Cable Modem Death

Okay, I've been faced with this problem before. I'm signed onto my computer and happily sufing the net, when all of a sudden I can't get Blogger pages to load. Then I can't get Amazon to load. Then I check another website (www.tinyurl.com) and it loads just fine.

I stop by browser and open it again. Same thing.

Then I restart my computer. Now I can't even get the TINYURL to load.

What's up with this? Is Comcast Internet hosed? What did I do wrong?

...

The answer is, I did nothing wrong. The cable modem is feeling cranky tonite, and wants some attention.

This is not such an unusual problem that I don't know how to fix it, bu the first time it happened it took a couple of phone calls to Comcast Technical Support (thank goodness I have the phone number!) to teach me what to do. And because I'm feeling very generous tonight ... and because most blog topic seem tepid at best ... I'm going to share some Geek Wisdom with you.

If you have this problem, there is a very simple fix. Pay attention, because this is Compute Technical Stuff ... here's how to fix the problem in five easy steps:

1. Turn off your cable modem. There's probably an 'on/off' button somewhere ... mine is on the top of the modem unit.
2. Disconnect your cable modem from the power source. No, you can't skip this step.
3. Wait at least two minutes. No, you can't skimp on this step. Go play Windows Solitaire or work on your resume, whatever it takes. Or you can do something useful like laundry or walk your dog. Just ... walk away, and don't come back until you have left it off for at least 2 minutes. Forget to check the time? Check the time now, and repeat this step.
4. when you are absolutely certain that at least two minutes have passed, plug the modem power source back in and push the On/Off button again. This should restart your cable modem
   
5. Wait until all of the lights are back on. They may come on out of order, so be SURE than all of the lights are burning steady, except for the "Standby" indicator light, which should be off.

That's it.

Open your browser again, and you should see normal activity. That is to say, you can view the websites you select .. especially your HOME website.

If that doesn't work, you have entered The Twilight Zone, and that's a topic for a future discussion.

BTW, if you have "The Blue Screen of Death" (see also here) and your computer doesn't work at all, your problems are much more dire than described here. See a computer technician; this may be "way beyond your pay grade".