MicrostockGroup
Microstock Photography Forum - General => General Stock Discussion => Topic started by: cathyslife on January 15, 2010, 07:09
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For the past 3 or 4 days, this site goes down late afternoon, early evening. What is happening?
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It goes down for me every day too.
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Seems like a DNS problem...
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It's still the new server problem.
http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/ (http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/)
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It's still the new server problem.
[url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url] ([url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url])
yep, that would be it. Frustrating that it is still giving people problems. It still happens to me once in a while but if I click refresh a few times 50% of the time it fixes it.
It's been nearly a month now though... sheesh
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It happens about the same time every day for me. That must be a clue for the ISP people.
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I live in Europe, so is it only for "European evenings" or America has their evenings without this forum...
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Everything is always alright for me, if this info can help... I live in Montreal, use IE8
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Since I fixed my host file, I have had a 100% success rate on this site. I use Firefox on Vista.
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I just wrote a more detailed procedure how to solve this problem.
http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/ (http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/)
Hope it helps! :-)
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I just wrote a more detailed procedure how to solve this problem.
[url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url] ([url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url])
Hope it helps! :-)
Question. What do I open it with and what do I save it as once it is edited?
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Question. What do I open it with and what do I save it as once it is edited?
If you are on Windows, here is how to open the file:
1) First of all make a backup of the file, which means copy it and save it as HOSTS.bak or similar.
2) You can open the file with Notepad (in Windows) or any other simple text editor.
Win XP:
Open Notepad when you are an administrative user on the computer.
Win Vista / Win 7:
Open Notepad with Administrative privileges by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then right-click Notepad and select to open as Administrator.
3) In Notepad, choose File-Open and navigate to the path of the hosts file at C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc\hosts and open the file.
4) Add the lines as in the description.
5) Click save.
6) Reboot Windows.
I think I'll add this to the other description I made. :-)
Simone
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I tried your instructions for Mac, and can't seem to get it to work. If I follow your link to the apple site, the directions for 10.2 and above (I'm on 10.5.8) are so generic, I don't know specifically what to do. It says to open terminal and type man hosts. Fair enough. I do that. It says you can either insert DNS #s with a period or with a colon (IP version 4 or 6). The last character that auto enters is a colon. So if I enter the dns nos with colons, it doesnt let me. If I enter the dns numbers with periods, well, it doesn't let me do that either.
I have dinked around in Terminal to do other tasks, but basically I am not a programmer and don't want to be screwing around with that stuff unless I have specific, correct instructions.
No worries...for the most part, the site works. I'll just wait until the ISP corrects it on their end. By the way, I tried one other thing. I would think I should be able to enter http:// then microstockgroup's ip address and go directly here. It takes me to an ISP generic Apache page.
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I tried your instructions for Mac, and can't seem to get it to work. If I follow your link to the apple site, the directions for 10.2 and above (I'm on 10.5.8) are so generic, I don't know specifically what to do. It says to open terminal and type man hosts. Fair enough. I do that. It says you can either insert DNS #s with a period or with a colon (IP version 4 or 6). The last character that auto enters is a colon. So if I enter the dns nos with colons, it doesnt let me. If I enter the dns numbers with periods, well, it doesn't let me do that either.
I am sorry I didn't state all this in detail. Actually I don't own a mac, so I didn't know the exact commands to open that file.
The description on that page is only good for older OSs but not the new one, because the only thing man hosts does as far as I know is giving you a "manual" (man) of how to use the hosts file. so certainly there you can't enter anything as far as I can guess. You must enter those three lines into a file, not into the terminal. The terminal is only good for getting access as admin, and from there with the admin access open a text editor where the hosts file can be edited and saved. If you do it without the terminal probably you don't have admin rights and cannot edit the file.
Here is a hopefully better description for OS X 10.5:
http://rag.nu/2008/07/06/edit-hosts-file-in-mac-os-x-105-leopard/ (http://rag.nu/2008/07/06/edit-hosts-file-in-mac-os-x-105-leopard/)
Good luck, don't give up, it is not so difficult. :-) Just ask me again if it doesn't work. :-)
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The terminal is only good for getting access as admin, and from there with the admin access open a text editor where the hosts file can be edited and saved. If you do it without the terminal probably you don't have admin rights and cannot edit the file.
I do have admin rights, it's my personal computer. I would prefer to not do it through Terminal though. I can open Text Edit and edit the file, I just don't know where to find the file. I did a search of my computer yesterday with no luck. I think I'll look around and see if I can find it. Seems like I've seen it in my travels around my computer. If I can't find it I'll try the edit in Terminal.
Thanks for posting more instructions, simsi. Appreciate the help.
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I can open Text Edit and edit the file, I just don't know where to find the file.
According to the descriptions I have read it is in /etc/hosts or /private/etc/hosts.
I'm happy if I can help you. Sorry that I am not a mac guy (girl ;)).
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No worries, simsi! I've had a mac for 30 years and I'm not a mac girl when it comes to this stuff. I believe the file is hidden because when I do a search of my computer, nothing comes up. But you can get to it. See below.
I found an easier way and you don't have to use Terminal.
I'm on OS 10.5.8 Leopard. At the top menu bar, use the Go menu.
Go > go to folder > type /private/etc
Find the hosts file (there are a couple, you only want just plain hosts) Drag it to your desktop. Double click to open (will open in TextEdit)
Add microstock groups IP addresses, like Simsi posted
205.134.239.191 microstockgroup.com
205.134.239.191 blog.microstockgroup.com
205.134.239.191 www.microstockgroup.com (http://www.microstockgroup.com)
Save your file on the desktop with no extension
Drag file back to etc folder
It will say it can't be overwritten, but there is an Authenticate button. Click that. Enter your password. Done.
I don't know how to make sure it works, other than wait until about 5 pm here...that's typically when I can't get to the site
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Oh, very cool. ;D you did it!! 8) 8) congratulations.
if you don't mind we can add your description to the other long post so everything is in the same place. :-)
well certainly you can test it in some tricky way but i guess that's far to complicated. just see if it works tonight. :-)
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Sure, please do add it.
Yeah, if I were a nerd I would know how to test it, but no, not so much. :)
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I'd ask for some money back.
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Many sites change hosts but this is the only one which can not get DNS resolved for over a month. Imagine if IS or SS changes to this server? LOL.
Leaf, perhaps it's time change to another server again?
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Many sites change hosts but this is the only one which can not get DNS resolved for over a month. Imagine if IS or SS changes to this server? LOL.
Leaf, perhaps it's time change to another server again?
lol yeah i thought the same... but remember SS, IS, etc pay lots and lots of money for their servers and continuous presence and so on, and this is a free site with a small web hosting and so we may not complain. leaf is the best! 8)
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Well, so far I have been able to get here. Adding the DNS numbers to the host file seems to have helped. Yes!
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Down to what DNS servers you are using whether it resolves or not.
The Google DNS servers can resolve it (and seem to be much faster than OpenDNS lately). Should be possible set up your machine to use alternative or additional DNS servers despite your network.
The instructions for Mac and the other OSs are here (http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html). Mac instructions are for 10.5 but 10.6 is the same and it works again.
This is an alternative to messing about with hosts files.
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Last night it was the first time since those early problems that I could not connect to MSG, even having connected in the afternoon.
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on my other computer, where i havent done the hosts file thing, i couldnt connect this morning either...
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The Google DNS servers can resolve it (and seem to be much faster than OpenDNS lately). Should be possible set up your machine to use alternative or additional DNS servers despite your network.
The instructions for Mac and the other OSs are here ([url]http://code.google.com/speed/public-dns/docs/using.html[/url]). Mac instructions are for 10.5 but 10.6 is the same and it works again.
This is an alternative to messing about with hosts files.
Thanks! Good alternative, didnt think of it. :)
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Ok, I am going to give out a trade secret, why not use the same server as Fotolia, which is 1and1.com. Very large company and very cheap rates. Check it out.
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I just wrote a more detailed procedure how to solve this problem.
[url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url] ([url]http://www.microstockgroup.com/site-related/isp-can't-find-site-since-changeover/[/url])
Hope it helps! :-)
Many thanks, simsi. Works a treat. :D
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Simsi
tks for the instructions as well, it works like a charm now, I am using PC and since modifying the host file it has worked every time.
JC
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so glad someone wrote this. I was blaming our isp's DNS server playing up (as it does!)
if it's any use tyler: over the past couple of weeks i've been very reliably forwarded from microstockgroup.com to www.microstockgroup.com (http://www.microstockgroup.com) but often not able to resolve that.
putting a static IP for the site is all well and nice, but won't solve the cause of problem and I hope you all remember to get rid of that change to your hosts files a some point... for when we move again :/