ISP's Intrusion Protection not allowing login to FR

Self | January 9, 2006 | Muleteam1

[Muleteam1]

After many months of not being able to login to FR from my west Texas server, everything now seems to be okay. For many months, whenever I typed in my user name and password at FR and clicked on the "Log In" button, I got only a "dead" response from the server. After trying MANY things, i.e., reformatting, changing my op system, and even changing PCs, I finally wrote to my ISP asking if they had the FR site blocked. After checking, my ISP decided the problem was their "Intrusion Detection" (software?) which was blocking perl script access. The problem is now corrected.

Just a bit of info for those who may run into the same problem.

Muleteam1

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Weird.

[RightWhale]

Norton locked out both my printer and my reply to email function. Had to drop shields for a minute to get those functions and hope the Klingons weren't waiting to pounce.

[UB355]

Intrusion Detection, heh. My ISP prevents sheduled e-mail checking when it's busy. SBC/Yahoo. I wonder if it will get worse now that they have become AT&T. I get a reenter pasword rerquest.

[martin_fierro]

A Yahoo! free internet access terminal at NYC's visitor center in Times Square once barred me from accessing FR as a "hate site".

[coconutt2000]

Are you using a web proxy?

[D-fendr]

Blocking Perl script access? On other sites? Doesn't sound legit to me.

Perl is everywhere on the web.

[Corin Stormhands]

Are you logged in?

(somebody had to ask)

[IndyTiger]

Try this alternative link to FR. I used it when my company blocked access to freerepublic.com (since removed).

http://209.157.64.200/home.htm

[Muleteam1]

No web proxy.

[Muleteam1]

>>Blocking Perl script access? On other sites? Doesn't sound legit to me. <<

It was strange because it was only FR that I had problems with.

Muleteam1

[Muleteam1]

>>Are you logged in? <<

Yes indeed and being back on FR makes me as happy as an old jersey bull whose just found a hole in the fence! Really good on these days when the snow is blowing like it is here today in west Texas.

Muleteam1

[D-fendr]

Doesn't smell right to me. Never heard of selective blocking of Perl by an ISP. Perl is an extremely common script; can't imagine what they did or said they did.

[Muleteam1]

>>Doesn't smell right to me.<<

Me neither really. My particular ISP has somehow "roped" this area of Texas off for other ISPs so maybe they became worried when I politely accused them of "blocking" FR. The only other ISP that appears to serve this small town is DirectWav and even for it I have not been able to locate an installer. DirectWav would be only slightly higher if I get rid of my land line telephone and dialup ISP which, not surprisingly are the same company.

Muleteam1

[Real Cynic No More]

On the subject of useful info, I had a problem on my home computer where I couldn't register software installations and updates, use the Turbotax automated update process, get option quotes from cboe.com, etc. My ISP couldn't help, my firewall provider wanted to charge me by the minute to debug, so I was at a loss. The funny thing is that I could access via my work laptop on my home network. Against my better judjment, I elicited Microsoft's help. They persevered and helped me resolve. It turned out that my router was blocking only certain info. Thank you Bill Gates!

[MineralMan]

"It turned out that my router was blocking only certain info. Thank you Bill Gates!
"

I'm not sure I understand. Your router is from Microsoft? Or are you genuinely thanking Microsoft?

[squarebarb]

You have snow??? Lucky you.

I'm in the hill country and we are so dry we're blowing away. My corral sweepings may be in your front yard soon.

[Muleteam1]

The internet is like the old unregulated highways and biways of yesteryear, full of bandits using hardware and software as their weapons of choice.

Muleteam1

[Muleteam1]

Beautiful country that hill country. Although we received a record amount of rainfall in 2004, the High Plains is now so dry the tumbleweeds are headed back to Russia. The "snow" I had spoken of earlier has quit already and the weather report is not calling for any moisture. Like they say out here, "If you don't like west Texas weather, just hang around five minutes."

Muleteam1

[Dr.Zoidberg]

The internet is like the old unregulated highways and biways of yesteryear, full of bandits using hardware and software as their weapons of choice.

The only thing is with the taming of the Interweb, things are going to stop being anywhere near as interesting

Oh well, the wired west has to change some day...

[azhenfud]

Were you logged on?

[Muleteam1]

Yes.

[slag]

Thanks for getting that problem fixed. I have had the same trouble and finally gave up on logging in. I know where you are located, I'm 15 mile east of you and we have the same server so when I read your post I tried to log in and it worked So again a big thanks neighbor

[Real Cynic No More]

It started with the presumption that it was an operating system software problem. I had upgraded to Windows XP hoping that would correct the problem. When it didn't, Microsoft helped resolve the issue over a number of days (from India) as XP warranty support without cost to me. I'm genuinely thanking Bill Gates!

[MineralMan]

Thanks for clearing that up for me. Sometimes Microsoft actually does something right.

[Muleteam1]

Thanks for the verification that it was a server problem. I wrote to our ISP (F...A....com) this morning and thanked them for whatever they did.

Muleteam1

[VeniVidiVici]

After checking, my ISP decided the problem was their "Intrusion Detection" (software?) which was blocking perl script access.

Well, ya know, if you used a Mac or Linux these things wouldn't happen. ;-)