FTP on ntl broadband

andrea

Anyone have any ideas? I have been using WS_FTP for years to upload my site. Recently I had to change the proxy settings in Firefox, and ever since I did that I have been unable to connect to the servers I use in WS_FTP. Am I missing something?

Karoma

Have you told Mr WS_FTP that you need to use a proxy[Assumption that you need to use one from "Recently I had to change the proxy settings"]?

andrea

The ftp software doesn't have a setting for changing proxy, and whenever I have changed these settings in firefox before it has picked them up from there... fot instance I changed from using dial up to using broadband without making any changes in the ftp s/w.

Oh, and to answer the other part of your comment, yes I have added a proxy in where there wasn't one. But I had to do that previously and it didn't cause this problem, which is why I am confused!

Karoma

Tools -> Options -> Firewall :: Add an entry I'd imagine.

thund3rbird_

if you are using firefox you might like to check this out

ricey

use flashfxp

andrea

thund3rbird_ wrote:

if you are using firefox you might like to check this out

Looks good alright, unfortunately won't download for me, getting a download error.

thund3rbird_

have you allowed the site to install?
see screenshot

go here: (copy/paste into either FF or IE)

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/extensions/fireftp/

you will see several versions
try right-click & saving as... and then open the .xpi in firefox



regarding the original query - were you getting any errors in WS FTP?

andrea

It has worked here at work, I'll try it at home again later. Was getting the Install screen but when I clicked Install it said it had a download error. As I said, I'll try again later.

andrea

Yep getting it to install fine but still can't connect. I've completely run out of ideas about what could be causing the problem now!

Boomer23

andrea wrote:

I've completely run out of ideas about what could be causing the problem now!

sorry about this but the problem is PEBCAC, quite a serious issue

daymobrew

I use WS_FTP Pro 6.02 (it's old but good). I have ntl. I just uploaded a bunch of files to my web site last night. No problems at all.

andrea wrote:

Recently I had to change the proxy settings in Firefox

I don't have a proxy set in Firefox. Why did you have to change the proxy settings?
When I work from home and use VPN I set the browser proxy to one in the office so that I can get to sites outside the office. When not using VPN I don't need the proxy.

The proxy dialog on my WS_FTP is set for each site:
Connect -> select FTP site from list -> Properties -> Firewall.
For a newer version, try the WS_FTP Support article about proxies.

andrea

I'm actually not sure which version I have installed because I've been using it so long, but I'd say it's not too different from that one. Never had any problems with it until recently.

If I don't change the proxy settings I can't load any pages at all. This happened before with ntl and then after a while it was no longer necessary again but then a couple of weeks ago it happened again. If I don't put the proxy settings in nothing works. Yahoo messenger wouldn't sign in last night until I added the proxy setting.

I tried adding the details of the proxy in the way you mentioned below but it made no difference, it still won't connect to either site for me (I use two different ones, so it isn't the server that's down)

I have also temporarily disabled both hardware and software firewalls and this made no difference either. Not that I'd expect it to because it was working fine up until now!

Boomer23

with NTL you use an automatic proxy setting, not specified

oh and PEBCAC is still the problem

Karoma

Boomer23 wrote:

sorry about this but the problem is PEBCAC, quite a serious issue

I concurr. *serious tutting*

andrea

Until recently automatic proxy settings worked fine. Now they don't. If I use automatic proxy setting in Firefox/IE or anything else then they can't connect. The list is here: http://www.ntlhell.co.uk/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t26500.html

And PEBCAC is not the case here, everybody can run into a problem that they can't resolve. There's no need to be smart about it.

I've also had somebody who knows a bit more than I do check this out and he couldn't find a solution either.

Boomer23

hey, not being smart, just pointing out that everyone on NTL thats online at the moment will have the proxy automated yet you have it specified and its not working

process of elimination....................or contact your "friend who knows more" and ask him to get you an engineer

andrea

Sounds smart from this end.

Different areas will have different settings for this. If I use automatic proxy absolutely nothing works, so I put the setting in that works. All that doesn't work is FTP, and it won't work on automatic settings either. Go figure, maybe I know something about this after all.

Boomer23

try fireFTP, a firefox add-on....since the browser itself works

andrea

I did, as per the advice above, same thing happens with that.

Boomer23

firewall?

andrea

I have tried disabling both, hardware and software (not at the same time). Same thing happens.

Boomer23

try both at the same time, wont go any harm for 30 seconds because something is being blocked

no smartness, but by eliminating the things that DO work you eliminate a lot.....not the connection, not the modem, not IE or Firefox, not the programmes.....it does not leave a lot that it COULD be if ye get me

andrea

No, I worked in tech support for long enough to understand the concept of elimination! :-)

I've tried so many things I'm not sure if I did disable both together, possibly not. I will try that again when I go home this evening.

So if I eliminate the firewall(s) and I know that the connection etc work because everything else is fine on them, and the other software is ok but no ftp software will connect so it's not an individual ftp program then what else is there that it could be?

Boomer23

fair play ;-)
could be ports, could be spyware.....just something thats blocking

thund3rbird_

start > run etc

you should get something along the lines of below.

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\********>ftp
ftp> open upload.ntlworld.ie
Connected to upload.ntlworld.ie.
220-
220-##################################################################
220-
220- Welcome to upload.ntlworld.com
220-
220-##################################################################
220-
220 upload.ntlworld.com FTP server ready
User (upload.ntlworld.ie: )none)): ********
331 Password required for ********.
Password:
230 User ******** logged in.
ftp>


is this working?


also, afaik most ISPs limit ftp access to their own range of IPs
you are trying to connect from home?

andrea

Yes I am trying to connect at home with ntl broadband, not to ntl's server though... I had my site set up long before I got bb from ntl so I use another server. Actually I use 2 different ones, one of them doesn't display xml and xsl properly. I can't connect to either of them. One is iol.ie and the other is servage.net. I can't connect to either. I also did try connecting to the ntl space and that wouldn't work either.

I tried the command >ftp iol.ie at the command prompt the other night, it said something along the lines of that it could not find iol.ie. (memory isn't the best for these things sometimes)

thund3rbird_

mmmm

iol - probably blocked (from iol side) anyway due to you having an ntl ip address
servage.net - not sure

if ALL ftp, even ntl, is not working check that nothing is blocking port 21

andrea

I hadn't heard of that, that they block if the ip doesn't match their range. If it's just a case of that though then why would they have been working up until now? Anyway that should not affect servage as that is a hosting account? And the ntl account won't allow me to connect either.

I still have an iol webspace because I still have a dialup connection account with them that is in use at home where BB has not reached.

andrea

thund3rbird_ wrote:

start > run etc

you should get something along the lines of below.

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\********>ftp
ftp> open upload.ntlworld.ie
Connected to upload.ntlworld.ie.
220-
220-##################################################################
220-
220- Welcome to upload.ntlworld.com
220-
220-##################################################################
220-
220 upload.ntlworld.com FTP server ready
User (upload.ntlworld.ie: )none)): ********
331 Password required for ********.
Password:
230 User ******** logged in.
ftp>


is this working?


also, afaik most ISPs limit ftp access to their own range of IPs
you are trying to connect from home?

I'm getting this:
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\******>ftp
ftp> open upload.ntlworld.ie
Unknown host upload.ntlworld.ie.
ftp> quit

and it's exactly the same regardless of proxy settings in browsers

andrea

A few more experiments and narrowed this down to dns server. Using ip address rather than name and problem seems to be solved!