I have this odd computer problem whereby I can use the Internet fine for the first 5-10 minutes of rebooting my computer, but then after about 10 minutes no Internet browser - be it Safari, Firefox, etc. - will work - it will just be stuck in “loading website” mode endlessly.
The fact that the Internet works for the first few minutes rules out this being an Internet issue (if it were a modem/router problem then it ought to be no Internet access at all.) It can’t be a computer issue either because again, it ought to be an all-or-nothing thing. If this is a browser problem, what kind of browser issue could cause a browser to function fine for a few minutes at the beginning, then never again afterwards?
If all the browsers quit working 5-10 minutes after rebooting the computer, why do you think it must be a problem with every individual browser? Wouldn’t a problem with the computer’s internet connectivity be a more likely cause?
But why would the computer’s Internet connectivity be fine at first, then peter out after a few minutes? Wouldn’t it be more likely an all-or-nothing situation?
The same argument holds true for a browser - why would it work at first and then quit? But for it to be something with the browser, it would have to be happening to each browser individually - very unlikely.
As for why the internet connection fails, there are a bunch of potential issues. Adware/malware is one (I saw references to NetCrawl causing similar issues for people). It could be a configuration problem with your router - maybe the DHCP lease is expiring and not being automatically refreshed. Maybe you have some hardware that is slowly failing. Maybe your firewall has gone wonky.
Whatever it is, based on your description I would forget about the browser and focus on the computer’s internet connection.
The description of your symptoms sounds a lot like an IP address conflict. We just spent three weeks troubleshooting a similar issue at work.
Do you have more than one computer connected to a router? If so, you might want to check the configuration there. If not, call your ISP and ask them to check the same.
Of course, their answer will be "it’s not possible; our systems would not allow that to happen. Which is exactly the same reason why it tool us three weeks to solve our issue - our system will not allow that to happen…yet it did.
OP: how are you connecting to the router? Wired or wireless?
What version of what computer OS? Windows? OSX?
If it’s wireless, and a windows pc, open Device Manager (click start and type Device Manager and you’ll find it) and look under network adaptors - make a note of the brand and model of your wireless adaptor, then Google it along with the words ‘keeps disconnecting’ or similar.
Not necessarily. I had an issue recently after upgrading to Win 10, where the internet connection would conk out, but only after a certain amount of traffic had gone through it.
I simply installed a new driver for my ethernet adapter, and Bob was once again my uncle. So, it could be a driver issue, especially if you’ve recently upgraded your OS. Then again, it could be a bunch of things.
My tip for step one, just in case you haven’t done this already: When you lose the connection, right click the network icon on your taskbar, and select “troubleshoot”. See if it reports back with some hints to where the problem is.
No worries. I have a little script set up on my desktop*, and I have to activate it every few days to get to some pages. I have no idea why it started happening or what I’m actually doing when I use it, it seems like there should be an automated system in my browser to deal with it before I have to, but it works and it’s only a minor inconvenience.
There’s been quite an increase in DNS cache pollution lately. I know some of this is being driven by malware (attempting to redirect large volumes of traffic) but I can’t help feeling that there might be something slightly broken in one of Microsoft’s recent updates too.