Google is shotty...it cannot be...can you fix it!?

[Vormund]

And I know it's NOT Google, it's something to do with either my network configuration or my modem/gateway...

The thing is, Google will work right now. 5 minutes from now, it might or might not. 20 minutes from then, it might or might not...etc.

It has been occuring since I got DSL (and introduced this modem/gateway)...and was curious if anyone here has a clue on what I can do to find the problem!

I can tell you:
-It is not my hosts file. I reset that already.
-I use WinXP Pro SP2, and the modem is a WR-701G Actiontec Wireless Gateway
-I just patched the modem firmware to the latest (just hoping...)

Other web sites still seem to work when this happens...to fix it, I must:
-Power the modem off/then on
OR
-Disable the LAN connection/then enable it
OR
-Wait an unknown length of time

One thing I found interesting...when I did a tracert via command prompt, it showed:

Tracing route to google.com [72.14.207.99]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 54 ms 53 ms 53 ms tcsn-dsl-gw04-196.tcsn.qwest.net [168.103.240.196]
3 54 ms 53 ms 54 ms tcsn-agw1.inet.qwest.net [168.103.240.125]
4 54 ms 53 ms 54 ms tsn-core-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.149.33]
5 58 ms 57 ms 57 ms tmp-core-02.inet.qwest.net [205.171.205.50]
6 67 ms 67 ms 68 ms bur-core-03.inet.qwest.net [205.171.13.6]
7 68 ms 68 ms 68 ms lap-brdr-01.inet.qwest.net [205.171.213.106]
8 68 ms 68 ms 68 ms 205.171.1.58
9 237 ms 90 ms 90 ms so-5-0-0-0.dalcr2.Dallas.opentransit.net [193.251.128.101]
10 111 ms 111 ms 112 ms po0-0.chicr2.Chicago.opentransit.net [193.251.128.114]
11 * * * Request timed out.
12 112 ms 112 ms 111 ms 66.249.95.253
13 113 ms 112 ms 112 ms 66.249.95.247
14 112 ms 111 ms 128 ms 64.233.175.97
15 127 ms 126 ms 127 ms 64.233.175.97
16 127 ms 127 ms 127 ms 72.14.236.183
17 128 ms 127 ms 127 ms 66.249.94.73
18 127 ms 127 ms 127 ms 72.14.207.99

Trace complete.

Two timeouts. Not sure if that relates or not...(It does that both when Google is working and not). And of course since I can trace the route...I can still ping Google when the web site isn't working.

Bleh, hope I didn't make this too confusing, but if you have any thoughts/need more info of any kind, just say the word.

Thanks for any and all help,
-Xula

 

[DJ-CHRIS]

Hop #1 and #11 do not respond to certain ICMP packets but they still send them to the next hop.

 

[dnoch]

Try repairing your connection

 

[Vormund]

I've never had the repair-connection thing actually work/be helpful in any way...always just fails at the problem-point...:X

DJ-CHRIS...could you please tell me what that means, in lamens terms?

Thanks both.