can't open links anymore

[southeastastra]

when i click on a link most of the time i cannot open it, it opens a white window and sort of stays suspended until i close it.

any ideas what i can do to rectify this? have to copy and paste most of the time.

using ie 8 and have virgin ntl broadband.

tia

Is it just links on Mumsnet or links on any web site?

For example can you do a Google Search and click on the results?

just on mumsnet afaik!

Hi SEA
ERm
No I'm a mac girl and so haven't got a scooby about IE but I'll find someone who does.

What happens if you try and go here:

redirectingat.com/

(copy or type the address into your address bar, don't click on it).

nothing

When you say nothing does the web site pop up, a blank page or an error message?

oh sorry says 'this is a redirection service'

weird it seems to be ok, did someone do something?

grr spoke to soon, some open ok some don't - doesn't seem to be any pattern!

Other people seem to have this problem, I'm guessing that either some ISPs have trouble with that redirection service or the service has trouble with some ISPs.

Do some links consistently work and others consistently fail?? By that I mean does one links always fail while another always works?

no, one link didn't work earlier (the toaster thing) then worked perfectly fine an hour or so later. it's odd

I'd be quite keen to get my hands on a machine that was having this problem. For me the links have always worked and it's hard to get to the bottom of it without actually trying things out...

it is annoying and only seems to have happened recently (maybe something to do with IE8) have run spybot and adaware but no problems have been found.

Try using another Browser such as Firefox or Chrome.

I don't think it's Browser related though...

that's weird because I've just started having a similar thing - it's particularly bad from google - but some other sites seem affected too - if I click on a link I'll get the frames (don't know if that's the right techy term) on the top and round the sides but the main body of the page stays white and the status bar at the bottom sticks at about 90% loaded

I'm on a mac and using firefox so not a browser thing I'd have thought

What I've been doing is copying the address, deleting it and then pasting and it zips to the right place immediately but it's irritating nonetheless so I'd be keen to find a solution

"I've been doing is copying the address, deleting it and then pasting and it zips to the right place immediately"

A few others have questioned links not working, and in my view there's some sort of problem (perhaps overload) at this redirectingat.com website (used for many links on MumsNet, but not all - the idea is that if it is a link to some e-commerce site, MN gets a commission payment if you visit/buy items, so it only kicks in when the link goes to a suitable site, therefore links to the BBC, for example, don't go via redirectingat.com)

No easy solution, unfortunately - if that site is not loading properly / fast enough, people get a blank page until their browser just "gives up" and reports failure to load.

it's doing it again alot today! also from links on other sites so not cofined to mn. very very frustrating!