Apparently I'm not a geek after all...

[c9]

Dear Lazyweb*,

I have two computers, a laptop and a desktop. They both use wireless to talk to a router, and the router talks to Bell and gives me sweet sweet internet. The laptop works 100% fine.

The desktop works fine on some websites, but hangs on others -- just sits there, trying to download the page, for minutes on end. It simply can't download pages from certain sites, like livejournal. But other sites work perfectly, no slowdown or anything. The desktop can talk to the router with no problems. The desktop can talk to the laptop with no problems. The desktop can even ping www.livejournal.com with no problems WHILE unable to load the webpage www.livejournal.com.

I reinstalled Windows XP from scratch today, and the exact same behaviour persists.

I erased all the configuration info from the router, and the exact same behaviour persists.

I have tested the laptop from the same location, same router, same website, same time, and had it work just fine.

In summary: AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH. What am I missing??

Sincerely, Cam

P.S. For those curious as to why this would bother me so much: I teach this shit. Argh!

* Lazyweb = I'm too lazy to figure it out on my own. Though in this case, I've been banging my head against the brick wall for a while now, so it's not to much laziness as self-preservation.

Comments

[gotwoody.livejournal.com]

I agree about ruling out the wireless card. Maybe try a newer driver for it than the one that MS shipped with WinXP?

[c9.livejournal.com]

Computers annoy me so much. Nothing has changed. I *can* use the network and the internet. It's just certain websites.

It is unfathomable to me that computing, completely based on math, can produce such randomized results when you repeat an action. It's sick.

[gotwoody.livejournal.com]

Oops. I forgot to explain my line of thinking when I suggested driver.

Perhaps some sites are sending data in larger packets, malformed packets, or with different MTUs that are confusing one of the TCP/IP layers as the data is passed from hardware abstraction layer to protocol implementation layer. Perhaps a newer version of the driver incorporates better error-handling of such malformed data.

[c9.livejournal.com]

Oh, agreed, a new driver should certainly be checked. I was just whining, that's all. :)

[c9.livejournal.com]

Waitasec. You're a Macintosh geek -- where the hell did you learn all those words?? :-)

[gotwoody.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe

Ok I'm a closet windows guy too. I use Mac because then I don't need to think about HALs, drivers and packets. I use Windows because I, too, teach that.. although it's been over 8 years since I taught a TCP/IP networking course.

My damn Mac G4 laptop has been in the shop for 5 weeks now. It came back and had new dents on the case, so they had to send it away..

[c9.livejournal.com]

Oh right, I forgot about your TCP/IP history. That explains why you'd talk about malformed packets and so forth. :)

I'm *so* glad I bought a cheap ass laptop. It's got scratches all over the outside, and I'm not upset at all!

[simplisticton.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to freak out slightly about the Powerbook. I caught myself considering wiping it down with a baby wipe last night. I think I may have developed Apple-related OCD.