Network/Router issues

Torque · 08-14-2010, 08:22 PM

Ok, here's one for you networking guys...
My girlfriend, running on a PC with Windows Vista, is having a problem where typing in an internet address in firefox will sometimes result in a wrong website. For example, staples.ca brings up some weird "wikimedia" page. This problem is apparently associated with our WRT160N V3 Linksys router, as per this thread:
http://homecommunity.cisco.com/t5/Wi...es/td-p/280327
She has also had problems with facebook in the past as well, as these people have.

NOW onto the dilemma... On that same forum thread there is an individual who posted a work around, where by assigning manual DNS server addresses you can get past the problem with the router.
By typing in ipconfig /all and finding the DNS server addresses I get

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 64.59.176.13
64.59.176.15
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

but on HER computer I get

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
64.59.176.13
64.59.176.15
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

According to the work around, I want her DNS servers to be the same as mine, WITHOUT the 192.168.1.1, which is the Router DNS...
But here's the problem... when I manually enter those two DNS servers in the network management area, and save them, if she tries to browse the web she comes up with address not found for like, EVERYTHING.... Why would this be? What did I do wrong that this doesn't work on her computer??

For the record I am connected to the same router, but my Win7 has apparently automatically not used the router for DNS (Weird I think) and I'm at the limit of my very BASIC networking skills.
It would mean a LOT to my girlfriend to have this problem solved, if you know what I mean.... eh eh? wink wink nudge nudge
Thanks guys

Nikose Tyris · 08-14-2010, 08:35 PM

Less a router issue; sounds more like a Malware redirecting your browser. Test for that instead first.

Also, the reason she has the DNS server and you don't, is because your computer is flagged as the DMZplus computer, aka the router just ports all network traffic to your PC. It's the gaming PC, isn't it?

She has to have that 192.168.1.1 to show it's HER PC on the network, or else neither of you will get online properly again because of "IP already assigned" errors.

Torque · 08-15-2010, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

It's the gaming PC, isn't it?

Yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikose Tyris

She has to have that 192.168.1.1 to show it's HER PC on the network, or else neither of you will get online properly again because of "IP already assigned" errors.

something does not compute with that tho... that(192.168.1.1) is not her PC's IP address... that's the routers IP address... if I'm not mistaking what I've read, what those lines in the command prompt are telling me is that we are being supplied by our ISP the IP's 64.59.176.15 and 64.59.176.13 as DNS servers... I know you get those from your ISP, they're not just randomly generated...

But SHE, like all the other people in that tech support thread are also using the router itself as a proxy(?) DNS server whereas I am not... and therein lines the problem (again if what I've read is correct, as is my understanding)
Even if her computer is manually set, I can still access any website I want, it's only her that has the issue. It's also only her that has the redirecting issue.

Nikose Tyris · 08-15-2010, 07:08 AM

That's how Routers work. They are proxies. Your computer is on that router too; you're just assigned the external IP automatically, so you can game.

That is her position on the router. She can't lose it. It's always going to be there, Torque. If you're on the router and not getting the issue, and she is on the router and IS getting the issue, then the problem isn't the Router, it's her PC.

synkr0nized · 08-17-2010, 09:14 AM

Not necessarily, Nikose. By putting his PC into the DMZ and using external [to the router and is home network] DNS servers, he is bypassing that function of the router. If it is indeed the WRT160N's behavior at fault, his machine never gives it the chance to do it to his browser requests. Torque, an easy test would be to save/record your settings as they are now and then modify them for your machine to move it out of the DMZ -- or whatever your router's settings are -- and set it up the same as her machine. If the requested URLs head to the wrong places, and the same wrong places in particular, hooray: there's a good chance the router is the culprit, as various threads on the Interbutts appear to conclude.

However, if your machine does NOT have any issue navigating where you intend to go while set up the same as hers, Torque, then it is quite likely that her machine needs a good scrubbin' for malware that hijacks browsers. Otherwise, you may have to just wait for a firmware upgrade or look into another router.

In fact, if you have the access to another router or could borrow one from friends/family, try it out with her machine connected behind it as it is now [and possibly also yours to further confirm/deny]. If these redirects don't happen, that's additional evidence to support the incorrect behavior of your router and to clear her computer from suspicion of infection.

Torque · 08-17-2010, 04:39 PM

I actually can't even get the problem to occur right now as it is... I took Nikose's advice, and did a scrubbin' with malwarebytes, both in regular and in safe mode, and came up 0/0.. NOTHING. I'm not used to a computer having NO malware on it. but coincidentally, the problem for her went away.
so... now i don't know WHAT to think... just gonna wait till it starts happening I guess, and figure it out from there.
I'm still confused though, as to why taking the router out of her DNS server list makes her page requests come up blank tho... instead of setting MY comp up like HERS, to see if I GET the problem I tried to set HERS like MINE, and eliminate the problem, but got nothing.
it's weird (at least to me)

synkr0nized · 08-17-2010, 06:07 PM

If you aren't having the problem now, the following is academic. But in case it returns:

On the router's setup page [after you navigate to 192.168.1.1 and log in], are the DNS fields (in the "network settings" section, listed as "Static DNS") filled in? I don't have the exact model of router, but mine has all 0s in the boxes. When I use ipconfig /all, I get the two DNS server options provided automatically via my connect to my ISP and nothing else -- i.e. my router doesn't try to claim it's a DNS server. My TCP/IP settings are set to automatically obtain DNS and IP, so the router is pushing this information to my machines [well, at least the ones with dynamic DHCP]. While I do game, I manage my ports but keep my machines behind the router [i.e. I don't use a DMZ].

Not having this problem personally to troubleshoot it myself, I am curious if your router has DNS servers set on this page that override the individual machines' settings, and by removing the router from the list of DNS servers on her machine it is getting upset, to use silly terms, and timing out when you then try to visit pages.

Of course, if it's a wireless router and you have access to at least 1 friend or additional device, try seeing if they/it also has redirect issues when connected like your girlfriend's machine, I guess if you don't want to mess with your machine's setup. Really having another machine to attempt to connect for comparison would help confirm where the problem lies -- though it really appears to be in the way the WRT160N is handling DNS caching.

Also, just so's it's clear, 192.168.1.1 is indeed the router's IP. Cisco/Linksys routers default to that IP until/unless you change it, and it's unlikely that your girlfriend's computer is set up to be its own DNS server.

Torque · 08-17-2010, 06:57 PM

Definately, it is not set up as it's own DNS.
The DHCP server option on my router is set to automatic. The Static DNS addresses are all set to zero. (All by default apparently, since I have yet to change anything on the router)
On MY machine, I get the two DNS servers provided by my ISP as well, and nothing else. I just now realized that my machine is NOT in the DMZ. It used to be on my old router (from a different ISP) and never questioned it when Nikose mentioned it.
I am in fact only managing my ports as well (for starcraft, and frostwire). My TCP/IP settings are ALSO automatically set to obtain DNS and IP's the same as my girlfriends. The difference is she is also getting the Router's address as well.
What I can't figure out is WHY is there a difference, and when manually changing her settings to match mine does her internet browser time out?

synkr0nized · 08-17-2010, 08:43 PM

So.
Your machine and hers shouldn't be any different aside from whatever IP the router is giving them and that hers thinks the router is a DNS server?

In your TCP/IP settings, are both machines set to obtain that information automatically? If so, hmm, I wonder where the difference is hiding?

synkr0nized · 09-02-2010, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torque

On MY machine, I get the two DNS servers provided by my ISP as well, and nothing else. I just now realized that my machine is NOT in the DMZ. It used to be on my old router (from a different ISP) and never questioned it when Nikose mentioned it.

It's like you're not reading the thread, Nikose.

Torque, have you yet tried this with any other machines and/or done a side-by-side comparison of the two machines' settings to look for any differences, no matter how trivial?

08-17-2010, 09:14 AM	#5
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	My packets are dressed for war. Not necessarily, Nikose. By putting his PC into the DMZ and using external [to the router and is home network] DNS servers, he is bypassing that function of the router. If it is indeed the WRT160N's behavior at fault, his machine never gives it the chance to do it to his browser requests. Torque, an easy test would be to save/record your settings as they are now and then modify them for your machine to move it out of the DMZ -- or whatever your router's settings are -- and set it up the same as her machine. If the requested URLs head to the wrong places, and the same wrong places in particular, hooray: there's a good chance the router is the culprit, as various threads on the Interbutts appear to conclude. However, if your machine does NOT have any issue navigating where you intend to go while set up the same as hers, Torque, then it is quite likely that her machine needs a good scrubbin' for malware that hijacks browsers. Otherwise, you may have to just wait for a firmware upgrade or look into another router. In fact, if you have the access to another router or could borrow one from friends/family, try it out with her machine connected behind it as it is now [and possibly also yours to further confirm/deny]. If these redirects don't happen, that's additional evidence to support the incorrect behavior of your router and to clear her computer from suspicion of infection. __________________ Find love.

08-17-2010, 06:07 PM	#7
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	Let's get to the bottom of this. If you aren't having the problem now, the following is academic. But in case it returns: On the router's setup page [after you navigate to 192.168.1.1 and log in], are the DNS fields (in the "network settings" section, listed as "Static DNS") filled in? I don't have the exact model of router, but mine has all 0s in the boxes. When I use ipconfig /all, I get the two DNS server options provided automatically via my connect to my ISP and nothing else -- i.e. my router doesn't try to claim it's a DNS server. My TCP/IP settings are set to automatically obtain DNS and IP, so the router is pushing this information to my machines [well, at least the ones with dynamic DHCP]. While I do game, I manage my ports but keep my machines behind the router [i.e. I don't use a DMZ]. Not having this problem personally to troubleshoot it myself, I am curious if your router has DNS servers set on this page that override the individual machines' settings, and by removing the router from the list of DNS servers on her machine it is getting upset, to use silly terms, and timing out when you then try to visit pages. Of course, if it's a wireless router and you have access to at least 1 friend or additional device, try seeing if they/it also has redirect issues when connected like your girlfriend's machine, I guess if you don't want to mess with your machine's setup. Really having another machine to attempt to connect for comparison would help confirm where the problem lies -- though it really appears to be in the way the WRT160N is handling DNS caching. Also, just so's it's clear, 192.168.1.1 is indeed the router's IP. Cisco/Linksys routers default to that IP until/unless you change it, and it's unlikely that your girlfriend's computer is set up to be its own DNS server. __________________ Find love. Last edited by synkr0nized; 08-17-2010 at 06:11 PM.

08-17-2010, 08:43 PM	#9
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	The plot thickens. So. Your machine and hers shouldn't be any different aside from whatever IP the router is giving them and that hers thinks the router is a DNS server? In your TCP/IP settings, are both machines set to obtain that information automatically? If so, hmm, I wonder where the difference is hiding? __________________ Find love.