Internet stops working regularly; need to restart to fix it

benanna88 · 13 Dec 2018

For a little while now my computer has had a problem with the Internet where I can't get onto most sites after a while of the computer being on or me using the Internet. Specifically, sites like eBay and Facebook won't connect, but YouTube and Google search still work. Each time it happens I have to restart my computer, and then everything is back to normal for a while (usually a few hours).

It did seem to happen around the time that I installed Bitdefender (a month or so ago), but I have tried turning off all the modules as they recommend, and that doesn't fix it. I also tried using a restore point, but that failed, but that's when I worked out that restarting temporarily fixes it.

So my question is, how can I get to the bottom of this and work out what is causing it? Any help would be appreciated.

file3456 · 13 Dec 2018

It's more than likely Bitdefender messing around with the TCP/IP stack. I have only used Bitdefender Free, and that's pretty much all you need. Although, definition-based anti-virus solutions have their limits.

So Uninstall Bitdefender and see what happens. Use their tool. Uninstall Bitdefender

benanna88 · 13 Dec 2018

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll give that a go. Would you suggest uninstalling it next time I experience the issue, or just straight away and see if the problem comes back? The first option would give a more definite answer, but maybe uninstalling at that very moment wouldn't give an immediate fix anyway. And if Bitdefender is the problem, is there a way I can fix that (that you know of)? Of course I'll contact them if I need to but I know that will be more difficult than it needs to be.

Barman58 · 13 Dec 2018

There is malware that prevents access to specific websites, such as facebook, Twitter Etc. It could be that your links to the sites are being redirected to a malware Phishing site and your Anti Malware is doing what it's supposed to do and protecting you

It may be worth running a full deep scan of your system with Both bitdefender and another Anti Malware (as a non resident application) just to be sure, Also something such as Autoruns could allow you to check what is really starting up, It has a specific tab for Image Hijacks, but the other tabs can help - It's fully documented too

benanna88 · 14 Dec 2018

Thanks for that info. I've uninstalled Bitdefender, but I'll keep an eye on the behaviour of webpages and potential redirects as well and try doing some scans. I'll post when I've sorted it out.