The Subspace Channel

Cannibal Britney

Ok, I seem to be having a problem with connecting to certain things such as WinMX, Norton Anti-Virus' Live Update, Internet Explore and sending images through AIM.

WinMX just says over and over again "connecting, connecting, connecting...." and that's it. It connects for everyone else I know that has it.

Live Update tells me it failed to make a connection. I try again, same thing happens.

When I try to go to a website using Internet Explore, I get "Internet Explore could not open the search page". (I'm using AOHELL.)

And when using AIM, I cannot directly connect to someone. It tells me if I'm behind a firewall I will not be able to directly connect but I'm not behind any firewalls.

I don't understand why this is happening. I tried reinstalling some adapters but that didn't work. I tried reinstalling Internet Explore, and that also did not work.

This stuff all use to work at one time but now the only thing that does work is AOL (and AIM, I just can't directly connect). Can someone please help me out? Someone told me it's my ISP but I don't know. If it is, is there any way to fix it without formatting my whole comp.? Thanks.
_________________
"Big Poppa Pump is your hook up. Holla if yah hear me!" - Scott Steiner

"Peace out wit da whack dog wiggadity." - Homie G Bob

BLusk · Sanitation Engineer Joined: 14 Apr 2002 Posts: 845

It sounds like you have a firewall running on your PC, or a firewall immediately upstream from you. Has anyone installed such an item in your Internet connection lately?

Brian

Cannibal Britney

BLusk · Sanitation Engineer Joined: 14 Apr 2002 Posts: 845

Well, your Internet Service Provider may have cracked down on certain open ports recently... might give them a call and ask them what gives. I had my cablemodem provider do this to me, once. All of a sudden I couldn't receive email on my email server anymore.

They, of course, said this was totally authorized in their Acceptable Use Policy, which I then proceeded to shove down their throats, since it wasn't. I eventually just cancelled my account with them.

Brian

Cannibal Britney

I think I found out what it was. We have two lines in this house and a few weeks ago we got a phone bill for 1,006 dollars for the second line (the computer line). My parents called the phone company to try and find out how the hell it happened and it turns out, my brother went to some international porn site. We did a backup check to see who was on at the times mentioned on the bill. So the phone company has blocked long distance.

This sucks!

Why would a cable modem provider crack down on your ports? Did they actually explain why or did they just say "It's in our policy"?
_________________
"Big Poppa Pump is your hook up. Holla if yah hear me!" - Scott Steiner

"Peace out wit da whack dog wiggadity." - Homie G Bob

BLusk · Sanitation Engineer Joined: 14 Apr 2002 Posts: 845

Um... long distance shouldn't affect your Internet connection in the slightest, unless you dial a long distance number to get to your ISP.

Oh, the Cable company explained it, all right. They said that by blocking the email port, they were hoping to stop spammers from using their network. The problem with that logic was that they blocked INCOMING email server ports, not OUTGOING ports, which spammers would have actually used. I told them that, but it was basically like trying to push a rope.

Brian

Cannibal Britney

Well I am on a dial-up modem, but I dunno, my whole internet is screwed up anyway.

Sounds like the people over at that cable company had/have no idea on what they're doing.
_________________
"Big Poppa Pump is your hook up. Holla if yah hear me!" - Scott Steiner

"Peace out wit da whack dog wiggadity." - Homie G Bob