Productivity Portfolio

Connection problems can be some of the worst to troubleshoot since there are many variables. You have combinations of hardware, software, ISPs, routing to name a few. Another problem is the error messages provided are often generic and don’t provide enough details. Some are intentionally vague for security reasons. You often wonder if the error message you want is just one layer beyond, but you can’t get to it.

Earlier this week, Alex contacted me and explained he couldn’t connect to his site. He’s using a month old HP computer with Windows XP. He’s using Earthlink DSL, but the modem is supplied by SBC.

Each time he tried to access his site, He got “The web site address you entered could not be found". I tried the URL and had no problem getting to the home page or other site pages.

Connection Troubleshooting Steps

Throughout the weekend, he tried the following suggestions based on feedback from friends and his ISP:

• Cleared cookies and browser cache
• Reset file associations
• Added the site to the browser’s trusted zone
• Used different browsers to connect to the site
• Reinstalled Flash and JavaScript
• Turned off Windows firewall
• Changed from DHCP settings to a static IP address
• Used Google translate feature to access site
• Flushed the DNS cache
• Checked the HOSTS file
• Accessed sites that are on the same server (success)
• Accessed site pages other than the home page (failure)
• Accessed site with different computer from same location (failure)
  
• Took desktop computer to another facility (success)
  

Despite these efforts, he continues to get the same error except when he cleared the DNS cache. After clearing the cache, the error message briefly changed to “connection refused”.

If he uses his son's machine, which has a wireless router, the error message is "The remote server is taking too long too respond". 

Trying Tracert

He also tried tracert, which is a built in program you can run from the CMD prompt. It provides listing of the hops you take to connect to a site. For example, you can type tracert www.timeatlas.com to see how you connect to this site. Sometimes, this shows problems with networks. In Alex’s case, he always times out at a specific point:

dir05-ge-5-0-0.ga-atlanta0.ne.earthlink.net.

So, what’s the next step? Has anyone else had this problem or know of another approach Alex can try? If you do, drop me an email using the Contact Us link on the top menu. We’ll pass the info along and keep you posted on the progress.

Was EarthLink the Problem?

After two weeks of troubleshooting the problem, it cleared up and Alex was again able to access his site. The last round of tech calls he had with the company was less than stellar. The tech rep explained she couldn't do anything more and gave him another support number. The next call was terminated before the problem was fully explained. It's hard to say whether the tech rep hung up or some other factor caused the call to end. 

It seems to me that EarthLink did have some sort of network problem. The sad part is no one fully listened to what the customer was saying and escalated the issue. Alex took more steps to resolve this issue than most customers including taking his desktop PC to another facility where he could connect. 

Is the problem unique to EarthLink? I doubt it. I know I have encountered similar problems with my DSL carrier. The best advice I can offer is to document the steps you've taken to troubleshoot the issue. If you don't think someone is listening to your problem, ask to speak to a supervisor.