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General discussion (archive)internet problems(17 posts)solved(17 posts)solved
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 14, 2012
Hey folks

Im having a few connection issues and im kinda at a loss for the cause.

I keep getting disconnected from online games but my teamspeak server remains working throughout.

Every few webpages I sometimes get page cannot be displayed errors but refresh it after a minute and its ok (this has been getting worse for a while)

I have run pingplotter for the last 2 hours tied to google's server or whatever and for a while it was pretty crap but then evened out a bit but im still getting a lot of red in the pingplotter.

I have done the usual with the router (reset, firmware) a pointless reboot of the computer as it happens on the other desktop and the laptop (2 vista 1 windows 7)

unplugged the router completely (call cables down to the wall socket)

I spoke to BT who maintain the exchange and they say the exchange has no faults and that it is not exceeding its capacity.

I plan on trying an old router tomorrow (00.30 here and I cant be assed tonight)

Am I missing something obvious?
Id rather not call the ISP cause last time I did it took 4 calls to get to someone who I could understand (background noise not accent, yes i know its a call centre) and they hung up on me when I asked for the call to be escalated (they took the direct debit out 3 times in 48 hours and tried to take a 4th that the bank stopped and I got a letter threatening me to pay them a fourth time was eventually sorted though)
This question / problem has been solved by wodmarachimage
Posted January 14, 2012
I'm not an expert on this, but have you tried switching to a different DNS server? I also see a possibility that you caught a virus that relays normal web traffic (but not teamspeak) through compromised "monitoring" servers, that would explain why certain kinds of traffic are slowing down, while others aren't. But I'm really not an expert and you should get a second opinion before starting to worry.
Posted January 14, 2012
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Psyringe: I'm not an expert on this, but have you tried switching to a different DNS server? I also see a possibility that you caught a virus that relays normal web traffic (but not teamspeak) through compromised "monitoring" servers, that would explain why certain kinds of traffic are slowing down, while others aren't. But I'm really not an expert and you should get a second opinion before starting to worry.
Thank you, ill make note of that,

I really dunno what it could be so im open to all the communities suggestions
Posted January 14, 2012
The trouble is that there are so many things it could be:

you could have someone hijacking your router, and overloading the connections?

If anyone is using torrenting software on your network, that will sometimes overload the router. I had a housemate who for some reason used the Azureas (now Vuse) torrent client, and that is so badly written it basically destroys the network for anyone but the client.

You could have some malware on your PC that is in the background spamming people, and contending with you.

You could just have a broken router.

Your ISP may be having problems. As Psyringe said, your DNS server may be having issues.

I would suggest that the place to start is in your router logs. See if they are reporting any errors. Failing that then you need to start isolating what's on your network, and start switching stuff off, one service at a time.
Posted January 14, 2012
Okay, since no other suggestions are coming in (edit: or rather _were_ coming in when I started writing ;) ), here are a few things you can check to make sure that you haven't caught a DNS Hijacker:

1. Check the file C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\Hosts (if it exists). It should only contain comments (lines starting wih a #) and things that you entered there yourself. Compare the timestamp of the file to the others in th same directory to make sure it hasn't been tampered with.

2. The second check for a DNS Hijack is to verify your network adapter has not been re-directed. Go to your network connections in Control Panel. Right click on your network adapter. Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button. In the TCP/IP properties window that appears, you should verify that DNS is set to automatic, or to somehing that you have manually set yourself. While you are there, click on the Advanced button and then Options Tab. Verify that no TCP/IP filtering has been enabled (while not technically a DNS Hijack, TCP/IP filtering can be used to spoof a failed network connection to a website, which is sometimes enough to convince the victim they are infected with the problems indicated by the scare-ware). Finally in this section, check for a Proxy re-direct. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools>Internet Options. Click on the Connections Tab and verify that the LAN settings do not have a Proxy address set (unless you have manually set one previously)

3. Check the DNS settings of your router. It should either beset to automatic, or contain only entries that you made yourself.

If anything at these places looks fishy, read up on "DNS hijack". Unfortunately, a system that has been infected by a DNS hijacker is often heavily compromised, since the hijacker functions as a backdoor to inject further malware.

(Parts of the above post have been taken from [url=http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/143127-Malware-removal-(Doh!)?s=4649bcfecca1390d43f9013d8af53608&p=833680&viewfull=1#post833680]here[/url]).
Post edited January 14, 2012 by Psyringe
Posted January 14, 2012
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Psyringe: Okay, since no other suggestions are coming in (edit: or rather _were_ coming in when I started writing ;) ), here are a few things you can check to make sure that you haven't caught a DNS Hijacker:

1. Check the file C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\Hosts (if it exists). It should only contain comments (lines starting wih a #) and things that you entered there yourself. Compare the timestamp of the file to the others in th same directory to make sure it hasn't been tampered with.

2. The second check for a DNS Hijack is to verify your network adapter has not been re-directed. Go to your network connections in Control Panel. Right click on your network adapter. Click on Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click the Properties button. In the TCP/IP properties window that appears, you should verify that DNS is set to automatic, or to somehing that you have manually set yourself. While you are there, click on the Advanced button and then Options Tab. Verify that no TCP/IP filtering has been enabled (while not technically a DNS Hijack, TCP/IP filtering can be used to spoof a failed network connection to a website, which is sometimes enough to convince the victim they are infected with the problems indicated by the scare-ware). Finally in this section, check for a Proxy re-direct. Open Internet Explorer. Go to Tools>Internet Options. Click on the Connections Tab and verify that the LAN settings do not have a Proxy address set (unless you have manually set one previously)

3. Check the DNS settings of your router. It should either beset to automatic, or contain only entries that you made yourself.

If anything at these places looks fishy, read up on "DNS hijack". Unfortunately, a system that has been infected by a DNS hijacker is often heavily compromised, since the hijacker functions as a backdoor to inject further malware.

(Parts of the above post have been taken from [url=http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/143127-Malware-removal-(Doh!)?s=4649bcfecca1390d43f9013d8af53608&p=833680&viewfull=1#post833680]here[/url]).
I think it's a little bit extreme to worry Reaver about DNS hijacks on the basis of dropped connections, it's a very remote possibility. For starters, if you were hijacking DNS, then your goal is to not be noticed. They would be forwarding on all uninteresting requests without any issue. We have no evidence or even any indication that anything like that is going on.

It's good you're trying to help, and please don't consider this an aggressive post. I just think we need to start at the basics of getting a look at some logs, rather than clutching at straws.
Posted January 14, 2012
First thing I'd try is directly plugging the internet into a PC, no router. If encountering the same problems, you'll know it's not the router. If not, then it's pretty darn sure the router is the source of the problem.
Posted January 14, 2012
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wpegg: I think it's a little bit extreme to worry Reaver about DNS hijacks on the basis of dropped connections, it's a very remote possibility. For starters, if you were hijacking DNS, then your goal is to not be noticed. They would be forwarding on all uninteresting requests without any issue. We have no evidence or even any indication that anything like that is going on.

It's good you're trying to help, and please don't consider this an aggressive post. I just think we need to start at the basics of getting a look at some logs, rather than clutching at straws.
No offense taken; as you can see from my posts, I was reluctant to take this path as well, and only did so once I got the impression that no other suggestions were coming in. I know enough about networking and security to tell that a DNS hijacking trojan is a _possible_ explanation, but I _don't_ know enough to tell whether it's a _probable_ explanation. The thing that pulled my thoughts in that direction was that only certain types of traffic seem to be affected by the problem, this (imho) makes hardware problems, or general network load issues, a less probable explanation. But I could be wrong, of course, and checking the router logs is a good course of action in any case.

In short: if someone who's more competent than me posts here, then I won't be miffed at all, but be happy instead that the poster receives better advice than I can provide. :)
Post edited January 14, 2012 by Psyringe
Posted January 15, 2012
Damn forgot to add this.

It is most often in the evening through early morning.

I left ping plotter on last night on all 3 systems. Laptop to google. Desktop to bbc news, gaming rig to ccp. It slowly clears up and at the moment i get an odd one but that is it where as at say 10 pm gmt there was no amber or green.

I do still have utorrent installed but i dont think it opens automatically (havent used it for ages)

I will try plugging direct to the internet tonight or when i start loosing packets again if its the router thats an easy fix i think i have 4 spares.

I dont know how hijacking works but im sure trying another would have been faster than the encrypion on that thing so im not too concerned but i will keep an open mind

Thank you all for your advice and i will keep you updated as i find out more.
Posted January 15, 2012
Stoopid question: wired or wireless? My wireless gets wonky at times, for no apparent reason; plugging in directly to the same unit makes the problems go away. I gotta take a look at that one of these days...
Posted January 15, 2012
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HereForTheBeer: Stoopid question: wired or wireless? My wireless gets wonky at times, for no apparent reason; plugging in directly to the same unit makes the problems go away. I gotta take a look at that one of these days...
I try to keep it wireless cause I dont want to pull up carpets or tack it to walls etc,
Posted January 15, 2012
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reaver894: Damn forgot to add this.

It is most often in the evening through early morning.

I left ping plotter on last night on all 3 systems. Laptop to google. Desktop to bbc news, gaming rig to ccp. It slowly clears up and at the moment i get an odd one but that is it where as at say 10 pm gmt there was no amber or green.

I do still have utorrent installed but i dont think it opens automatically (havent used it for ages)

I will try plugging direct to the internet tonight or when i start loosing packets again if its the router thats an easy fix i think i have 4 spares.

I dont know how hijacking works but im sure trying another would have been faster than the encrypion on that thing so im not too concerned but i will keep an open mind

Thank you all for your advice and i will keep you updated as i find out more.
does it start around 4-5pm and stop around midnight to 1am?
Posted January 15, 2012
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reaver894: Damn forgot to add this.

It is most often in the evening through early morning.

I left ping plotter on last night on all 3 systems. Laptop to google. Desktop to bbc news, gaming rig to ccp. It slowly clears up and at the moment i get an odd one but that is it where as at say 10 pm gmt there was no amber or green.

I do still have utorrent installed but i dont think it opens automatically (havent used it for ages)

I will try plugging direct to the internet tonight or when i start loosing packets again if its the router thats an easy fix i think i have 4 spares.

I dont know how hijacking works but im sure trying another would have been faster than the encrypion on that thing so im not too concerned but i will keep an open mind

Thank you all for your advice and i will keep you updated as i find out more.
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wodmarach: does it start around 4-5pm and stop around midnight to 1am?
Last night it started about 19.00 and cleared at about 04.30 according to the logs

Tonight its OK (so far)
Posted January 15, 2012
quick update

I have done sweet FA and my connection has been acceptable tonight.

Been running a ping to a friends private server that the teamspeak is run from and apart from a but of lag in game and occasionally not being able to hear what is being said for a few seconds every now and then its been ok.

I doubt it will remain that way
Posted January 15, 2012
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reaver894: quick update

I have done sweet FA and my connection has been acceptable tonight.

Been running a ping to a friends private server that the teamspeak is run from and apart from a but of lag in game and occasionally not being able to hear what is being said for a few seconds every now and then its been ok.

I doubt it will remain that way
check your bill date if it gets better about 3 days either side of it it's just BT being shitty I've noticed when I have a couple of months where I hit my fair usage limit I get lots of lag drop outs etc until a couple of days before I'm due to be billed when it miraculously fixes itself before being crappy again a couple of days after
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General discussion (archive)internet problems(17 posts)solved(17 posts)solved
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