can someone please post a link to google?

[dotty.]

then I can add it ot my favourites so that i can use it, this flippin IE won't let me search for anything!

[Buenchico]

http://www.google.co.uk/

[Barmaid]

http://www.google.co.uk/

[RATTER15]

http://www.google.co....wBDVKXWYIGpTg&cad=rja

[dotty.]

drat it won't let me goto google! what the heck is wrong with this flippin laptop? it must be a default setting or something that is preventing any searches

[Maydup]

What does it do when you click on it Dotty?

[jno]

a computer that won't search the internet, you have been sold a pup there.

[Buenchico]

It sounds like a DNS problem, Dot.

Assuming that you're connecting via a router, please provide the make of the router and the name of your ISP. (I can then, hopefully, tell you how to get into the router's settings, so that you can change the DNS settings for your connection).

[starone]

I don't understand how these things work. I naively thought everyone had access to google, provided they had a computer and broadband. Silly me!

[dotty.]

it's a BT homehub , I can click on most links and go to a page but there is no way it is letting me search

[AlBags]

What happens exactly .. when you copy and PASTE the actual address here into the ADDRESS bar and enter on keyboard?

[dotty.]

nothing happens, I clicked on the google link and when it opened in another window it went to internet explorer canndisplay the webpage, and then i highlighted the address and right clicked and copied and pasted it into the first window AND IT STILL WENT TO INTERNET EXPLORER CANNOT DISPLAY THE WEBPAGE

[Buenchico]

Aaagh!! No!!! Not a bloody BT Homehub!!!

The problem you've described is most commonly related to the router failing to connect properly with the Domain Name System (DNS) server. That's a special computer which translates website names (such as www.google.co.uk) into their 'real' (numerical) addresses (such as 209.85.143.104). Routers are normally configured to 'automatically assign' a DNS server but, when that fails to work, it's possible to override that setting and enter the information manually. That's what I was hoping to help you do, Dot. However the BT Homehub is a SPECIAL type of router which will ONLY use the automatic settings to access BT's DNS server so, regrettably, I can't help you after all.

However I can possibly help you to check whether it really is a DNS problem. In your browser's address bar (where you'd normally type 'www.google.co.uk', or similar) type this:
209.85.143.104
Then click the 'Go' button. If the Google website appears, you've definitely got a DNS problem. (If so, get BT to replace your Homehub). If you still can't see the Google website, I'm completely mystified!

Chris

[dotty.]

DID THAT cHRIS AND IT WORKED! thing is though, I've put my old laptop on and used the ethernet connection and it's fine, IE searches work ok on it.

[craft1948]

I use a BT home hub which sometimes loses it's internet connection even though the broadband connection is okay. I click on the wifi symbol and disconnect the wifi, then click on connect and the internet access comes back.

[Buenchico]

Well, I'm still (partially) mystified but I think that you might need to speak to someone at BT. Tell them that your laptop can connect to numeric IP addresses but not to some URLs.

Alternatively, post a question in Technology marked "Fao: ChuckFickens", with a link to this thread. He knows a zillion times as much about 'techie stuff' than I do! He might be able to offer a solution.

[daffy654]

Have you got any parental controls installed on the laptop? If so that may be the cause. The one I have on my son's PC stops all search engines apart from those I manually enable.
Failing that it could well be spyware/malware that is blocking Google.

[dotty.]

no parental controls and i can't use any search e ngine, not even google, IE just goes to that white screen with the blue writingaying cannot display webpage.

[dotty.]

I've done a system reset to 12.30 lunchtime and it's gone onto mozilla firefox and i can search properly now, must have been an internet explorer issue, thanks all.