Goggle turns to a blank page

I use both IE7 and FF3.0 on my laptop running WinXP Pro. www.google.ca is my home page.

When I work in my city's public library, the home page become a blank page - completely blank even the connect and downloading is done. I have no problem in connecting and displaying yahoo, msn and even the VirtualDr in the library. This problem won't happen in other public lib, at home or my clients' work places.

I checked with a guy sitting next to me in the library, he had no problem. Is there any suggestion to diagnostic the problem? Thanks.

Since this is a public library, we can't really tell you how to diagnose and fix this problem. Suggest you contact whoever is in charge of the computers there.

Thanks, Photolady, I did write to the tech support and later met with their technician but the problem is not resolved.

One more thing, Photolady, I just checked with a user next to me. He can open the google.ca without any problem. He is using FF 3.0 with an Mac. Mine is also FF 3.0. I don't think it's a problem on my PC's FF because my IE7 also experience the same problem.

I right click the web page on google.ca and read the "page info", I got the followings:
Address: http://www.google.ca Type: text/plain
Render: Quirks Mode Encoding: UTF-8
Size: 0 bytes

When I'm home, my laptop has no problem in opening the google. My laptop is a Dell Vostro2510, WinXP, 3GB RAM, anti-virus is AVG 8.5, no other firewall except Windows.

It seems that the problem only happens on my laptop when I'm in the library (this library only). Please give me some suggestions on my settings to try. Thanks a lot.

After my last post, I refreshed the VirtualDr page on my thread. I click the link to google in my post, the page opens successfully. I can do search etc. However, if I close everything and run FF, the home page (google) doesn't open. If I open the page via the link as above, and add a tab page, go to the home; it's OK. IE can't open the page even FF can.

Is it very strange? Please help.

I tried many times!!! Every times I open google via the link in my post, it's OK. If it's OK, I add a tab and open google via the Home icon, it's OK also.

If I open the FF directly, the home page doesn't display. So I go to VirtualDr and find my post, do the same as in para 1. It's OK. After that, I add a tab, click the Home icon, google displays also.

Is this a very funny thing or does it provide you any clue?

I hope you won't feel that I'm too much trouble on this issue, but it does bother me.

Since I can open Google via the link in my post, I copy that to the Bookmark toolbar. I then can open FF (google not display), then click that bookmark to open it.

I open IE and access to my post, click the link, google still won't display.

Strange problem.

Try these things one at a time.

1) use google.com instead of google.ca

2) copy/paste this address into the address bar.. 72.14.213.99

2a) try this address.. http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:...&hl=en&ct=clnk

3) temporarily put google.com into tools>internet options>security>restricted sites. That will turn off any active content on the page (just an experiment to see if that
is part of the problem)

4) remove it from restricted sites and put it in trusted sites (get there the same way as above). that will allow any active content... again just an experiment to see if active content is part of the problem.

5) Right click the blank google page and select "view source" let us know if it's blank as well or mostly blank or if there's a lot of html coding. If there's some coding copy/paste it into a text file and attach it to your next post here... just a long shot but it may give us a clue or two.

Flink, thanks for your advice. When I read your post, I left the library and can't perform the tests, but I'll definitely try. However, I did do some of your suggestions already.

1. Use google.com - same problem. This also applied to google map, igoogle.
2a. The link that works in the library is http://redirectingat.com/?id=474X833...www.google.ca/. When I am in the library, I'll try (2a) as well.
5. Viewed the source, it is blank.

Thanks.

fink, here are my test results on using IE7 in the library:

1. go to google.com - failed
2. IP address 72.14.213.99 - success
2a. use the posted link - success
3 and 4. put in restricted sites, remove then put in trusted sites - failed

Source code attached in zip file. Thanks.

Quote:

---

2. IP address 72.14.213.99 - success

---

It would seem to be a DNS related problem. If this happened everywhere for you then I'd suggest having a look in your hosts file for a google or google ad related entry. But since it only happens at the library and only for you and not others stumps me.

Look in your hosts file anyway just for giggles but I'd be surprised if you see anything unusual. It is located here.. windows\system32\drivers\etc and can be read with notepad. If you have a lot of entries there.. some antispy programs add some for security reasons... then you could try temporarily bypassing it by renaming it hosts.old. That will make windows create a new empty hosts file which you can later delete and use the original by removing the added ".old"

At least you can bookmark the numerical address 72.14.213.99 to get access... maybe someone else has some ideas about what's going on here because it's pretty unusual.

May need a dns flush ??

Sorry everybody. My last post saying it was success by using 72.14.213.99 is incorrect. I can see the home page but can't do the search. When I type in first few characters of a key word, a drop down showing related words display. Select one of them click Google Search display "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage" page.

Using the following link, which works in Firefox, produced same results.
http://redirectingat.com/?id=474X833...www.google.ca/

I'll check the host file and post any irregularities. Thanks.

I check the host file, no any google.ca entries.

I attached a file showing the source codes from 3 occasions:
using www.google.ca in IE7 - error page
using the IP address in IE7 - display google home page but can't search
using the re-direct link in FF - display and search are OK.

Please help me to resolve this funny situation.

PS: I have no problem in using IE7 or FF to access to Google at home.

Check your restricted sites.

Train, before I follow flink's suggestion to add/remove google.ca in the restricted sites, it was not in the list. I added it and then removed it again, not resolving the problem. I further visually check the IE's restricted site, it is not there.

Since this happens on both IE and FF (before I create a re-direct link), is there a common restricted sites in Windows' system? How can I find FF's restricted site list?

comp_see--I am not aware of a common list of restricted sites for both FF and IE within Windows.
However, if you use SpyWareBlaster, it offers to add "protection" against bad sites to both or either FF and IE. In the case of IE, that protection takes the form of adding sites to Restricted Sites. I do not use FF so do not know whether the lists are common. I would assume they are.
This following thread is old, but may still be of interest
http://www.techzonez.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17651
However, having said all that, I would not think Restricted Sites is your problem reaching google.ca. When a site is in IE's Restricted Sites access is rarely blocked. Being in Restricted Sites just disables some of the capabilities of the site, which now cannot use apps like Javascript. ActiveX, etc.
But the HOSTS file can block access to a site.