Computer gurus?

[Gregor 4,847]

Well I ordered on, but none of the above. After reading reviews, many people find it hard to see the keyboard with white letters on a silver back round. That's the last thing I need with my hunt and peck style of typing.

 I hope this one works.

 

HP 17t Laptop, 17.3" HD+ Non-Touch Display, 11th Gen Intel Core i7-1165G7 Quad-Core Processor, 32GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB SSD + 2TB HDD, Webcam, HDMI, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth, Windows 10 Home, Black

4 times yesterday I got this message. "Your computer has encountered a problem, and will restart..........yad yada yada........."   I think I may be living on borrowed time.

[Gregor 4,847]

Coming to you live from my new puter. Still learning the ropes.

[Gregor 4,847]

Now I have a whole new problem.

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

whole new problem.

 

Check your system clock and make sure it's correct.  Sometimes authentication problems are caused by this.

 

Check out the system tool called "Snipping Tool" ... saves the trouble of having to take a picture of the screen then uploading, etc... very handy tool!

 

[Gregor 4,847]

My Mediacom TV service has been going in and out today. Maybe that had something to do with it? Internet is also Mediacom.

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

4 hours ago, Gregor said:

Maybe that had something to do with it?

 

Extreme possibility!

[Gregor 4,847]

I have had my new computer, and printer, (HP 8025e) for several days now, and I am very satisfied with both. The screen on this computer seems much crisper, and easier to read. That seems to be getting more and more important to me. I am going to take my 10 year old Asus to a shop, and see if it is cost effective to have it upgraded. Not that I need it really, but if it can be done, I think it would be a good computer for one of the grand kids.

[Handy Don 12,392]

4 hours ago, Gregor said:

good computer for one of the grand kids

I agree with the sentiment, but it only makes sense if it can run current software reasonably quickly (Win 10 etc.). You may want to find out that its ok for them to have a computer and what they would use it for, as well, to help with the decision.

I just "sold" my one-year old MacBook Air to my older grandchildren (I upgraded to a machine with a more powerful graphics processor to support my new 3-D modeling binge). This was only after getting their parents' explicit permission. Per their parents, the allowed uses will be learning word processing and spreadsheets (as well as keyboarding skills) plus learning how to exchange emails (with a carefully curated contact list--including grandparents!), FaceTime (same list), and perform some tightly-supervised internet searching and browsing. No social media at this time. I happily endorsed this thoughtful approach.

[Gregor 4,847]

@Nahhee So when I got this new computer I thought my connection problems were over. Once again, I thought wrong. It happened again this morning. "Connection Timed Out"  It only lasted about 20 minutes this time. I ran that tracet program. Here are the results. I ran it twice, got the same thing both times. I don't know what any of it means, but this is it.  I could connect to any other site.

 

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1288]

(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

C:\Users\gwwie>tracert www.wheelhorseforum.com

 

Tracing route to www.wheelhorseforum.com [108.160.152.98]

over a maximum of 30 hops:

 

1 4 ms 10 ms 31 ms 192.168.0.1

2 21 ms 18 ms 21 ms 173-27-244-1.client.mchsi.com [173.27.244.1]

3 28 ms 31 ms 25 ms 172.30.87.9

4 29 ms 26 ms 27 ms 68-66-73-70.client.mchsi.com [68.66.73.70]

5 32 ms 42 ms 29 ms po10.chgil001er1.mchsi.com [68.66.73.122]

6 32 ms 37 ms 29 ms ae10.cr9-chi1.ip4.gtt.net [69.174.18.237]

7 40 ms 29 ms 33 ms chi-b23-link.ip.twelve99.net [213.248.88.102]

8 48 ms 46 ms 51 ms atl-b24-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.113.18]

9 50 ms 50 ms 52 ms internap-ic305718-atl-bb1.ip.twelve99-cust.net [213.248.81.146]

10 41 ms 43 ms 43 ms border2.ae2-bbnet2.acs.pnap.net [64.94.0.93]

11 41 ms 46 ms 42 ms knownhost-3.satedge2.acs.pnap.net [64.94.3.94]

12 43 ms 51 ms 42 ms 64.74.203.46

13 45 ms 41 ms 46 ms ssd37-ga.privatesystems.net [64.74.200.37]

14 * * * Request timed out.

15 * * * Request timed out.

16 * * * Request timed out.

17 * * * Request timed out.

18 * * * Request timed out.

19 * * * Request timed out.

20

 

 

This is what it says when I CAN connect.

 

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19043.1288]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\gwwie>tracert www.wheelhorseforum.com

Tracing route to www.wheelhorseforum.com [108.160.152.98]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     8 ms     8 ms    14 ms  192.168.0.1
  2    33 ms    21 ms    25 ms  173-27-244-1.client.mchsi.com [173.27.244.1]
  3    24 ms    36 ms    24 ms  172.30.87.9
  4    28 ms    29 ms    32 ms  68-66-73-70.client.mchsi.com [68.66.73.70]
  5    26 ms    32 ms    26 ms  po10.chgil001er1.mchsi.com [68.66.73.122]
  6    31 ms    27 ms    29 ms  ae10.cr9-chi1.ip4.gtt.net [69.174.18.237]
  7    35 ms    33 ms    32 ms  chi-b23-link.ip.twelve99.net [213.248.88.102]
  8    45 ms    51 ms    47 ms  atl-b24-link.ip.twelve99.net [62.115.113.18]
  9    51 ms    45 ms    47 ms  internap-ic305718-atl-bb1.ip.twelve99-cust.net [213.248.81.146]
 10    46 ms    47 ms    51 ms  border2.ae2-bbnet2.acs.pnap.net [64.94.0.93]
 11    55 ms    50 ms    52 ms  knownhost-3.satedge2.acs.pnap.net [64.94.3.94]
 12    43 ms    43 ms    44 ms  64.74.203.46
 13    48 ms    44 ms    42 ms  ssd37-ga.privatesystems.net [64.74.200.37]
 14    40 ms    41 ms    52 ms  host.wheelhorseforum.com [108.160.152.98]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\gwwie>

 

Edited October 31, 2021 by Gregor

[Handy Don 12,392]

Basically, the good one shows all the internet intermediary connections up to and including the wheelhorseforum "service".

The "bad" one shows that the Forum service is not accepting the "tracert" request for information from the last successful connection (ssd37-ga.privatesystems.net [64.74.200.37] -- the number sequence is an internet protocol "address".)

 

After reading your post, I tried this from my system (a Macintosh Air M1) over my Verizon FIOS network connection and got the timeout even though I'd been reading posts immediately before. Then, I was locked out of the forum for at least 20 minutes!

 

I am assuming that the system that hosts the forum is not happy with tracert requests, possibly assuming they constitute part of a denial of service attack (where a site is flooded with requests which can overwhelm its capacity) and locks out any requests from the "suspect" computer. I'd recommend NOT using tracert for now.

 

Did you get a good set of anti-virus software installed on your new computer? If not, it is possible that one of the sites you visit regularly has installed malware that is piggy-backing on your normal use of Red Square to try some mischief and is getting your system blocked. I regularly clean up a friend's computer and find all sorts of stuff--she is a kamikaze clicker and has never seen a popup she won't click on.

 

Good luck

 

[Gregor 4,847]

59 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

Did you get a good set of anti-virus software installed on your new computer?

I have Malwarebytes Premium 4.4.9

[Handy Don 12,392]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

I have Malwarebytes Premium 4.4.9

Whoa! very good stuff. So a malware takeover is very unlikely.

You've reached the end of my expertise. The next level of testing requires turning on and monitoring a logging system and when I've needed that I went to network engineers.

Wish I could offer more help!

[echris 1,425]

Hey @Gregor, IT Pro here.

Your connection is crappy. There's way too many hops and your response times (in ms) is terrible.

From my ISP, it's one hop to Red Square, <1ms.

Your is 14 hops with 20-50 ms EACH.

 

It seems like a DNS issue.

If you know how to change your internet DNS settings on your router, try changing them from your ISP's DNS (Write down the existing settings first!) to:

Primary DNS Server: 9.9.9.9
Secondary DNS Server: 149.112.112.112

That's a free public DNS service called QUAD9 which is often much faster than your ISP's DNS.

 

What is DNS? DNS stands for Domain Name Service and it maps IP addresses to hostnames.
OK, but what does that mumbo jumbo mean?

All computers find each other by IP address, but humans can't remember IP addresses easily. 
DNS was created to associate an IP address with an easily remembered hostname.

i.e.
Hostname: wheelhorseforum.com = IP address 108.160.152.98
By typing in wheelhorseforum.com, your computer asks the DNS server where wheelhorseforum.com lives. The DNS server replies 108.160.152.98 and takes you there.
HOW you get there is determined by what DNS server your computer is asking.

If you know your router make and model, I can help you navigate the settings as long as you know the password to log into the router settings page.

Edited November 6, 2021 by echris

[Gregor 4,847]

   The router is actually owned by the Internet Service Provider. I doubt that I can access any settings, but I will look at it for a make and model number. Thank You  Greg

[echris 1,425]

40 minutes ago, Gregor said:

   The router is actually owned by the Internet Service Provider. I doubt that I can access any settings, but I will look at it for a make and model number. Thank You  Greg

There might be a label on it with username and password. Most ISP's provide that these days. If it has built-in wifi, you can certainly access the settings.
Don't post any passwords here though.

[Gregor 4,847]

This is simply a test. Pay no attention to it.

 

Tecumseh parts.ods

 

OK I changed my mind. Someone pay attention to it. Can anyone else open and read that file?

Edited November 26, 2021 by Gregor

[Jeff-C175 7,203]

1 hour ago, Gregor said:

open

 

No, don't know the file format.

 

What is an .ods file?

[Handy Don 12,392]

2 hours ago, Gregor said:

This is simply a test. Pay no attention to it.

 

Tecumseh parts.ods 65.73 kB · 2 downloads

 

OK I changed my mind. Someone pay attention to it. Can anyone else open and read that file?

 

1 hour ago, Jeff-C175 said:

 

No, don't know the file format.

 

What is an .ods file?

 

ods extension stands for OpenDocument Spreadsheet Document format

 

These open in Excel or in many other spreadsheet programs, including Google Sheets.

I've converted it to a PDF (that should download or, depending on preferences, open directly in most browsers) and attached it here...

 

TechumsehODS.pdf

 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by Handy Don

[Gregor 4,847]

I am compiling a spread sheet on furnace run times. I got to thinking though, maybe no one could open it, even if I did post it.

[Handy Don 12,392]

12 minutes ago, Gregor said:

I am compiling a spread sheet on furnace run times. I got to thinking though, maybe no one could open it, even if I did post it.

What program are you using to create the sheet? PM me if you need an assist getting it into a specific format.

[Gregor 4,847]

5 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

What program are you using to create the sheet? PM me if you need an assist getting it into a specific format.

I'm not even sure how to answer your question. All I know is, it says, "LibreOffice Calc"

[Handy Don 12,392]

7 minutes ago, Gregor said:

I'm not even sure how to answer your question. All I know is, it says, "LibreOffice Calc"

You answered perfectly. Interestingly, that app can handle the ODS format (use the File/Open command then select the file).

[bc.gold 3,403]

On 11/6/2021 at 3:42 PM, echris said:

There might be a label on it with username and password. Most ISP's provide that these days. If it has built-in wifi, you can certainly access the settings.
Don't post any passwords here though.

 

Not a good idea to run a router with generic factory admin / password settings, my D-link router is a landfill find, obviously password protected by the previous owner.

 

The following address ( http://192.168.0.1 ) typed into my browser brings up the following window, shown below, since my router was previously owned I have no clue as to what the previous owner has set the password too.

 

I simply press the factory reset button with a paper clip.

 

If you have not accessed your router to set up a personal password, you are open to all sorts of skullduggery can take place and none of it pleasant.

 

Wardriving,

 

Wardrivers travel around looking for Wi-Fi signals, plotting the Wi-Fi access points on a map — also called access point mapping — and gathering data on those networks. Wardrivers stay on the move, usually in vehicles, to find those Wi-Fi networks along their route.

 

 

 

[bc.gold 3,403]

Your ISP does not want to know your router password, they know who you are via the router's MAC address.

 

D-Link Default Password List (Valid November 2021)

D-Link Model	Default Username	Default Password	Default IP Address
COVR-3902	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
COVR-C1203	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DAP-1350	admin	[none]	192.168.0.50
DFL-300	admin	admin	192.168.1.1
DGL-4100	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DGL-4300	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DGL-4500	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DGL-5500	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DHP-1320	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DHP-1565	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DSL-2750U	admin	admin	192.168.1.1
DI-514	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-524	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-604	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-614+	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-624	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-624M	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-624S	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-634M1	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-634M1	user	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-7012	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-7012	[none]	year2000	192.168.0.1
DI-704	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
DI-704P	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
DI-704UP	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-707	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
DI-707P	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-711	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-713	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
DI-713P	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
DI-714	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-714P+	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-724GU	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-724U	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-754	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-764	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-774	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-784	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-804	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-804HV	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-804V	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-808HV	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-824VUP	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DI-LB604	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X1560	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X1870	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-130	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-330	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-412	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-450	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-451	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-501	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-505	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-505L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-506L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-510L	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-515	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-600	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-600L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-601	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-605	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-605L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-615	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-625	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-626L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-628	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-635	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-636L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-645	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-651	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-655	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-657	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-660	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-665	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-685	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-808L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-810L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-813	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-815	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-817LW	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-817LW/D	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-818LW	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-820L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-822	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-825	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-826L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-827	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-830L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-835	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-836L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-842	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-850L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-855	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-855L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-857	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-859	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-860L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-865L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-866L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-867	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-868L	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-869	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-878	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-879	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-880L	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-882	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-885L/R	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-890L/R	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-895L/R	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1260	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1360	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1750	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1760	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1950	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-1960	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-2640	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-2660	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-2680	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-3040	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-3060	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-L1900	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-LX1870	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X1560	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X1870	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X4860	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DIR-X5460	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
DSA-31003	admin	admin	192.168.0.40
DSA-31003	manager	manager	192.168.0.40
DSA-3200	admin	admin	192.168.0.40
DSA-51003	admin	admin	192.168.0.40
DSA-51003	manager	manager	192.168.0.40
DSR-1000	admin	admin	192.168.10.1
DSR-1000N	admin	admin	192.168.10.1
DSR-250N	admin	admin	192.168.10.1
DSR-500	admin	admin	192.168.10.1
DSR-500N	admin	admin	192.168.10.1
EBR-2310	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
G2562DG	admin	admin	10.0.0.2
GO-RT-N300	Admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
KR-1	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
M15	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
R15	[none]	[none]	192.168.0.1
TM-G5240	[none]	admin	192.168.0.1
WBR-1310	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1
WBR-2310	admin	[none]	192.168.0.1

 

[Handy Don 12,392]

 

With physical access you can "factory reset" nearly any browser, but changing the admin password is basic router hygiene to limit unwanted access (go ahead and put it on a piece of masking tape on the bottom of your router if you are worried you'll forget it--it's remote access you want to prevent, not physical access).

As @bc.gold noted, the possible range of mischief is hard to explain but nearly all of it is bad news--and it can often be done from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.

Edited November 26, 2021 by Handy Don