# Computer help - can't connect to Netflix
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 15, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792 "2015-04-15T23:44:21Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 15, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/1 "2015-04-15T23:44:21Z")
I’m not having trouble connecting to any other website, but Netflix just won’t connect. My current computer is an old, refurbed HP running Win 7. It’s not that I can connect to the main page but not stream content - it won’t even connect to the log in page. I don’t think I’ve pulled up Netflix in the few months I’ve had this computer. It’s a $99 refurb from Woot, an old business machine.
My work laptop will allow me to connect at home, so it’s not the internet.
Can anyone give me any clue as to settings I may need to change? I’m dying to see Daredevil.
StG
ETA: Tried Firefox and Chrome.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/2 "2015-04-16T00:03:25Z")
Did the computer come with firefox and chrome installed or did you install them? If it’s a refurb and someone else installed these, they may be configured to go through a proxy server that is blocking netflix.
You also might have malware that is essentially doing the same type of thing, either blocking or redirecting the requests somewhere else and causing them to fail.
If you open up a command prompt and type “ping [www.netflix.com](http://www.netflix.com)” what happens? If it gives you a bunch of ping times, then it’s a browser issue and not a general networking issue. If the requests time out then it’s a network issue. If ping hangs up just resolving the name (it never gives you a time or a timeout) then you’ve got a DNS issue.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/3 "2015-04-16T00:55:35Z")
It came with IE with some weird search engine. I installed Firefox and Chrome.
How do I get a command prompt?
StG
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### Author:  [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/4 "2015-04-16T01:41:32Z")
On your keyboard hold down the Windows key and then push R. (Win-R). That should open the Run dialog box. Type in cmd and push ok. Then try what engineer\_comp\_geek said.
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### Author:  [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/5 "2015-04-16T01:54:07Z")
I had a problem and I went to their online chat help and got excellent help. You’d have to do that via your laptop I guess, but try it.
[https://help.netflix.com/help](https://help.netflix.com/help)
Down at the bottom of the page click on “start live chat”. You could also look through the online help “Why can’t I connect to Netflix” in the middle of the page
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/6 "2015-04-16T02:03:30Z")
It pinged 4 times and was received 4 times with an average of 75 ms.
StG
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### Author:  [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/7 "2015-04-16T03:01:04Z")
It sounds like a network issue on Netflix’s end, and not yours. Try again later.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/8 "2015-04-16T03:06:20Z")
**Saturn Dreams** - I’ve tried the last three days. And my laptop will connect.
StG
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### Author:  [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/9 "2015-04-16T04:41:44Z")
Ah ok, so it works for one machine but not another. You’re sure your account allows streaming to all the devices you have registered? If so, make sure you have MS Silverlight installed on the refurbished machine and try a different DNS, like Google’s.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/10 "2015-04-16T11:34:46Z")
Silverlight’s installed. How can I find a different DNS?
StG
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### Author:  [@Saturn\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saturn_Dreams)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/11 "2015-04-16T12:42:34Z")
> **[Public DNS | Google for Developers](https://developers.google.com/speed/public-dns?hl=pl)**
>
> Bezpłatna globalna usługa rozpoznawania nazw DNS, której można używać jako alternatywy dla obecnego dostawcy DNS.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/12 "2015-04-16T13:29:43Z")
What, precisely, do you see when you go to [Netflix.com](http://Netflix.com)? What error message is on the screen?
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/13 "2015-04-16T13:55:44Z")
> [@Revtim](#):
>
> What, precisely, do you see when you go to [Netflix.com](http://Netflix.com)? What error message is on the screen?
On Chrome it runs until it times out. The front page of Netflix is never displayed. On Firefox it just runs and runs but never moves off the page I start from.
StG
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/14 "2015-04-16T20:14:39Z")
> [@StGermain](#):
>
> On Chrome it runs until it times out. The front page of Netflix is never displayed. On Firefox it just runs and runs but never moves off the page I start from.
>
> StG
What, precisely, does the Chrome timeout page say? What error message is on the screen?
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/15 "2015-04-16T20:19:46Z")
What happens if you try it with Internet Explorer?
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### Author:  [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/16 "2015-04-16T20:36:14Z")
A couple days ago, Chrome released a new version (42, you can check in the “about” box) that more or less silently prevents NPAPI-based plugins like Silverlight from loading. If this is your problem, it would only affect Chrome (not Firefox), but it’s still worth a try. From the address bar in Chrome, go to:
chrome://flags/#enable-npapi and click “Enable” in the first box. Then re-start the browser.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/17 "2015-04-17T00:12:44Z")
Chrome says “This webpage is not available” ERR\_TIMED\_OUT
IE doesn’t load it.
StG
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### Author:  [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/18 "2015-04-17T04:25:14Z")
Also, Silverlight only comes into play once you try to start streaming. If **StGermain** can’t even get to the frontpage, then it’s not likely to be that.
Check that the connection settings in IE, Firefox, etc don’t have a proxy setting. The ping test won’t be affected by browser cockups, but connecting to Netflix may be.
I’d be suspicious of the “weird search engine” it had on IE and check that it didn’t contaminate FF and Chrome.
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### Author:  [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)
#### Post date: [April 17, 2015, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-help-cant-connect-to-netflix/717792/19 "2015-04-17T17:27:26Z")
It was a refurb by some Indian company and the default search engine had built in advertising to “tune up” my computer. Astromenda, which seems to have a bed rep when I googled it. SO I downloaded Avast and Firefox and have used Firefox since. However, every time I restart my computer and bring up Firefox, Avast claims it’s a search engine with a bad reputation and wants to remove it.
StG