Can't download anything. Help needed please

Hi
I'm a newbie to broadband and a new subscriber to Virgin net and am
having problems. For a week after being activated I couldn't connect
because of error 731. Had a message from virgin net yesterday to say
BT had done some work on the exchange and it should all be working
now.

Well the good news is that I now connect at 576Kbps but the bad new is
that I can't download anything.
I'm using Windows XP home and a speedtouch 330 modem.

If I try and go to any web page the internet explorer progress bar
goes about a tenth of the way across and then just stops and the page
remains blank.

If I bring up the modem diagnostics window, the bytes sent count is
going up at about 200 bytes a second but the bytes received count is
static. (If I bring up more diagnostic info there's a column called
SDU Transmit which is counting up regularly but the SDU receive count
doesn't change. As I say I'm a newbie so I don't know what any of this
really means).

Spent an hour on the phone to Virgin this morning with someone telling
me to try various things. Ended up with him telling me to try "netsh
int ip reset" which I gather resets the internet stack in some way.
When this didn't work his conclusion was that the McAfee firewall is
blocking any incoming data and I should uninstall this.

I'm reluctant to do this as this is a new Dell PC which came with a 3
month trial of McAfee and I suspect if I uninstall it I may not be
able to get it back again. (Virgin support told me that surfing
without a firewall would be fine but that's not the advice I read
elsewhere) I did try disabling the firewall and virus check but it
made no difference. The PC also came with a 1 month trial of AOL
dialup which I have installed. I know that AOL software has a
reputation for meddling with OS settings so I'm wondering if it might
be something to do with this.

Has any one come across this sort of problem before ?
Is it likely to be the McAfee firewall or is this just Virgin support
clutching at straws ?
Could it be something to do with AOL ?
What else can I do to diagnose the problem ?
All advice gratefully received
Thanks
Dave B

PS I'm submitting this via google groups so there may be a delay with
my replies

There are lots of things it could be. Let's not turn the firewall off, or
you'll get even more problems.

do a start->run > command to get a dos window and type:

ipconfig/all

and

tracert www.jolt.co.uk

And post the results. That will give us a few clues. (you will need to click
on the top left of the dos window and use edit->mark (highlight the text)
and then edit-> copy to get the text into the clipboard to be able to paste
into a reply).

Jc.

Uninstall the AOL software

On 29 Jan 2005 05:42:39 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (dsb0118) wrote:

>If I try and go to any web page the internet explorer progress bar
>goes about a tenth of the way across and then just stops and the page
>remains blank.

can you download email and other stuff, ie is the just the web ?

go to http://www.netmonitor.org/tools/ttest.php run the test and post
the red results page URL here (or look out for the RWIN and MSS values
and post them here.

Very small RWIN values can cause this, for example the AOL software
may have set it to suit dialup at a small number.

Phil
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices :-)

--

"Phil Thompson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 29 Jan 2005 05:42:39 -0800, (E-Mail Removed) (dsb0118) wrote:
>
>>If I try and go to any web page the internet explorer progress bar
>>goes about a tenth of the way across and then just stops and the page
>>remains blank.
>
> go to http://www.netmonitor.org/tools/ttest.php run the test and post
> the red results page URL here (or look out for the RWIN and MSS values
> and post them here.

Err, how exactly is the OP to go to that web page when his problem is
that he can't go to any web page?

On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 15:49:26 -0000, "Alastair" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Err, how exactly is the OP to go to that web page when his problem is
>that he can't go to any web page?

he's posting to here from Google "PS I'm submitting this via google
groups so there may be a delay with my replies" so can access websites
presumably via dialup.

there is only one RWIN setting in windows, so if the same machine is
used it'll work.

It won't be any good for MTU though as its adapter specific.

Phil
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices :-)

--

> Well the good news is that I now connect at 576Kbps but the bad new is
> that I can't download anything.
> I'm using Windows XP home and a speedtouch 330 modem.

Try going to the control panel / internet settings - tell it to connect
via LAN rather than dialup.

Can you do other stuff via broadband - i.e. is it just IE that`s f*cked ?

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

Hi All,
Thanks for your replies. I'll address them all in one go if that's OK.

> Josey wrote do a start->run > command to get a dos window and type:
> ipconfig/all and tracert www.jolt.co.uk And post the results.


Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DDFTRF1J
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 440x 10/100
Integrated Cont
roller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-11-43-5E-8F-23

PPP adapter Speedtouch Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 82.14.88.35
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 82.14.88.35
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.168.4.100
194.168.8.100

tracert www.jolt.co.uk

Tracing route to clarity.jolt.co.uk [195.149.21.11]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 14 ms 15 ms 14 ms brhm-bam-1.inet.ntl.com
[194.145.148.5]
2 13 ms 13 ms 12 ms brhm-t2core-b-ge-wan72.inet.ntl.com
[213.106.231
..197]
3 12 ms 12 ms 14 ms bir-bb-b-so-710-0.inet.ntl.com
[62.253.185.149]

4 14 ms 16 ms 17 ms nth-bb-a-so-300-0.inet.ntl.com
[62.253.185.105]

5 20 ms 18 ms 18 ms gfd-bb-b-so-400-0.inet.ntl.com
[62.253.185.98]
6 38 ms 22 ms 20 ms tele-ic-2-so-100-0.inet.ntl.com
[62.253.185.74]

7 20 ms 20 ms 21 ms lon1-10.nildram.net [213.208.106.169]
8 71 ms 21 ms 20 ms 84.12.225.130
9 20 ms 20 ms 21 ms jolt-gw.nildram.net [195.149.20.126]
10 22 ms 20 ms 21 ms clarity.jolt.co.uk [195.149.21.11]

Trace complete.


>Ian wrote:-
> Uninstall the AOL software
I'm reluctant to do this at the moment as it's my only means of net
access and hence outside help.

>Phil Thompson wrote:-
>can you download email and other stuff, ie is it just the web ?
I haven't got a mail program set up yet so don't know if I can or
can't. Setting one up is probably a steep learning curve for me so I
don't want to start yet. I have a virgin web mail account but I've
been accessing that via the virgin web page. Newbie question: How else
would I download, other than via the web ?

> go to http://www.netmonitor.org/tools/ttest.php run the test and
post the
> red results page URL here .

This is what I got via the AOL Dialup:-

Tweakable settings:
RWIN: 17680 (*)
Window scaling: NO
PMTUD: YES
Time stamping: NO
SACKS: YES
MSS requested: 1360
TTL remaining: 118

Results of download test:
Data bytes we sent: 134896 bytes
Data packets we sent: 100
Retransmitted data packets: 0
Transfer efficiency: 100%
Max packet size you sent (MTU): 1400
Max packet size you received (MTU): 1400
Data transmit time: 28.021 seconds
Maximum idle time: 879.9 milliseconds
Transfer rate: 4652 bytes/sec (4.5 kilobytes/sec)

> Colin Wilson wrote
> Try going to the control panel / internet settings - tell it to
connect via
> LAN rather than dialup.

Not quite sure what you mean. Under the Connections Tab of Internet
Options,
there's a window with a heading Dial Up and Virtual Private Network
settings. In that it shows one icon (a telephone?) with the legend
Speedtouch Connection (Default).
To the right are buttonds for Add/Remove/Settings
Further down there is a heading Local Area Network (LAN)settings.
Under this it says:-
"LAN Settings do not apply to dial-up connections. Choose settings
above for dial-up settings" next to that there's abutton for LAN
settings
Can't see what I should be changing to achieve this.

> Can you do other stuff via broadband - i.e. is it just IE that`s f*cked ?
Haven't tried. See earlier reply to Phil Thompson

> "LAN Settings do not apply to dial-up connections. Choose settings
> above for dial-up settings" next to that there's abutton for LAN
> settings

If its a USB modem this might not be applicable, so I might have sent you
on the wrong track there, sorry :-}

Any luck with any alternative browser ?

You should be able to grab Firefox from here one way or another...
Windows

ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.or...0/win32/en-GB/

Or, under XP, go to Start / Run

Type in this little lot :-}

---
ftp ftp.mozilla.org (a window should open and connect)
anonymous
(E-Mail Removed)
cd pub
cd mozilla.org
cd firefox
cd releases
cd 1.0
cd win32
cd en-GB
get "Firefox Setup 1.0.exe"
---

When its finished downloading, search for where the hell it saved it and
run it to install :-}

There`s a fair chance it will have saved to

C:\Documents And Settings\<username>

--
Please add "[newsgroup]" in the subject of any personal replies via email
--- My new email address has "ngspamtrap" & @btinternet.com in it ;-) ---

Colin Wilson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed) et>...
> > "LAN Settings do not apply to dial-up connections. Choose settings
> > above for dial-up settings" next to that there's abutton for LAN
> > settings
> If its a USB modem this might not be applicable, so I might have sent you
> on the wrong track there, sorry :-}
> Any luck with any alternative browser ?
> You should be able to grab Firefox from here one way or another...
> Windows
> ftp://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.or...0/win32/en-GB/
> Or, under XP, go to Start / Run
> Type in this little lot :-}
> ---
> ftp ftp.mozilla.org (a window should open and connect)
> anonymous
> (E-Mail Removed)
> cd pub
> cd mozilla.org
> cd firefox
> cd releases
> cd 1.0
> cd win32
> cd en-GB
> get "Firefox Setup 1.0.exe"
> ---
> When its finished downloading, search for where the hell it saved it and
> run it to install :-}
> There`s a fair chance it will have saved to
> C:\Documents And Settings\<username>
__________________________________________

Ok, I tried this with the broadband modem connected. (didn't seem to
need to log in as bill gates though. :-) )
>ftp ftp.mozilla.org
Connected to ftp.mozilla.org.
220---------- Welcome to Pure-FTPd [TLS] ----------
220-You are user number 123 of 500 allowed.
220-Local time is now 08:04. Server port: 21.
220-Only anonymous FTP is allowed here
220-This server supports FXP transfers
220-IPv6 connections are also welcome on this server.
220 You will be disconnected after 60 seconds of inactivity.
User (ftp.mozilla.orgnone)):
230 Anonymous user logged in
ftp> anonymous
Invalid command.
ftp> cd pub
250 OK. Current directory is /pub
ftp> cd mozilla.org
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
ftp> cd firefox
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
ftp> cd releases
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
ftp> cd 1.0
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
..0
ftp> cd win32
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
..0/win32
ftp> cd en-GB
250 OK. Current directory is /.mirrors/ftpinter/rsync.mozilla
..0/win32/en-GB
ftp> get "Firefox Setup 1.0.exe"
200 PORT command successful
150-Connecting to port 1124
150 4799.9 kbytes to download

There was a pause here. I checked the modem's monitor window but no
bytes were being received. I guessing that means it's not just an IE
problem ?
After a while….
Connection closed by remote host.
ftp>

Repeated using my 56k modem
150-Connecting to port 1184
150 4799.9 kbytes to download
226-File successfully transferred
226 1227.895 seconds (measured here), 3.91 Kbytes per second
ftp: 4935055 bytes received in 1250.15Seconds 3.95Kbytes/sec.
ftp>

Moved the downloaded file and tried again using my broadband modem
just to make sure. (Did have to log in this time!)
and got this:-
>ftp ftp.mozilla.org
Connected to ftp.mozilla.org.
220 "[PUBLIC-CLASS] IU-USSG Public Software Mirror"
User (ftp.mozilla.orgnone)): anonymous
331 Please specify the password.
Password:
230 Login successful.
ftp> cd pub
250-Welcome to the USSG Public File Server!
250-
250-
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd mozilla.org
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd firefox
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd releases
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd 1.0
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd win32
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> cd en-GB
250 Directory successfully changed.
ftp> get "Firefox Setup 1.0.exe"
200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV.
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for Firefox Setup 1.
).
Connection closed by remote host.
ftp> quit

New file is created where the old one was but size is 0kb.

I've tried running the firefox setup prog (the one downloaded at 56k)
but I'm not sure what's happening. If I double click on it I get a
brief flash of a DOS window but too fast to see what's going on.
Searched harddrive for "firefox" but can't see any new files have been
created. What should happen when I run the setup ?