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fisho

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 3, 2005
14
0
Sydney, Australia
I've just set up an ADSL connection to the net having previously used dial up. The net connection works well, but when I try to download a file or use OSX's 'Software Update' I get the error message "A networking error has occurred: timed out (-1001). Make sure you can connect to the Internet, then try again.

Any ideas for fixing this would be greatly appreciated - thanks
 
That sucks. We may need a little more info before we can help though.

1. What sort of Mac?
2. How is the Mac connected to the internet (describe your network)?
3. Do you have any firewalls or antivirus software?

Question two is probably the quintessential question though. :)
 
Thanks for the quick responses!

I'm new to this, so please bare with me. It's an imac 20in (revB) and I'm using a netgear Dg834gt wireless ADSL router connected via Ethernet. I've just used the automatic set up to connect the network. The operating system is 10.4.2.

I haven't consciously enabled a firewall. I'm guessing that the router has one built in though. I don't have antivirus software enabled.

Hope this sheds some light. Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.
 
fisho said:
The net connection works well...


Sorry, one more question I forgot to ask, do you mean it lets you browse the internet (using Safari or Firefox or whatever) or are you saying that other computers are using the connection just fine?

Also, is the iMac connected wirelessly or through ethernet to the router/modem?
 
Hi

It lets me browse the internet, and I'm using Safari. I've only got one computer connected.

I'm connected via an ethernet cable, although wireless is working as well if I disconnect the cable.
 
ham_man, do you mean the file called Software Update.log in Library/Logs (use Spotlight)? Maybe delete the .PLIST files while you're there, or at least put them in the trash so they can't be used but they can be replaced later if necessary.

As a side not, I hope this works but I really doubt it will since you're having problems downloading all files, not just ones from the Apple Updater page, right? It's certainly worth a try though. :)
 
fisho said:
Thanks Ham_man

How do I do that?
Woops...:eek:

OK, so navigate to user/yourname/Library/Caches/com.apple.softwareupdate and see what happens...
 
Just checked and I can download widgets, so it doesnt seem to be a download problem - just something weird with software updater.
 
Was it the 100Kb Telstra one or the 728Kb iinet one or a completely different one? Meh, either way, this is weird. I'm assuming one of them is your ISP, right? They're both good/relibale. Plus they're very small files.

This has got me stumped. I know iinet is having some scheduled maintenance in Sydney right now, it could be related... Unless of course, that's not your provider...
 
Do what ham_man said, worth a shot as its a .plist which osx automatically creates a new one. Just leave the copy in the bin just in case. But as mad jew had said i don't think it will work.

When you are casually surfing do you get the fast speed of ADSL? When you go to a new page is the response all most instance to load?
 
mad jew said:
Was it the 100Kb Telstra one or the 728Kb iinet one or a completely different one? Meh, either way, this is weird. I'm assuming one of them is your ISP, right? They're both good/relibale. Plus they're very small files.

This has got me stumped. I know iinet is having some scheduled maintenance in Sydney right now, it could be related... Unless of course, that's not your provider...

Bingo Telstra fault.

Service Disruption Start: Thursday, 1 September 2005 2:33:00 PM AEST
Next Update: Thursday, 1 September 2005 4:55:00 PM AEST
Last Updated: Sunday, 4 September 2005 11:00:04 AM AEST
Customer Impact: Customers in New South Wales may be having difficulty downloading data from the internet. We are working to fix the problem as quickly as possible and apologise for any inconvenience.
 
DeSnousa said:
Do what ham_man said, worth a shot as its a .plist which osx automatically creates a new one. Just leave the copy in the bin just in case. But as mad jew had said i don't think it will work.

When you are casually surfing do you get the fast speed of ADSL? When you go to a new page is the response all most instance to load?
I just remember that when I had DirecWAY, SU would never work, but deleting a certain folder in that Cache folder would make it work, for some reason...
 
I've deleted the files and it hasnt fixed it. I'm on iinet (ADSL 2+) in Sydney and the response if very fast for refreshing pages.

Might try back later in the day to see if it's an ISP fault.

Thanks again everyone for your help and ideas

Cheers
 
mad jew said:
Nice find.

Thank God I'm not on that crappy Telstra line anymore.

Lucky im not in New South Wales. Telstra i find has reliable service, so should be back up soon. To look for there updates fisho log into your account on the bigpond site and check service status :)
 
fisho said:
I've deleted the files and it hasnt fixed it. I'm on iinet (ADSL 2+) in Sydney and the response if very fast for refreshing pages.

Might try back later in the day to see if it's an ISP fault.

Thanks again everyone for your help and ideas

Cheers

Okay if your not with Telstra, however iinet might be linked to the line through the exchange. Check the service status on the web or call them to find out.
 
fisho said:
...I'm using a netgear Dg834gt wireless ADSL router connected via Ethernet.


fisho said:
I'm on iinet (ADSL 2+)


Okay, so the Telstra problem is definitely unrelated but I still saw that iinet's site was saying something about scheduled maintenance today. Either way, I think there could be three different problems here.

Server based:
Firstly, when they made the switch from ADSL on Telstra's line at the local exchange to ADSL2+ they sometimes leave both plugged in and this'll wreck your line. The Telstra technician must physically disconnect his Telstra cable whilst the iinet technician physically connects the iinet one. If they are both left in (a common problem) it will do strange things to your connection. This is assuming your house was previously set up for ADSL and already had a broadband link to the exchange and I know you said you upgraded form dial-up, but it's still possible your house was connected (maybe by previous owners).

Modem based:
Secondly, and much more likely, I don't think your modem is up to ADSL2+ specifications. ADSL2+ will kill most regular modems because of its much higher transmission speeds, trust me, I went through three before I worked out what was happening (well, the first two at least, third was laziness on my part for not getting a proper modem). I can't find anything about ADSL2+ on the Netgear website so (since it's a feature) I'm assuming it's not capable but if it's the modem that iinet gave you, then this problem can be ruled out. However, you may need to get a new modem. :(
 
Well I've been on the phone to iinet and netgear today, and ruled out the modem (it is ADSL 2+ compatible) and the physical connections at the exchange.

The iinet tech help person was great, and very patient considering the relatively unusual combo of the netgear and the mac, but we couldn't solve the issue. He has suggested that it could be a security setting as I can't log into the iinet 'toolbox' nor can I access the software update. There are also other sites I can't access (e.g. the official Apple support discussion boards), possibly also security protected.

Any ideas?
 
fisho said:
Well I've been on the phone to iinet and netgear today, and ruled out the modem (it is ADSL 2+ compatible) and the physical connections at the exchange.

The iinet tech help person was great, and very patient considering the relatively unusual combo of the netgear and the mac, but we couldn't solve the issue. He has suggested that it could be a security setting as I can't log into the iinet 'toolbox' nor can I access the software update. There are also other sites I can't access (e.g. the official Apple support discussion boards), possibly also security protected.

Any ideas?

My only other suggestion is to bring another computer in the house, maybe one of your friends. See if they can download of your network, Apart from that im stumped. Can you keep us posted, im curious as to what the problem is.

I have a feeling there is an issue with iinet, that needs fixing.
 
Will try another computer.

Mad max, how do I determine if it's a 'port problem', and what does that mean - excuse my ignorance.

I also forgot to mention that I have an airport express used to pipe itunes to my stereo. Could software update somehow be trying to access this?

thanks
 
A long shot, but maybe....

I've got the same model netgear as you (DG834GT). It works perfectly with a mix of 1 iBook (wireless) and 3 pc's (2 ethernet and 1 wireless) on the network. Its a fairly new model (its the 108 Mbps version) and should be perfectly compatible with your ISP.
You might try going to the setup page (type the ip address into safari, probably 192.168.0.1 unless you've changed it, then enter your user name and password - hope you remember them!). On the setup page, go to the Advanced setting and check the MTU figure. The default MTU is 1500, and 1492 for PPoE connections, but some ISP's prefer a lower figure. When I set my router up using the auto setup routine it set a figure of about 1458, and I changed it to 1500 with no ill effect, but then my ISP is different to yours. Check the tech support pages of your ISP's web site for the correct figure.
Good luck
 
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