Can someone PLEASE help me regarding opening links?

[Fruitbatlings]

This has been going on for months now. I still cannot open links when they are like this
I can copy and paste a link and can open it with no trouble but the other way I just get "page not responding"

I've read it could be something to do with a firewall?
I've tried asking DH but he never gets the chance to help me.
It used to work fine, just all of a sudden stopped.

I thought it was just MN links but I tried open a link on another website - was trying to print out colouring in pictures for the children to do over Christmas. I got the sme "page not responding" message.

Please help me!!!!

I have a Macbook Pro and use Firefox btw

I really hope somebody can help me. I've asked several times on here before

PS - I'm hopeless with computer lingo so Layman's terms would be great

Just wanted to add, I can open links like the above if they are a link to another MN page

A few questions.....

What version of the MAC OS are you using?

Have you checked for updates to the OS?

When you say "links" do you mean links on Mumsnet pages or links from any web page? What happens if you do a Google search? Do the links work then?

Have you tried using another web browser, Safari for example?

When you get the "page not responding" error what is the address in the browser's address bar?

Do you have a firewall or any anti-virus installed?

How do I find out what version of MAC OS it is?

Checked updates already.

Google search is fine. It's when people type a link this way instead of this way www.google.co.uk/. In fact I still can't open the last link unless I copy and paste it into the address bar.

Just tried again.
It says "connection timed out"
The address says: redirectingat.com/?id=470X756&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fengland%2Fmanchester %2F8425229.stm

I think we have firewall or anti-virus but I don't know how to find out which one we have. DH does all of that

It's the same with Safari

OK.....

It's a problem somewhere between you and the redirectingat web site.

What happens if you try to go to this address:
redirectingat.com/

In the short term if you want to find out where a link goes there is a way......

If you look carefully at that address you get when it says "connection timed out" there's a bit that starts with url=.

Copy the stuff that comes after that, in this case:
http%3A%2F%2Fnews.bbc.co.uk%2F1%2Fhi%2Fengland%2Fmanchester %2F8425229.stm

Then go here:
meyerweb.com/eric/tools/dencoder/

Paste the text into the text box and then remove any spaces that it might have (in this case there's one after the r of manchester.

Then click "decode".

Finally copy the text that appears into your browser and away you go.

Not ideal I know but until we work out why you can't get along with the redirectingat web site it'll allow you to see what people are talking about.

It says "problem loading page" when I go to the redirect website.

I'll have a go at the decoder thing

OK try this address:
174.120.113.116/

Trying to work out if this is a DNS issue...

Do you have any other computers at home?

we have another computer but I can never get it connected to the internet for some reason. DH can but I think there's a knack to it

"Connection timed out" for that address

It sounds like something's blocking it at some point between your computer and the redirecting web site.

Do try with the other computer as that'll let us know if it's your machine that's causing the problem.

What ISP do you use?

Oh god, I have no idea What's an ISP? (I'm sure it's something very obvious)

It's your Internet Service Provider, basically your link to the internet.

I'm presuming you're at home, but are you in an Office?

Is your broadband provided by someone like BT or could it be provided by who you work for?

Also do find out if you've got any anti-virus or firewall software on your laptop. Given that it's a Mac I doubt it but it's worth checking.

ahhh, it's Talk Talk

Yes I'm at home. Not in an office.

Now I can't even get a normal website to work. I want to open the Royal mail website.

www.royalmail.com

It's working for another MNer. Does it work for you? I just get "connection timed out" every time

And this is just with you pasting the link directly into the address bar?

Something quite serious is going wrong somewhere.

Look into the anti-virus and firewall issues but the biggest help is going to be taking your machine to a friends house or taking a friends machine to yours.

We need to work out if the fault is on your machine or somewhere else up the line.

If your other laptop has difficulties connecting and your DH has to do something clever to get it online then it does sound like something's up with your internet connection...

I'll ask DH to look at it tonight.

I can get on most websites. I thought it was just a problem with MN links but it seems not

I'll try and get the PC up and running. I'm sure he said I just need to plug internet into PC then switch the modem on and off for it to work. I just remember trying it before and it didn't work for me.
Will try now.....

I've been having some issues recently, not quite as you describe but similar. Have found that changing DNS servers has helped, instead of using my ISP's (O2) I now use OpenDNS www.opendns.com They have client software for Windows and MAC. The basic version is free and I find it has solved many of my issues with connecting to websites recently.

I don't think it's a DNS issue, the raw IP address doesn't work either.

Let us know how the PC goes.

That you need to turn the modem on and off after plugging it in does make it sound like something's not right.

A-HA! PC is working and so is internet. Royal mail website working too, haven't tried MN links yet though....

MN links working fine although I have to press the control button at the same time as clicking to see the link. Plus it asked me about pop-ups which I agreed to for MN website.

I tried pressing the control button on the Macbook whilst clicking but just gives me a menu

on menu it gives me the option of "properties" at the bottom. I pressed that and where it says "relation" it says "nofollow"
Does that mean anything important?

So sitting there with the PC and Mac side by side the PC can get to royal mail but the Mac can't?

What does the address bar show on the Mac when it fails with the royal mail?

What happens on the PC if you don't press the control button and just click on the link?

Also can the PC get to:
redirectingat.com/

using PC - this is what I get when I go to the redirecting website:

"This is a redirection service used by online publishers.

Please contact us if you have experienced problems with this redirection.

USA/Canada: (+1) 800 734-5166
UK/Rest of World: +44 207 382 6447"

The address bar on Macbook says "www.royalmail.com" still when the connection has timed out

OK it's something to do with the Mac.

Can you set up a new user account and then enter redirectingat.com/ directly into the address bar?

Sorry Nannynick! I didn't mean to ignore you there
Would my PC be working if that were the case?