"Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage"....Immedately

Here's the deal. First of all, save the "Vista sucks" or "Use Firefox" comments, because they're not helpful, unless the former really is just the problem.

I am using Windows Vista Premium Home Edition, which uses IE7. It is all updated and stuff, except for a few updates to .NET Framework that won't seem to install. I am using PC-cillin, it's updated and I just scanned my computer and there's nothing bad on it.

Sometimes IE7 will just say "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage". It doesn't matter what the webpage is, and it seems to happen randomly, and on pages like google.com which are obviously there. The problem is that it shows that error message immediately when I try to open the webpage. It doesn't even take a second to look for the page, just immediately the error message. Or, instead of giving the webpage, it will set up a search for what I typed in google.com (the latter is much rarer than the former). If I hit the Refresh button, the webpage comes up normally. It has never given the error message/google search more than once. It's a nuisance when I'm trying to log on to a website and it gives me that error, because then I have to do it again.

This problem is fixed by simply hitting the Refresh button, what I want to know is what is causing this, and if it is possible to stop it from happening.

Thank you for your help in advance.

It could be a lot of things, but this sounds like a problem with your internet provider. Maybe a DNS issue, though I would expect those to last a bit longer than that.
Does this affect other applications that need a constant connection to a server, like instant messenger, streaming audio or video and such?

Also, try a different browser. Not because you need to change, but for testing purposes. If you get the same problem in Firefox, you'll know that it's not an IE error. If you don't get the same problem in Firefox, you'll know the problem is related to IE.

Vista sucks, use Firefox :D Clearly something's wrong with the underlying system when MS .NET updates are failing to install :D


Anyway, DNS or network connection glitches would be the common causes, I think. You're not using wireless are you? :p DNS might be caused by a dodgy router doing something funny with requests for entries it hasn't looked up and cached yet which explains why it works immediately on refresh, if you're using a router :p

Alternatively yes, as Mirage said, try in a different application/browser to see if it does the same or not to help pinpoint where the problem lies. :p

I have cable internet through Comcast, and I'm not using wireless.

This problem doesn't seem to affect anything else. Trillian works fine, WoW doesn't ever have a problem, my USB Wi-Fi never messes up.

I'll try using Firefox for a while and see if the problem happens there as well.