:What do I do if I cannot use Internet Explorer on a Windows instance to access external websites?

Problem description

You cannot use the Internet Explorer browser on a Windows instance to access external websites.

Causes

The following section describes the possible causes of the issue:

• The instance has no public IP addresses assigned.

• The local network and Domain Name Server (DNS) resolution are improperly configured.

• The Internet Explorer browser is improperly configured.

• The network access is limited by factors such as IP security policies.

Solutions

To troubleshoot the issue, perform the following steps.

Step 1: Check whether the instance is assigned a public IP address

1. View the network information of the instance to check whether the instance is assigned a public IP address.

   For more information, see View instance information.

   • If the instance is assigned a public IP address, perform Step 2: Troubleshoot network-related settings.

   • If the instance is not assigned a public IP address, perform the next step.

2. Use one of the following methods to assign a public IP address to the instance:

   • Method 1:

     Apply for an elastic IP address (EIP) and associate the EIP with the instance. For more information, see Apply for an EIP and Associate an EIP with an ECS instance.

   • Method 2:

     Upgrade the public bandwidth configurations of the instance to obtain a static public IP address. For more information, see Modify the bandwidth configurations of subscription instances.

   • Method 3:

     Configure an Internet NAT gateway to allow the instance that is not assigned a public IP address to access the Internet. For more information, see Use the SNAT feature of an Internet NAT gateway to access the Internet.

Step 2: Troubleshoot network-related settings

Troubleshoot the local network

1. Obtain the public IP address of the instance.

   1. In the lower-left corner of the Windows desktop, click the icon.

   2. Enter cmd in the search box and click Command Prompt.

   3. In the Command Prompt window, run the curl cip.cc command.

      • If the local network of the instance is normal, the public IP address of the instance is displayed in the command output, as shown in the following figure. In this case, perform the Step 3: Troubleshoot the Internet Explorer browser and Step 4: Troubleshoot network limitations such as IP security policies without the need to troubleshoot the DNS resolution.

      • If the local network of the instance is abnormal, the public IP address of the instance is not displayed in the command output and an error message is returned, as shown in the following figure. In this case, perform the next step to check the local network configurations of the instance.

2. Check the local network configurations of the instance

   1. In the lower-left corner of the Windows desktop, click the icon.

   2. Enter control panel in the search box and click Control Panel.

   3. In Control Panel, choose Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center. Then, click Ethernet.

   4. In the Ethernet Status window, click Details and check whether Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is enabled.

   5. In the Ethernet Status window, click Properties. On the Networking tab, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties. In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties window, select Obtain an IP address automatically.

Troubleshoot the DNS resolution

1. Connect to the instance.

   For more information, see Connection methods.

2. In the lower-left corner of the Windows desktop, click the icon.

3. Enter cmd in the search box and click Command Prompt.

4. In the Command Prompt window, run the ping <Domain name of an external website> command to check whether the DNS resolution is normal.

   In this example, the domain name of the external website www.aliyun.com is used and the ping www.aliyun.com command is run.

   • If the DNS resolution is normal, the IP address that corresponds to the domain name is displayed in the command output, as shown in the following figure. In this case, perform Step 3: Troubleshoot the Internet Explorer browser.

   • If the DNS resolution is abnormal, the IP address that corresponds to the domain name is not displayed in the command output. In this case, perform the next step to resolve the DNS resolution issue.

5. Resolve the DNS resolution issue.

   1. In the lower-left corner of the Windows desktop, click the icon.

   2. Enter ncpa.cpl in the search box and click ncpa.cpl.

   3. In the Network Connections window, right-click the network interface with which the public IP address of the instance is associated and select Properties.

   4. In the Ethernet Properties window, double-click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).

   5. Select Use the following DNS server addresses and enter 223.5.5.5 in the Preferred DNS server field and 223.6.6.6 in the Alternative DNS server field. 223.5.5.5 and 223.6.6.6 are the IP addresses of Alibaba Cloud public DNS servers.

      Note

      You can enter other IP addresses of public DNS servers.

      

   6. Click OK and close the windows.

6. Use the Internet Explorer browser on the instance to access external websites.

   • If the issue is resolved, the instance can access the websites.

   • If the issue persists, the instance still cannot access the websites. In this case, perform Step 3: Troubleshoot the Internet Explorer browser.

Step 3: Troubleshoot the Internet Explorer browser

If the DNS resolution is normal but you still cannot use the Internet Explorer browser on the instance to access external websites, the issue may be caused by the configurations or compatibility of the Internet Explorer browser. Use Chrome or Firefox to check whether the instance can access external websites. If you can use other browsers on the instance to access external websites, reset the Internet Explorer browser to resolve the Internet Explorer issue.

To reset the Internet Explorer browser, perform the following steps:

1. Connect to the instance.

   For more information, see Connection methods.

2. Open the Internet Explorer browser.

3. In the upper-right corner of the Internet Explorer browser, click the icon and select Internet options.

4. In the Internet options window, click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.

5. In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings window, click Reset.

Step 4: Troubleshoot network limitations such as IP security policies

If you perform the preceding steps but the instance still cannot access external websites, the issue may be caused by network limitations. Check whether IP security policies or third-party network management software is configured on the Window operating system to block the DNS resolution or block access to external websites. To troubleshoot network limitations, perform the following steps:

1. Connect to the instance.

   For more information, see Connection methods.

2. In the lower-left corner of the Windows desktop, click the icon.

3. Enter secpol.msc in the search box and click secpol.msc.

4. In the Local Security Policy window, click IP Security Policies on Local Computer and check whether an IP security policy is assigned to the instance. If an IP security policy is assigned to the instance, unassign the policy.

5. Use the Internet Explorer browser to access external websites.

   • If the issue is resolved, the instance can access external websites.

   • If the issue persists, perform the following steps:

     1. Check whether network security-related software is installed on the instance to block or limit access to external websites. If network security-related software is installed on the instance to block or limit access to external websites, allow access to external websites and use the Internet Explorer browser to access the external websites.

     2. Check whether the TIME_WAIT connections on the instance are released. If the TIME_WAIT connections are not released, the instance cannot access external websites.