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accessing ftp site through explorer

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26 replies

by blewis

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

ok, we have a ftp site that is hosted by our ISP. All computers but one can just type the address of teh ftp server and it asks for login and they access files. But this one machine says it can't find the ftp server, dns error. It has the same DNS entries and internet setup.
they all go through a DSL modem attached to a switch.

any ideas? I am putting a lot of points up for a quick answer, this will be closed by the end of the day.

Bill

26 replies

by miha.pihler

I would guess there is a problem with DNS. Double or triple check it :-).

Ipconfig /all

Also can PC in question ping DNS server??

Did you try to resolve FTP name on the PC in question?

Nslookup ftp.x.com?

Can computer correctly resolve it? Try purging the cash on the PC in question

Ipconfig /flushdns

Regards, Mike

by blewis

I haven't tried the nslookup or the ipconfig /flushdns
let me try those and I will tell you how it goes.

thanks

by maxwell edison

I think you may have an issue with the versions and/or settings with Internet Explorer.

If you are using Internet Explorer 6.0 (and I think 5.5 and 5.0 as well) you must change some default settings first. Go to the pull down menu labeled tools,and select Internet Options.
Click on the advanced tab and make sure the boxes for Enable folder view for FTP sites and Use Passive FTP are checked.

Maxwell

by blewis

thanks, I upgraded to IE 6.0 but even after that I don't have a passive ftp option. the folder view for ftp is selected.

please do keep the ideas coming, something is bound to work!

:-)

by blewis

I will award points to all, but I need as much information as I can before I can close this question.

by maxwell edison

Bill,

You stated that you did upgrade to Internet Explorer 6.0, but did you specifically verify the following settings?

Go to the pull down menu labeled tools, and select Internet Options.

Click on the advanced tab and make sure the boxes for Enable folder view for FTP sites and Use Passive FTP are checked.

The default for these settings is unchecked.

They need to be checked.

Maxwell

by blewis

right, I was saying before that even after upgrading to IE6.0, there is not setting for passive FTP. I am familiar with that setting because it is on my other PCs. I do have enable folder view checked.
you know why this option might not be available?

by nikki96

Also make sure in the security settings for the internet zone, you do NOT have automatic logon enabled. It must prompt.
Tools->Internet Options->Security->Custom Level
(all the way towards the bottom in Authentication)

And the passive FTP thingis farther down than folder view in the Advanced Tab. You should have it. It's underneath the underline links (always/never) box, another scroll or so down from the folder view, just above HTTP1 settings.

HTH
~nikki~

by blewis

I will see about the internet zone settings, i think they are set on just default settings, so I can check to see if it is different.
But with the passive FTP thing, I promise you it just isn't a setting on his browser, I have seen it onother IE browsers, it just isn't on his!

by miha.pihler

Also check under Tools -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings in your IE if Automatically detect settings is enabled and it shouldn?t be ?

Also check all the other Settings here against some other computer that has connectivity to FTPserver.

P.S.
Did you check if your computer can reach DNS server (using PING) and if it can resolve FQDN of FTP server?

Regards, Mike

by blewis

yes, it can reach it through ping and I can even use command line ftp function to work, just ie doesn't work

have repaired the ie 60 version but still not better. I had to do a lot to get the version 6.0 to even install, now it doesn't work, that sucks.

by public

Check your hosts file. Make sure for some strange reason you dont have a bad entry in there (same name, but pointing to a bad ip address).

Try pining the IP address. Does it ping? Start with that first, then work your way through name resolution.

-ginel

by blewis

dont' know about a hosts file, dont' think I use one
unless you are talking about through the MMC snapin for DNS and the host A entries. I don't have one for ftp but all the other machines in the domain get to this ftp site without that entry

by -s

Also try going to a command prompt and connecting with the command line ftp client: ftp [host]. If that fails, suspect a network issue; if it works, suspect an IE configuration issue. Narrow it down that way and troubleshoot from there.

If the ftp client works, from IE try ftp://user@FQDN. I've seen that, where you need to provide the username as part of the ftp URL.

by blewis

going to the command prompt worke,d but the IE just won't bring up the site. done a repair on ie but apparently it is going to ahve be uninstalled and ie5.5 sp2 be reinstalled

by joseph moore

Well, take a look at Technet article Q175722:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q175722
(please remove any spaces)

It might help you out, if your client is running IE4 or IE5.

But I really think that the first answer had it right, with the IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS switch.
"The /flushdns switch flushes the list of locally cached DNS names. When a name is resolved from DNS, the client keeps it in the cache temporarily. This option removes the cached entries"
It is a new Win2K switch for IPCONFIG.

hope this helps

by blewis

ipconfig /flushdns I thought would have really fixed it, but it did not.

oh well,

by khuffmanjr

hello,

referring to your comment for answer #3, it sounds like something went wrong with the installation of IE6. remove it or reinstall it. try reverting back to IE5.5 and see if you can then access the FTP site.

personally, if IE5.5 werx, stay with it. more secure...i would wait 'til we're on SP2 or something before i use it...just my opinion.

hope this helps

K

by blewis

yeah, the answer is going to ahve to be uninstalling 6 and reinstalling 5.5 sp2

thanks for your help

by sales

Have you tried running winipcfg and releasing the machine's DNS, etc. info. and refreshing it? I had a similar problem last week. Everything looked OK on top but the machine was holding on to the old info.

Regards,
Chris

by blewis

well, I think I did a clearing just by doing ipconfig /flushdns, but I also changed the computer ip address and stuff more than once, so all that had to have been cleared a few times

by maxwell edison

It appears by the all the answers and your subsequent comments that the problem will lie in one of two areas. Either the DNS settings need to be renewed and/or (perhaps the emphasis on and) your Internet Explorer Settings are incorrect.

See my previous answer on the two FTP settings that you should pay attention to (You only mentioned seeing the one, and answer number 5 told you where to find the other), and answer number 10 made a valid observation about possibly reloading IE 6.0 or perhaps even going back to IE 5.5.

Let us know what you ultimately do.

Maxwell

by blewis

the problem is definitely with the browser

I can get to ftp through the command prompt, login successfully and everything

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