I am starting an online graduate library science program later this week, with all coursework requiring me to access the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's website (including my e-mail, forums for class "meetings," etc.). The site is www4.uwm.edu. Until about ten days ago I was able to access it without any problems. In the past ten days, I have been able to access it only intermittently, with the browser usually reporting that it can't find the DNS at www4.uwm.edu. When the browser does find the site, about one time in twenty attempts, everything works as normal. This is bizarre for the following reasons:
1. I can access any unencrypted pages in the site via any free web proxy, and friends using different ISPs can access it fine. Tech support from the school (admittedly limited so far) reports no outages.
2. I cannot access it any better using a different browser (Firefox vs IE), different computer (home desktop vs laptop), different computer with a different OS that doesn't belong to me (Mac running Safari). All of these computers are using the same ISP, because I live in a VERY small town in Montana. I am running an ethernet cable to a dish which sends/receives wireless to a large (?) router in town. My work connection is WiFi through the same means, and the boss' Mac is connected like my home computer.
3. The tech guy from this ISP reports he can access it fine from a computer running the same ISP but in a different town and using a different router, so he suggests perhaps the school is blocking the local router, though he says this is very unlikely.
4. As far as I can tell, I have no other connection issues.
I am running a year-old Vista machine with up to date Norton Internet Security and have tried clearing cache, etc., though how this could matter given the problems with other computers and presumably IP addresses, I don't know.
I have another call in to tech support with my ISP and should be able to talk to a real tech rather than a student worker at the college tomorrow evening. Still, that's all one day closer to when school starts (Weds.), so getting SOME idea what's going on would really ease my mind.
I consider myself fairly computer savvy, and can usually fix any problems I have with a quick Google search or via troubleshooting with what I know. In 15 years online I've certainly never posted to a computer help forum, but this one just has me flummoxed. Any ideas?
Help VERY much appreciated.
