trouble accessing certain sites

[yma]

I'm fairly new to mac and still learning my way around. I've been having troubles with the facebook & gmail websites - sometimes it opens, sometimes safari can't find it and sometimes it says I'm not connected to the net (while I can visit other sites). The facebook site always works fine on my old PC, but sometimes gmail doesn't. How do I find out where the problem is?

 

[LeahM]

I'm fairly new to mac and still learning my way around. I've been having troubles with the facebook & gmail websites - sometimes it opens, sometimes safari can't find it and sometimes it says I'm not connected to the net (while I can visit other sites). The facebook site always works fine on my old PC, but sometimes gmail doesn't. How do I find out where the problem is?

I've had the same problems, but it was more of connection issue, I've read that the MacBook Pros have trouble staying connected wirelessly. Have you updated and all that jazz?

 

[yma]

I have been updating. This happens both when connecting via airport and connecting via cable. Why is it having trouble connecting to only those sites?

 

[LeahM]

I have been updating. This happens both when connecting via airport and connecting via cable. Why is it having trouble connecting to only those sites?

Hmmm. I've never had a problem accessing facebook via my Mac but I have recently been having trouble connecting thru my PC.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

I have been updating. This happens both when connecting via airport and connecting via cable. Why is it having trouble connecting to only those sites?

Could be several things. DNS lookup failures, peering disputes between the networks you are on and those the other sites are on, or just a bad connection.

There's a utility in your Utilities folder which can be used to test if DNS is working. It's called Network Utility - you want the PING section.

Peering disputes are completely outside of your control - there's nothing you can do if this is your cause.

If you have a bad connection, or suspect you might, try moving your computer around and see if the reception improves. Walls and other obstacles can reduce wireless signal strength.