Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at help!

[stevenn21]

hi guys im starting a course on the ou but when i try visiting the ou site i get this error:
Unable to connect

Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at www8.open.ac.uk.


The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few
moments.
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network
connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

i have been able to visit this site before
i can load any other web page that isnt ou
i have removed cookies and deleated catche with no success
i can get on the site with my mobile phone over the wifi.

this did not work:

"Clear the Cache": Tools > Options > Advanced > Network > Offline Storage (Cache): "Clear Now" "Remove the Cookies" from sites that cause problems: Tools > Options > Privacy > Cookies: "Show Cookies" clear all cookies

itis clearly a problem with my pc can anyone help please

[LochLomonder]

Just a few quick questions to start things off...


1. Have you tried using a different browser?
2. Can you try any other PCs on your Internet connection to see if they experience the same problem?
3. Have you tried rebooting your modem?
4. Do you run any applications such as Peerblock (http://www.peerblock.com/), which often block academic sites?


You didn't specify which operating system you're using, but here's something to try...

For XP: Click on Start, Run, type in CMD and hit the Enter key. Once the command line interface is opened, type in PING www8.open.ac.uk and hit the Enter key. What do you see from the messages?

For Win7 / Vista: Click on the Windows orb and type in CMD where it says Search programs and files, and then hit the Enter key. Follow the same command outlined above.