Help! Internet died on my Macbook.

[spiralblast]

I've been using my Macbook for 3.5 years without any issues. But just a few days ago, the internet connection ran into problems that I need help resolving. Basically, when I run internet diagnostics, it tells me the internet connectivity is working fine and it shows full bars on the wifi indicator. But whenever I try to access a webpage, it just gets stuck at the status "resolving host" and stays there. Page doesn't load.

I've tried disconnecting wifi and connecting via Ethernet/cable. No internet connectivity this way either! On Friday I spent 2 hours on the phone with ISP service line and we pretty much tried everything we can think of. At this point, we're quite certain it's not an ISP issue (especially since all the other laptops and devices in the house hooked on to the same router are running just fine).

The weird thing is, once in a while, just after I tweak the wifi settings (DNS or TCP/IP settings), there WILL be internet connectivity again but it only lasts for about 5 seconds. So I can try to Google something and it would load the results. But by the time I try to click on a link on the results page, internet drops again and I'm stuck with the "resolving host" message again. So it seems like the internet connection is *mostly* dead?!

How is this possible? Any idea if this is a hardware or software issue? Has anyone run into this problem before?

(And in case anyone's wondering, yes I've Googled a bunch of Apple forums for this. Seems like some others are running into the same problem, but there is no consistent resolution for it. I've been trying everything and would like to hear from someone who might have an idea what's happening to my comp here.)

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[B772ER]

have you tried forcing DNS settings? go to Network > Wifi/Airport > Advanced > DNS and put in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the DNS servers box. Click OK and then Apply, restart your browser and try again.

 

[spiralblast]

have you tried forcing DNS settings? go to Network > Wifi/Airport > Advanced > DNS and put in 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in the DNS servers box. Click OK and then Apply, restart your browser and try again.

Yeah I have. Those are the Google DNS settings right? Tried that Any other ideas?

 

[PetPet]

Reboot > Hold on to CMD + R before the chime.
You should enter the recovery partition.
choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu

Click the First Aid tab

Repair Disk Permissions
Verify Disk
Repair Disk

 

[B772ER]

also try the "Get Help Online" function in Internet Recovery, see if you are able to access the Internet that way. If yes, we know there are some settings in the OS that need to be changed. If unable, it means there is an issue with the network.

 

[spiralblast]

Reboot > Hold on to CMD + R before the chime.
You should enter the recovery partition.
choose Disk Utility from the Installer menu

Click the First Aid tab

Repair Disk Permissions
Verify Disk
Repair Disk

Thanks, both. But this only works on Lion (10.7) and after, it seems? I'm on Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and there is no Internet Recovery or Recovery Partition...

 

[renfred89]

Thanks, both. But this only works on Lion (10.7) and after, it seems? I'm on Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and there is no Internet Recovery or Recovery Partition...

You need the CD then..

 

[B772ER]

some other things we can try.

delete all your preferred networks, go into keychain access and clear off all your wifi passwords. once done, restart the computer and then create a new network location. connect to wifi again and see if internet loads.

also, if u are using mac mail does it send and receive email fine? might also want to check for third party software that could be blocking internet access, best way for that is to test in safe boot.

 

[spiralblast]

You need the CD then..

Ok thanks for the tip. Think I was able to find more info online based on that. Will try this.

 

[spiralblast]

some other things we can try.

delete all your preferred networks, go into keychain access and clear off all your wifi passwords. once done, restart the computer and then create a new network location. connect to wifi again and see if internet loads.

also, if u are using mac mail does it send and receive email fine? might also want to check for third party software that could be blocking internet access, best way for that is to test in safe boot.

Ok thanks will try all of that.

As for Mac Mail - it doesn't send or receive. That was one of the first signs that my connection was down, actually.

Strangely, I just tried accessing the internet again yesterday and it worked fine for all of 5 seconds - AGAIN. It loaded pages that I've never accessed before. And then stopped promptly as soon as I got my hopes up. What is this... -_-;;

 

[B772ER]

Ok thanks will try all of that.

As for Mac Mail - it doesn't send or receive. That was one of the first signs that my connection was down, actually.

Strangely, I just tried accessing the internet again yesterday and it worked fine for all of 5 seconds - AGAIN. It loaded pages that I've never accessed before. And then stopped promptly as soon as I got my hopes up. What is this... -_-;;

i also want u to try with a different network, broadcast a personal hotspot and see if the internet works fine when your MBP is connected to the hotspot.

 

[spiralblast]

i also want u to try with a different network, broadcast a personal hotspot and see if the internet works fine when your MBP is connected to the hotspot.

Hm... tried already. Connected my phone by USB to Mac and enabled hotspot. It worked fine in the past, but hasn't worked ever since this internet connection issue started.

 

[spiralblast]

Ok the issue has been resolved. In case anyone runs into a similar problem in the future - short answer is to just to go the Mac service centre at 313 Somerset (basement). They ran diagnostic tests but couldn't find anything wrong at all. :-/ I decided to bring laptop home and see if I can further fix it on my own, but lo and behold, the internet just started to work again out of the blue.

NO IDEA what triggered the issue and why issue resolved seemingly by itself. It's not the most satisfactory resolution cos if I get hit by the same problem next time I still won't know the exact steps to resolve it. But at least that trip to the service centre seems to have done something...

 

[tinhill]

Try using OnyX which helps repair your hard disk and conducts housekeeping for smooth start-up.

I hope that it helps your Internet connection.