A Tip From Kinetic Computer Services ...

Cannot access adobe.com, hotmail.com, or certain other sites on Windows 8 via a Cisco Linksys RV042 router

Description of the Problem

You have a Windows 8 computer that cannot access certain web sites, such as adobe.com, with Microsoft Internet Explorer or Google Chrome when connected to a specific local area network (LAN). You can access all web sites on the same computer and LAN with Mozilla Firefox. You can access all web sites from that LAN on computers running other operating systems, such as Windows 7, using any browser. You can access all web sites on your Windows 8 computer, using any browser, when connected to another LAN.

The problem network may connected to the internet through an older model Cisco Linksys RV042 router.

In addition to adobe.com, other web sites known to be problematic on this combination of hardware and software include hotmail.com, salesgenie.com, and farmers.com.

Cause

The exact cause of this problem is currently unknown, but it is related to a specific router model or models. The earlier Cisco Linksys RV042 models are known to have this problem. These models are stamped "Linksys" or "Linksys by Cisco" and do not have a hardware version. The later RV042 models, which do not exhibit the problem, are stamped "Cisco Small Business" and are identified as "RV042 V03".

Solution

Replace the Cisco Linksys RV042 router with a different brand or model of router, such as the Cisco Small Business RV042 V03.

Workaround

If replacing the router is not possible (i.e. it isn't yours), then you can avoid the issue by using Mozilla Firefox as your web browser.

This tip is a free service of Kinetic Computer Services - professional network consultants serving the Houston area since 1998.

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