Hey Compuer Geniuses! Help!!

[RJ in Wisconsin]

I'm having some trouble & can't figure it out.

When I go into the "St. John Villa Rental" link at the top of this homepage, I can get in there, but if I click on some of the websites (Destination St. John, Calabash Cottages, etc.), I get the following message:

Internet Expl. cannot display the webpage.
Most Likely Causes
- You are not connected to the Internet
- The website is encountering problems
- There might be a typing error in the address

Obviously, I am connected to the Internet (I'm on the forum); I cannot imagine that these websites are all encountering problems at the same time; & I'm using the link, so there cannot be a typing error in the address.

I have accessed all of these sites many times before through this forum. I now cannot get into these websites by just googling them, either. I have not changed my security provider, although my first instinct is that my Symantec (Norton) security/firewall, etc. is to blame.

Can anyone offer any suggestions on how to remedy this?

Thanks.

RJ

[waterguy]

Shut off Norton for a min and try it and see if you can get there

[tjwgrr]

The first thing my IT guy always says:

"Shut down & reboot"

Also try dumping (deleting) your temporary internet file cache- under "tools."

[RJ in Wisconsin]

I turned off Norton, and am still getting the same message. I can access "Catered To" website through the link, however, & could before, but a lot of the other villa rental agencies I cannot.

So, since it isn't Norton, it must be some sort of setting that somehow got changed on my computer, but what?

[California Girl]

RJ - Clear your temporary internet files and cookies and try again.

Or do yourself a BIG favor and dump Norton entirely. There's a great free antivirus software called AVAST! that my computer guy told me about and it's free for the first 14 months and then renewals are also free. I've had it for a month or so now and my computer's working better than it EVER did with Norton on it.

[tothectothec]

Have you tried using safari or firefox instead of internet explorer?

[RJ in Wisconsin]

Okay, with Norton turned off, I have rebooted, deleted temp. internet files & cookies & tried again. Still can't get into those websites. I have not tried using a different search engine yet, such as Firefox cause I didn't want to add to things by downloading more software.

Cal. Girl - Thanks for the tip on AVAST. My Norton subscription is up in 2 weeks - I have not liked Norton since it upgraded about 2 years ago (it slowed my computer way down). But, since Norton is turned off now, it must not be the root of this particular problem. Once I get this figured out, I am going to dump Norton & try AVAST.

Any more tips from you geniuses?

Thanks.
RJ

[CariBert]

Sounds like a Firewall issue to me. That or a security one. Go into your tools and set the security on the low side and see if that helps.

-Bert

[RJ in Wisconsin]

I set the security on low - still can't get into those sites.

[tjwgrr]

Hmmm.....

If your internet connection uses a wireless router, unplug the power to the router for 20-30 seconds, and then plug it back in and let it re-set.

And, if you have a cable modem, try the same thing, unplug power, plug back in, etc.

[Anthony]

RJ I checked Destination St. John and Calabash Cottages and they both seem to be working okay - so I don't think it is anything on our end. It could be (sounds probable to me) a network issue somewhere along the line with your ISP. If you put those URLs directly into the address window and hit enter does anything happen at all?

[RJ in Wisconsin]

This is driving me crazy!

tjwgrr - I unplugged the cable modem & power (am not on wireless router)

Anthony - I get the same error message when I type the URLs directly into the address bar.

The websites I can access through the links under St. John Villas are: Catered To, Hillcrest Guest House & McLaughlin, to name just three

What do the other websites (DSJ & Calabash to name just two) have that is not allowing me into them through the links?

[Marcia (Mrs. Pete)]

Dump your PC and get a Mac.

No need for firewalls, etc...

Just a thought.

[RJ in Wisconsin]

Marcia:

Believe me, I'm really considering it right now & this *^#@$$$ computer is not very old & it wasn't cheap. I just know that a stupid setting is wrong somewhere, but to find it is like finding a needle in a haystack!

RJ

[Anthony]

What do the other websites (DSJ & Calabash to name just two) have that is not allowing me into them through the links?

If it is a network/ISP issues it could simply be there physical location - i.e. where the servers are located, in the US, the VI, etc. It is actually a quite common occurrence - we had a major issue here in Italy a couple of weeks ago with a cable cut in the Med - the overflow traffic choked the web from Dubai, to Greece, to North Africa, etc.