Member Avatar for Coldwell

I use my laptop Wireless to connect to an unsecured Wireless network offering free access and the wireless shows I am connected. When I try to open a web site using Firefox I get message "page cannot be opened". The Wireless works OK with secure networks where I have the password and has worked many times before with unsecure networks but has suddenly stopped working. I Hvae tried my Kasperski security settings and windows firewall but no change.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rch1231

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Quick diagnostic summary: when the wireless adapter reports “Connected” but pages won’t load, common causes are (a) no usable default gateway or broken DHCP lease, (b) a captive‑portal (hotspot) that blocks traffic until you accept terms, (c) DNS resolution problems, or (d) a local filter/proxy or security driver interfering with HTTP(S). ’s note about BTFON needing a login strongly points toward a captive‑portal or DNS redirect issue; ’s suggestion to check the adapter details is the right first move.

Try these prioritized, non‑destructive steps (run a command prompt with administrative rights, then restart when asked):

ipconfig /all
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset

After the reset and reboot, check the adapter’s Support/Details to confirm you have an IP, subnet mask, default gateway and at least one DNS server. If you do have an IP and gateway but still can’t browse, try loading a plain HTTP page (not HTTPS) or the gateway’s numeric address to trigger a captive‑portal/login page.

Other useful checks: disable any proxy in the browser and in Internet Options, temporarily disable or uninstall Kaspersky (some security suites block captive‑portal redirects), test the same hotspot with another device to confirm whether the hotspot itself is enforcing a login, and boot into Safe Mode with Networking to rule out third‑party drivers. If the repair tool complained about a cache it couldn’t clear, the DNS/adapter refresh steps above usually fix that; if they don’t, post the adapter details (IP, mask, gateway, DNS) and the output of ipconfig /all so the next responders can interpret them.

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Member Avatar for rch1231

Can you ping either an IP address or site once connected? (i.e. ping 4.2.2.2. or ping google.com) What OS are you running and have you tried "repair" on network connection after connecting? Some free connection sites require you to connect to their main page and accept their terms before you can surf.

Member Avatar for Coldwell

Thank you for your reply.

I was unable to ping as I had no connection to the network.

I am using Windows XP prof. which has recently been updated using the Microsoft update service. I wonder if the update is the cause of the problem.

I have tried "repair" but got the message that the connection could not be repaired because a cache could not be cleared (regret to say that I did not note the letters which designate which cache it was). This despite the fact that the Wireless network shows that I an "connected".

In the past I have made connection to up to four different unsecure networks with no problems. One of the sites (BTFON) does require me to lod-in on the opening page but that page does not load so I cannot log-in. I just get the browser message that the page will not load. The symptoms are the same as if there is no connection to the wireless network yet I am connected.

Regards
John

Member Avatar for rch1231

Ok then are you getting an address assigned to your wireless adapter? If you enter the following from a command prompt what do you get?

ipconfig

If your network card is assigned an address then does it have a gateway?
See if you can ping the gateway.

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