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(Some) Web Pages not loading

SteveI
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎23-06-2010

(Some) Web Pages not loading

Thought I'd throw this one open in case there is a simple answer;
We've developed an annoying problem. While most sites load with no problem, several sites (such as hotmail, amazon, ebay, flickr etc) refuse to load either in full or in part. The ebay homepage will now load but trying to open a link on it produces the spinning wheel of death.
I'm not explaining this well am I Huh
Try again
Most sites = load ok (although quite often the page loading does not show as completed)
Some sites = no connection at all
Some sites = part load a page then keep trying for the rest
Other sites = load homepage then won't link from it (the link effectively has no connection)
Messed around for ages trying different things to try and fix it but as I don't really know what I am doing I thought I should get some help. Any ideas?
11 REPLIES 11
Oxslow
Grafter
Posts: 53
Registered: ‎09-08-2007

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Sounds like packet loss to me. Have you tried resetting your router?
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

I think it's more likely to be the MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) of the router being smaller than that of the PC so that packets sent to Hotmail, etc are being fragmented. The MTU on both devices needs to be made the same - it is likely to be the default value of 1500 on your PC.
David
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Quote from: SteveI
Thought I'd throw this one open in case there is a simple answer;
We've developed an annoying problem

Has this always been an issue ?,
Has anything changed (like a new router) ?,
If this is a new problem then when did it start ?

I tend to agree with 'spraxyt' that this sounds like an MTU problem.
Having said that, since a couple of weeks ago I seem to have a similar sounding intermittent issue when opening new browser tabs to view eBay items, although the required pages nearly always subsequently load correctly with a page refresh.
I have since rechecked every setting and connection on my network, re-calibrated my router's MTU to an optimal setting, added gateway QoS, checked my home network DNS servers, but found NOTHING untoward.  The only thing I have not conclusively eliminated is whether the problems I see are coincident with the Plusnet gateway overloading problems - currently reported in other threads on this forum.
Try tuning your router's MTU and see if that fixes it, as that IS the most likely cause when some sites don't load at all.
I have certainly had routers in the past where the default MTU values would prevent me accessing pages such as the login page on to eBay, but choosing a lower value immediately fixed the problem.  This also gave me better download speedtester results due to the minimized fragmentation from using the best MTU for my network permutation.
Gus
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 3,236
Thanks: 26
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎31-07-2007

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Only time I've had similar is when my browser had corrupted cookies.  If your browser has it the option, delete all specific cookies for each site and try again
FTTP 500 regrade from Tues 28th November
SteveI
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎23-06-2010

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Thanks for the input  - notes added to the quote below.
Quote from: purleigh
Quote from: SteveI
Thought I'd throw this one open in case there is a simple answer;
We've developed an annoying problem

Has this always been an issue ?, No
Has anything changed (like a new router) ?, New router recently installed
If this is a new problem then when did it start ? Linked to the router (I just tried the old one and all is fine!)

I tend to agree with 'spraxyt' that this sounds like an MTU problem.


I've searched out how to check stable MTU on the onnection - this gives 1472 as the highest value before the need to fragment. Checked the settings on the PC which shows at 1500 (as suggested it would be). On the router it shows Max MRU 1492 (I'm guessing this is the one as there is no MTU value). What needs doing now?
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Try running this 'Tweek' test  http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks and try to get an MTU which gives 100% "transfer efficiency", then check the "Notes and Recommendations".
If you are running Windows XP, then use the above results and recommendations  in DrTCP - http://www.dslreports.com/drtcp
Restart your computer and see if the problem is resolved ?
SteveI
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎23-06-2010

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

thanks purleigh
I've run the 'Tweek' test
Results showed 100% transfer efficiency. System is running on win7 rather that vista.
Any more thoughts?
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

MRU means Maximum Receive Unit whereas MTU is Maximum Transmission Unit, one assumes the values are identical if both are not given.
Is the router/modem set to connect to the Internet using PPPoE and LLC rather than PPPoA and VC-Mux? An MTU of 1492 often goes with the former.
When you checked for packet fragmentation and found 1472 worked did you try pinging a site where connection fails in your browser?
As a quick check to see if the problem is MTU related I suggest opening a command prompt with elevated permissions (Run as Administrator)  then change the computer's MTU to 1400. The commands to do this are
netsh interface ipv4 show subinterfaces
to confirm Local Area Connection is the subinterface that needs changing, then
netsh interface ipv4 set subinterface "Local Area Connection" mtu=1400 store=persistent
to change the value.
David
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Are you doing this with a Trendnet TEW-658BRM - as mentioned in thread http://community.plus.net/forum/index.php/topic,111241.msg953631.html#msg953631  ?
If so, have you seen there was a firmware update released on 10th January 2013  -  http://www.trendnet.com/langen/downloads/list_subcategory.asp?SUBTYPE_ID=1457
Probably worth trying,  if you haven't done so already.
SteveI
Newbie
Posts: 8
Registered: ‎23-06-2010

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

Thanks for the input guys.
I've messed around a bit and followed the advice above, and now have it working fine over a wired connection. Wireless still gives the same problem which, to me, suggests a problem with the unit itself.
spraxyt
Resting Legend
Posts: 10,063
Thanks: 674
Fixes: 75
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: (Some) Web Pages not loading

For the wired connection have you set MTU=1400 to get this working?
If so is the MTU for the wireless connection still 1500?
David