Netgear DG834N blocks some websites

[Pat_D]

I have a DG834N that is sometimes blocking access to specific sites. There are 6 PCs attached, some wired, some wireless. The router has NO firewall config - it is as it came from the box. It is preventing msn messenger from communicating, it blocks access to hotmail and microsoft.com. However google works fine, along with loads of other websites. Of the 6 PCs, one wired and one wireless are affected by this. The others work fine when these two don't. If I hard reset the router, service to all PCs is restored - for a while. I have done a factory reset, but no improvement. Firmware is the latest level, although it looks like Netgear haven't issued a revision for a long time.

I have seen other posts here about similar issues, and just wondered if anyone found a cure.....

Pat

[Pat_D]

Well I thought I would reply to myself, as no-one else has :-(

It seems that some firewall rules I set up and subsequently deleted somehow got "stuck" in the router, not visible on the firewall setup page, and unable to be removed by a factory reset. I have now done the "secret" factory reset which apparently does a more thorough job than the normal one. So far, the symptoms have not returned.

And the secret reset is..........

Find out for yourselves. No-one could be bothered to try helping me here, so why should I give any of you the benefit of my time and effort? This site comes with lots of nice words about IT professionals helping one another. The reality is very different.

[DimaYasny]

oh poor old us...