I can't access certain websites. Any help?

[Tycho]

Hey, for some reason on my computer and my computer only, I am unable to access certain websites. For example just recently i can only access www.google.com about a quarter of the time I try to go there. Otherwise it just hangs there with the bar at the bottom half way done and never loads the page despite refreshing etc. The same thing happens with various websites such as logging into fileplanet and searching on yahoo. Although I have never been able to log into fileplanet on this comp. I have tried using spyware programs, virus checkers, and new browsers but nothing seems to work. Even reinstalling Windows doesn't work and neither does updating IE6 and Java. Can anyone think of anything else that could be the problem? Its very annoying to not be able to visit half of the web.

I have told that my DSL connection (pppoe) may be noisy, overloaded or just nit working. Any idea how to check and/or fix that?

Thanks,
Tycho

[Bob Carrick]

Sounds like a simple MTU issue, if this PC is attached to a server lower the MTU on the PC with the problem to match the MTU of the server.

If it's all buy itself and uses it's own PPPoE software to connect then edit the MTU in the PPPoE software / adapter to say 1452. Then reboot and you should be fine.

[Tycho]

Sorry, but whats a MTU? And how would i go about changing it?

I'm using Magma as my ISP provider. You may know them since you live in Ottawa as well. I'm also using a Speedstream modem if that helps too. And this is just a home connection.

And i've seen alot of people this too so maybe it'll help.

TCP options string = 020405a00103030201010402

MTU = 1480
MTU is optimized for Windows XP PPoE DSL broadband. If not, consider raising MTU to 1500 for optimal throughput.

MSS = 1440
Maximum useful data in each packet = 1440, which equals MSS.
MSS is optimized for Windows XP PPPoE DSL broadband. If not, consider raising MTU to 1500 for maximum throughput.

Default Receive Window (RWIN) = 255552
RWIN Scaling (RFC1323) = 2 bits
Unscaled Receive Window = 63888
For optimum performance, consider changing RWIN to a multiple of MSS.
Other values for RWIN that might work well with your current MTU/MSS:
506880 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 8)
253440 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 4)
126720 (MSS x 44 * scale factor of 2)
63360 (MSS x 44)

bandwidth * delay product:
Your RcvWindow limits you to: 10222.08 kbps (1277.76 KBytes/s) @ 200ms
Your RcvWindow limits you to: 4088.832 kbps (511.104 KBytes/s) @ 500ms

MTU Discovery (RFC1191) = ON

Time to live left = 52 hops
TTL value is ok.

Timestamps (RFC1323) = OFF

Selective Acknowledgements (RFC2018) = ON

IP type of service field (RFC1349)= 00000000

[Bob Carrick]

Yup your MTU needs to be 1452 with Magma.
http://www.carricksolutions.com/windowsxp.php#4