I can chat at work okay (nothing seems to be blocked from there) but I can't access chat from home.

i have wireless access from home. it is institutional access. they block the odd thing... i think they have blocked skype. they have blocked MSN instant messaging (i think that is what it is called). i can play popcap.com games, however. when i download articles the download speed is quite good. when i download freeware games sometimes the download speed is quite good, but othertimes all of a sudden it will change to slow as anything (i think they are trying to prioritise bandwidth). i can chat at psychobabble (i think it is HTML based chat). and i can chat at Phinished (not sure what sort of chat that is). I can't chat here, however, and I can't chat at the Student Doctor Network.

I get an error message... Something to do with how I should check that port 8080 can access whatever address the chat is. I noticed that there is "chat" in the address. Is it likely that the uni firewall is blocking chat with "chat" in the address??? I don't really understand why I can't chat... How do I check what I can and can't access on port 8080? Can I change my settings on that or do I need some kind of admin access? I don't know much about computers. Thanks.

[kimmydawn]

yes, twice when i couldn't get into chat were both due to firewalls.

i turned them off (because i don't understand them anyhow and don't surf, etc).

i wish i knew more, but do know that firewalls can interfere with chatting here and have to be set for it.

love,

KD

Yeah. How you you access your firewall settings usually?

I'm not sure that I have any control over the firewall settings. My internet access is through a proxy server. I think that is the right term... When I open firefox I'm diverted to a login page and I need to login before I can use the net.

[kimmydawn]

Alex, I'm running XP and vista and do it through either the Security Center, or thru my anti-virus program.

I just disabled mine because I don't understand alot of it anyhow (except on my laptop and norton - it doesn't ask me alot of question re: allowing stuffs).

There are ways to "allow", etc., but I'm just not familiar enough to know. However, you could disable when you want to chat then enable it again when you're through? That's not the safest way, I know...

However, doing that would let you know if that's the issue for sure, then you could work on those specific settings for optimal coverage?

Another thing you could do is call cust. service with your anti-virus/firewall provider and ask them for specific instructions once you're aware that this is the problem for sure.

KD

[Raynaadi]

Wow thats a bummer Alex. Go to start and then control panel, and then security center. You'll find your firewall there, and you can turn it off....though thats not recommended.

Go into Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. Make sure these things are checked:

Under browsing:
-Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility)

Under HTTP 1.1 settings:
-Use HTTP 1.1
-Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections
(all the way at the bottom)
-Use SSL 3.0
-Use TLS 1.0

These are all settings I've been asked to check when I've had any problems. Beyond that, there should be a help desk you can call for the Uni internet? Maybe they can walk you through what to do.

I don't think its Java....but do you have the latest version of Java? I just wonder since you're able to use the other chat. It could just be that java is outdated, but I don't think it would have given that error message.

[Mystry]

Here is a place you can check your computer for stealth and you can check each individual port... steve gibson research center ...please read what is written there...Mr. Gibson is a geek before geeks were even geeks...lol...

thanks very much for the responses :-)
i think that... i don't have any control whatsoever of the university firewall... and i think it is the case that... the university firewall is blocking the chat :-(
i do have my windows firewall turned on, but if i turn it off i still can't chat.
i do have the latest version of java.
i think the situation is that i can chat okay from the office because the internet is by way of plugging it into the wall (sorry - dunno more than that)
whereas from home there is wireless access and they are blocking more sites because they are trying to be careful with how much bandwidth people are using up.

so... no chat from home :-(

thanks for all the help people

[Raynaadi]

Isn't there a help desk you can call for the univeristy internet?

sure, i can invisage the conversation:

ME: 'hey, i don't seem to be able to access this chat program on my wireless access'
THEM: 'well that is because we have blocked chat access on the wireless access so as to have more bandwidth available to people who are doing some actual work'
ME: 'oh. right then'.

so. that is that really.

[Raynaadi]

Thats too bad.

yeah. thanks for the help people. i guess i was just wondering whether there might be a way around it... but i guess not. i guess the way around it would be to pay for my own internet access ;-)

i'll just count myself lucky that chatting at work seems to be okay. it was just that i'd prefer to keep the chat at home (because of disruptions from officemates and supervisors and the like). but its okay.

[Raynaadi]

True that...maybe some day you'll have it at home.