Why can't my Mac access a particular website?

Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Sorry if this is the wrong place to post...I'm new here.

I suddenly can't access one particular site, phinished.org, on my MacBook. The site is still up and I can access it on my iMac at home. But on the laptop, it doesn't matter which internet connection I use or which browser I try it with, the site will either (a) redirect me to a generic website selling garden equipment, (b) give a network timeout message, or (c) simply load forever.

I tried running MacScan and it didn't help. What should I do?

Thanks.
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
But on the laptop, it doesn't matter which internet connection I use or which browser I try it with...

Yup. Safari and Firefox both.
 
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
68
Reaction score
3
Points
8
Your Mac's Specs
MBAir
Try creating a new user, login as that user and see if you can access that site. If you can you will know it is something in that profile and I would start by deleting cookies.
 
S

statuko

Guest
It's a good idea to try with a new user. Did you try using Onyx to clean cookies etc?

Sorry about the question above. I'm myself having trouble today with my mac, my head is not clear.
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2004
Messages
12,455
Reaction score
604
Points
113
Location
PA
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook
Before you go through the trouble of creating a new user, I would first clear your browser's cache, cookies and history files.

If that doesn't do the trick, then try power-cycling your network setup.
It's fast, easy and fixes a multitude of network related issues.
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I've deleted all my cookies--no change.

I haven't downloaded any codecs or plugins recently. I read the article on that Trojan, and while my DNS pane has two greyed-out IP addresses, there is no black one, so I think that means my DNS is provided by another machine here at the university library...right? I'm going by the following in that article:

If you’re running OS X 10.5, open your Network System Preferences pane and select your active interface (AirPort, Ethernet), then click Advanced. On the Advanced screen, click on the DNS tab. The leftmost box contains your DNS servers, and all the entries should be in black. If the trojan has been installed on your machine, you’ll see the phantom DNS in gray, listed above your normal DNS information, as seen in the image at right—the first two entries are the evil DNS, the last is the normal DNS.

Note: There are other situations where the DNS info may be gray—it appears that if your DNS is provided by another machine, for instance, then your legitimate DNS information will be in gray, not black.


I followed the other directions and I have no plugins.settings in my Library-->Internet Plug-Ins file.

What else could this be?
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Before you go through the trouble of creating a new user, I would first clear your browser's cache, cookies and history files.

If that doesn't do the trick, then try power-cycling your network setup.
It's fast, easy and fixes a multitude of network related issues.

How do you power-cycle the network setup?
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I tried powercycling and pinging...nothing

If powercycling is the whole 'turn off, unplug, take out battery, wait 30 seconds, put back in and turn back on' thing, I did that. Nothing.

I pinged www.phinished.org and it said "10 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss."

Would setting up a new user do any good, since I've also deleted all my cookies anyway?
 

bobtomay

,
Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
26,561
Reaction score
677
Points
113
Location
Texas, where else?
Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Power cycling your network setup starts with the router, which you'll not be able to do since you are using the universities network and not on your own home network.

It very well may be that the university has that site/IP blocked. Suggest asking someone else in the library see if they can get to that site on their computer while on the library's network.
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Power cycling your network setup starts with the router, which you'll not be able to do since you are using the universities network and not on your own home network.

It very well may be that the university has that site/IP blocked. Suggest asking someone else in the library see if they can get to that site on their computer while on the library's network.

Yes, I suspected that about powercycling. Thanks for confirming.

I just tried accessing the site from one of the public computers in the library, and it reported a connection timeout and claimed the server was taking too long to respond. But the site is accessible from my home computer, and on "Down For Everyone or Just Me?"

Could there be any explanation for this other than that the university is blocking the site? Could it be that the site is blocking the university? Or something else?
 
Joined
Feb 2, 2004
Messages
12,455
Reaction score
604
Points
113
Location
PA
Your Mac's Specs
MacBook
Could there be any explanation for this other than that the university is blocking the site? Could it be that the site is blocking the university? Or something else?
The only way to get a definitive answer to that would be to ask the school's IT department.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
The site could be blocked as it may be construed as violating school policy. The website says this:
PhinisheD is the place on the web to find friendly advice and support as you struggle with your dissertation or thesis, and afterwards as you navigate the stormy seas of academia.
While I don't think it is problematic in terms of potentially being against academic integrity rules, your school may think differently.
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Thanks, I'll ask the IT people.

It would be a high travesty if this site was blocked...the whole point is to help people stop procrastinating and do their academic work. For the school to block that, but not YouTube, would be a real laugh.
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
The url works here. The school must be blocking some sites. I can't see why they would block that site, but go ask the admins and see what they say.
 

vansmith

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2008
Messages
19,924
Reaction score
559
Points
113
Location
Queensland
Your Mac's Specs
Mini (2014, 2018, 2020), MBA (2020), iPad Pro (2018), iPhone 13 Pro Max, Watch (S6)
Thanks, I'll ask the IT people.

It would be a high travesty if this site was blocked...the whole point is to help people stop procrastinating and do their academic work. For the school to block that, but not YouTube, would be a real laugh.
How might an online forum help someone from procrastinating? ;)

I know what it's like to do graduate level research (I'm doing my own right now) and the last thing you need is more distractions. Even the nice weather is beginning to distract me and where I work has no windows.

As dtravis7 said, ask someone who may know if the site is blocked. If it is, my guess is that they won't change their minds easily and you will have to go on living without the site at school.
 
OP
B
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Re: how an online forum helps you not to procrastinate: yes, it has the ring of an oxymoron, but the point of every thread is that people post their daily worklists, hold each other accountable by the other people working on the boards, and congratulate you for getting your stuff done. It works for a lot of people, anyway.

The question of whether the university likes it is moot, because the IT people told me they don't block any sites. So the problem must be on the website's end, right? When I email them, are there particular suggestions that I can give them? Obviously I'll tell them what I've already tried.
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
So you asked your IT and they say no blocked sites. Then it's got to be something in between from your servers at school to where the site is hosted.
Could be a snag somewhere on the internet in between you and them.

Do other people at your university have this issue at all? Ask around. If it's only you having trouble with certain sites, then it would be your system.

One thing I would try if I was in your position is open Network Utilities in Applications/Utilities and click the TraceRoute Tab. Do a traceroute to their site. It might show what is going on. I have actually found the site that was stopping things in a few instances.
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top