Why can I only access one web page on the Internet?

Updated: 07/13/2023 by Computer Hope
Note

Security settings setup by an admin at a school, work, library, or business can prevent you from accessing certain web pages. This page and Computer Hope will not help users get around these security measures. This page helps home users or users who were able to access a web page in the past.

Website down

If the server hosting the website is down, anyone trying to access the page gets errors. To identify if the site is up, see: How to test if a website or web page is down.

If the website is up, but you cannot access it, continue reading through the suggestions below for help with resolving this issue. If the page is down, we suggest giving the site a few hours to recover.

Web page or server hosting web page issue

404 error

If you are getting a 404, 500, 501, or another HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) error, make sure that error is relating to the page not found and not the server.

Browser issue

In some situations, Internet browsers can encounter problems that may prevent them from accessing some Internet pages. Make sure this is not a browser issue by closing all open browsers and then re-opening and trying to access the page again.

Additionally, users using Internet Explorer may also want to follow through the basic Internet Explorer troubleshooting steps.

DNS or another ISP issue

If, after trying all the above suggestions there are still problems, there are problems with your ISP (Internet service provider) or DNS (domain name system) settings.

Broadband users

If you are using a broadband Internet connection, try the steps below before attempting to contact support.

  1. Turn off computer.
  2. Disconnect the power to your modem (e.g., cable modem) and if you have a network router, disconnect the power to that router.
  3. When disconnected, give it a few seconds, re-connect the power to each device, and then turn the computer back on. Doing this simple set of steps can often resolve connection related issues, especially for those using cable broadband to connect to the Internet.

Contact support

  • If you are using an ISP to connect to the Internet, we suggest contacting your ISP for additional help and support.
  • If you are on a school or corporate network, contact the admin of your network or your IT (information technology) department.

Malware or security settings blocking address

If your computer is running Microsoft Windows, certain malware can affect how your computer accesses the Internet, and what web pages it can access. We suggest you scan your computer for any malware using a free utility such as Malwarebytes.

Your IP address is blocked by site

If you have followed all the above steps, and you cannot access a social networking site, forum, online e-mail, chat pages, etc., your IP address may be specifically blocked. You or someone who shares your IP address may have not followed the rules and caused your IP address to be banned from the service. For situations such as this, you must contact the Webmaster of the site you are trying to access.