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I don't understand why imgur.com is not resolving on my computer. I have tried Google DNS and it still doesn't work. Neither does the DNS from my broadband provider. However, if I connect over a VPN it works. Why is this? Also, my phone has the same issue using WiFi, so it is definitely tied to my home network. How can I diagnose and fix this issue?

Edit: pics of imgur.com in browser with and without vpn. Posted via VPN.

enter image description here

enter image description here

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Please edit and correct any errors on my part. I cleaned up your question, but may have made a couple of assumptions! – iglvzx Feb 16 '12 at 0:19
Very close. Imgur.com actually works. But any subdomain fails. I get the site for where the picture is suppose to be, but no pic. :( Some CSS script seems to be unreachable as well. This is an example of what I see: bayimg.com/iAmMOaAdK – data_jepp Feb 16 '12 at 0:29
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Have you tried to empty your browser cache? Do you have any security add-on installed in your browser such as NoScript? – harrymc Mar 10 '12 at 8:47
What OS are you running on your computer? – Spiff Mar 12 '12 at 20:04
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This is not a DNS issue since the domain resolves. I think the issue is in your router, since everything works just fine through the VPN tunnel. – goblinbox Mar 13 '12 at 22:12
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6 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted
+100

Your router has DNS caching issues. I had an older Linksys E1000 Wireless-N router, but I've found the issue also exists with other (cheaper) models.

Easiest thing is resetting your router, which usually cleans out the DNS cache. Check that your firmware is up-to-date, and update it if it's not. Another option is getting another router.

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I'll look into it. By router do you mean the box with wifi antenna or the modem? – data_jepp Mar 14 '12 at 14:11
The box with the antenna. – Zenbait Mar 14 '12 at 17:21
up vote 7 down vote

imgur.com's images generally come from i.imgur.com, and their CSS and JS come from s.imgur.com. Both are aliases to *.edgecastcdn.net—the EdgeCast.com CDN (Content Distribution Network—like a competitor for Akamai).

You might want to look into whether or not you can resolve and/or connect to the *.edgecastcdn.net hosts that i.imgur and s.imgur resolve to, or see if there are other well-known sites that use EdgeCast and see if you have the same problem with those sites.

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Liveleak has the same symptoms. – data_jepp Mar 16 '12 at 12:26
up vote 3 down vote

Can you perform an nslookup {whatever_subdomain}.imgur.com - and then try accessing those IPs directly from a browser - i.e. enter "http://123.456.789.012" in the browser.

It sounds like imgur.com has banned you or blocked you (or the IP your DNS has given you) from some of their subdomains for some reason. You may have accessed the subdomains in question too much.

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up vote 1 down vote

Open a command prompt and run "tracert imgur.com" without the quotation marks. This will tell you where your packets are getting dropped, post the output.

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up vote 1 down vote

Also, to get a more useful answer, try installing Firefox as an alternative browser and install Firebug as an add-on. It manifests itself as a "bug" icon. Visit its Network-tab and try loading the page again. Each element of the page will result in one line.

If you see your GET request for the CSS/JS files fail with Status 404, then the connected webserver could not find the requested URL. In your situation it likely means your browser was connected to an incorrect IP adress or the connection was intercepted (as in: transparent proxying by 3G providers or "clever" proxying routers) and incorrectly handled.

If it says "Aborted" in a line then an actual DNS resolving issue could be the reason. right-click the GET-part on the left and choose "Open in new Tab". This will yield a more informative error message because embedded resources usually fail silently, resulting in missing images or CSS/JS files as in your case.

Good luck.

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up vote 0 down vote

This happens on windows, mac and on my android phone.

If this only happens when your phone is connected via the router, then the problem is maybe with the router.

If this also happens when your phone is connected directly to the Internet via the operator, then the problem is maybe with the imgur.com website itself or that your ISP is victimizing it.

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I think something is fishy with my ISP, because some other guy (just read online at random forum) is having the same problem as me! – data_jepp Mar 14 '12 at 14:10
I clarified my answer. But is the other guy and your phone connected via the same ISP? – harrymc Mar 14 '12 at 14:30

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