Now this is weird. Safari can't find some servers and I've lost my avatar on the DU

[mitch96]

Many favorites get a "Safari can't find server" but some work. Changed to Firefox with the same problem. All software is up to date. Turned the laptop on and off and still does not work. I can ping google just fine... Turned wifi on and off, nope.
The weird thing is I got two spam messages saying "thank you for purchasing Norton (I did not) and another one saying Thank you for purchasing McAffee.. This is weird. And no I did not go to any "strange" web sites...
Any ideas?
m

[Tetrachloride]

1. Add DNS servers in link

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6617003

install and reboot

If anything untoward continues, post here.

There is some outside chance that professional help is needed.

[mitch96]

2. I tried, "Safari can't find server". Now I have no avatar, your avatar does not show up but

others do. It's like it's hit or miss.. very strange.
m

[Tetrachloride]

3. The missing avatar can be related to DNS

Go ahead to add the Google Public DNS


your current dns is slow. hence, errors

[mitch96]

4. I disconnected my wifi router from the wall, turned it off and back on, all works so far..

Avatars back, images now show up.. Lets hope it stays "ok"...
m

[hermetic]

5. Hope it's all working for you again

Just wanted to say that I dumped Safari months ago. It started giving me all sorts of problems. Now I use FireFox and Vivaldi.

Also, I have gotten maybe 60 "thank you for purchasing Norton" messages over the past 4 months or so. It was really starting to piss me off. They have slowed down now, though. Just never open them.

[Tetrachloride]

7. Try calling your phone company

or AppleCare

[usonian]

6. Sounds great. I forgot how many times I recommend "Just reboot your router".

Stuff needs rebooting now and then.
Don't forget, your router is a link in the chain of DNS servers.

Just as a precaution, here are some good (simple) rules for keeping the router (mostly) out of harm's way.
https://routersecurity.org/
(I shortened the short list. There's more if you are so inclined)

* Change the password used to access the router. Anything but the default should be OK, but don't use a word in the dictionary.
* If your Wi-Fi network(s) is using the default password, change it, even if it appears to be random. A Wi-Fi password should be at least 16 characters long.
* If you are using the default SSID (network name) change it. When choosing an SSID, don't identify yourself.
* Wi-Fi encryption should be WPA2 with AES or WPA3.
* Turn off WPS
* Turn off UPnP
* Use a password protected Guest Network whenever possible, not just for guests but for IoT devices too.
* If the router has a web interface, Remote Administration is probably off, but since this is so very dangerous, take the time to verify that it is disabled. If the router is administered with a mobile app and a cloud service, disabling remote access to the router is unchartered territory. Lotsa luck.
* Periodically check for new firmware.

Apple stopped selling routers a while ago (airports) but has some good advice, having let go of the business.
Not just for Apple stuff. They just write in a less geeky way than most others.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202068

I only mention this because wi-fi routers in the local monopoly ISP were "bricked" en-masse in recent times.

[mitch96]

8. thanks for the info.. My router came with my Spectrum cable service I'll look into your suggestions