had the problem fixed last night and was able to connect, but after connecting in the morning, later on I had the same problem.

So after calling Comcast back and talking to a real techy type, they said they detected a degradation in the service and they are sending someone out tomorrow.

I'll be asking him why it only affects this one site.

By the way, I'm connecting now through my laptop, using my Verizon phone as a hotspot.

What a hassle for you! I have only seen the site down once, but then I was out of commission for a bit so I might have missed it. I once had a weird problem with only one specific site--just like you are describing--and a tech suggested to me that I delete the "favorite," restart the computer, and then type the URL directly into the browser. Hey presto, it worked. Apparently, "favorites" and "bookmarks" can become corrupted. Maybe this could help you?

[CleverCowboy]

Here are some things you might try:

1. Flush the DNS Cache

In some cases, flushing the DNS cache may help. You can flush the DNS by holding down the Windows key on your keyboard and pressing R to bring up the Run box. Then type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

2. Reset TCP/IP

Select “Start“, and type “CMD“
Right-click “Command Prompt“, then choose “Run as Administrator“.
Select “Yes” on the User Account Control box.
From the command prompt, type the following, then press “Enter“:
netsh int ip reset

Restart your computer, then try to see if you can access the Internet from a browser now.

3. Check if Spyware Has Modified Your HOSTS file

To check it, go to “Start” > “Run“.

Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP and Windows 2000 users type: C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc

Open the file called HOSTS using NOTEPAD or WORDPAD.

Each entry will look something like the following:
0 pagead.googlesyndication.com
0.0.0.0 ad.doubleclick.net

Entries like this will block access to the sites listed. Look for entries like this referring to any web site you may not be able to access and delete them.

4. Run full scan with MalwareBytes

You might also open the MalwareBytes dashboard and ensure that all real time protection is enabled. I once had some malware that turned off the protection and I was not able to turn it back on. MalwareBytes was aware of this because it happened to other users and had a support file on their web site that removed the malware that disabled the malware protection.

[Scruffydog777]

Thanks for the tips Bamagirl and CleverCowboy. The cable guy just stopped by and said the signal was degraded. The main problem they found was a bad connector on the pole across the street. They also gave me an upgraded modem which is capable of handling their latest speeds and so far, so good!

[CleverCowboy]

Thanks for the tips Bamagirl and CleverCowboy. The cable guy just stopped by and said the signal was degraded. The main problem they found was a bad connector on the pole across the street. They also gave me an upgraded modem which is capable of handling their latest speeds and so far, so good!

Great news! This is not the first time that I have seen a bad connector be the culprit. It's happened to me once, and to a few other people I know.

[Bamagirl]

. The main problem they found was a bad connector

I’m so glad you got it fixed. And I see it was just as I thought. A corrupted bookmark!

[Scruffydog777]

After my days off, I went back to work and was telling another mechanic about my problems connecting to one site (Alizeeamerica. com). It started a feww days ago. I have about 30 sites in my favourites folder and I tried each and every one of them and they would connect just about instanteously, but Alizeeamerica would time out.

After trying other people's suggestions and after being on line with Comcast's chat help over the course of a couple of days, I finally called and talked to a tech guy. He said my signal was degraded and they'd have to send someone out.

They said a connector on the pole outside needed changing and they said they were replacing my modem with an upgraded one. Problem fixed!
Well this other mechanic told me Comcast started phone service in this area about a year and a half ago. He said their system is reliant on using customers modems as a hotspot so they need more customers to have the new style modem. It wasn't easy to get people to agree to get a new modem, if they weren't having problems to beging with, so they 'induced' problems.

Do I feel mine was induced? Well it seems very odd that I could not reach only one site and that site is the site I go to most often.

[CleverCowboy]

Well this other mechanic told me Comcast started phone service in this area about a year and a half ago. He said their system is reliant on using customers modems as a hotspot so they need more customers to have the new style modem. It wasn't easy to get people to agree to get a new modem, if they weren't having problems to beging with, so they 'induced' problems.

Do I feel mine was induced? Well it seems very odd that I could not reach only one site and that site is the site I go to most often.

This to me sounds slimy and risky for Comcast to block favorite sites. What about if a customer's favorite site is something pertaining to their employment or to their health? If it caused some kind of monetary loss to a customer and it can be proved that Comcast really does this, I see a big lawsuit.

But tech companies already have a history of slimy behavior and can protect themselves by the fact that the average customer does not understand the technology behind the scenes, so they take their word for it. This seemed interesting and did a little research. Apparently there is a push by Comcast to get customer's modems upgraded to DOCSIS 3.0 from DOCSIS 2.0 style. Numerous customers had experienced sudden slow Internet speeds starting back in 2017 and suspected that Comcast started throttling their bandwidth. They finally call Comcast for support and it ends up with their modems being swapped out. Then Voila! Internet is fine again.

So your co-worker might be right.

[Bamagirl]

It wasn't easy to get people to agree to get a new modem, if they weren't having problems to beging with, so they 'induced' problems.

Do I feel mine was induced? Well it seems very odd that I could not reach only one site and that site is the site I go to most often.

I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they had something set up to cause issues with the site(s) a person uses most frequently. Or, maybe more likely and less likely to get them in trouble, they someone manage to not "upgrade" something so that frequent sites end up being the ones that get left out in the cold. Who knows...but is sure is suspicious. I'm just glad you are back up and running.