Amazon won't load on any browser

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noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Amazon won't load on any browser

For months now I've been unable to open Amazon(.co.uk) on MacBook Air.

When I try on Chrome it gives the below:

This site can’t be reached

www.amazon.co.uk took too long to respond.Try:

Checking the connection
Checking the proxy and the firewall

ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT

When I try on Firefox it gives the below:

The connection has timed out

The server at www.amazon.co.uk is taking too long to respond.

The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.

If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network connection.

If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

Safari gives a similar message but I can't copy and past it for some reason, basically says the server isn't responding.

Amazon works on all other devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network. MacBook is running Catalina 10.15.7 and all browsers are up to date.

Any ideas what the issue could be?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 26, 2020 2:27 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

146,396 points

Nov 21, 2020 5:03 PM in response to noshadow

As I understand it, the only way to get Amazon's UK website to load is to use "Get help online" in Recovery mode. That means the problem is isolated to your Mac, but whatever is preventing your Mac from contacting Amazon is unknown. All other websites load normally.

I may have missed it but did you try resetting website data?

Manage cookies and website data in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

Also, Clear your browsing history in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

I suspect none of that will help because the problem is affecting all browsers. On that subject please open System Preferences... > Network > select your WiFi interface > Advanced > DNS, and investigate the possibility of any unusual entries in DNS Servers or Search Domains. Normally those entries will be populated by your router so no manually entered data should exist.

The FE80 entry is for IPv6 addresses. I wouldn't be concerned about it and it's not a factor anyway.

You might try creating a new "Network Location" but I doubt it will help: Use network locations on Mac - Apple Support

I'm obviously overlooking something but I don't know what it is.

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Answer 2

John Galt

Level 10

146,396 points

Oct 26, 2020 6:23 AM in response to noshadow

If you can't open a website in Safari on Mac - Apple Support

If Safari doesn't load a page or webpage items are missing - Apple Support

If features on a webpage don’t work in Safari on Mac

I suspect you followed most if not all of the preceding steps already to no avail.

Determine if the problems exist in Safe Mode: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support. Then, restart normally and determine if the problems return. Report your observations.

If you don't get anywhere, you can use the following procedure to determine if the problem is internal or external to your Mac. Causes may involve your router, your ISP, the DNS Server(s) it uses, or certain user-configurable options.

Shut down your Mac.
Load macOS Recovery by holding ⌘ and r (two fingers) while you start your Mac with a third finger.
At the macOS Utilities screen, release those two fingers.
Choose Get Help Online.
Safari will launch, but it will lack your bookmarks, favorites, history and other preferences.

Determine if the problem persists while using Safari in that mode. After that, restart your Mac normally, and report your observations.

Needless to say, if you are using any non-Apple "anti-virus", "cleaning", or "Internet security" products including "banking security", anything at all in that broad category of utterly useless garbage, don't. A lot of things won't work if you do.

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Answer 3

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 20, 2020 2:35 AM in response to John Galt

Hi again,

Apologies for the delayed reply, I've finally got round to using Etrecheck to generate a report. I've attached the report to this post using the additional text function. Hopefully it reveals the issue.

Thanks

Etrecheck report

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Answer 4

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Oct 27, 2020 5:30 AM in response to John Galt

Hi,

Yes I have tried the first three steps you posted but no success. I also tried in safe mode and the problem still persists there.

I then tried In macOS Recovery as you suggested and I was able to load Amazon successfully in Safari. I then restarted my Mac as normal and the problem is still there.

I don't have any anti-virus, security or cleaning products installed on my Mac

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Answer 5

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2020 10:08 AM in response to John Galt

Just tried that on terminal, here's what came up:

Host Database

#

# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface

# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.

##

127.0.0.1 localhost

255.255.255.255 broadcasthost

::1 localhost

fe80::1%lo0 localhost

# Block SRS Labs Activation

127.0.0.1 activate.adobe.com

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Answer 6

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2020 12:42 PM in response to John Galt

Thanks for that. I've followed those instructions and now it shows:

##

# Host Database

#

# localhost is used to configure the loopback interface

# when the system is booting. Do not change this entry.

##

127.0.0.1 localhost

255.255.255.255 broadcasthost

::1 localhost

I'm a little confused by the comment to that post though, should "Above example is seemingly missing the IPv6 link local address range FE80 entry that is commonly included:" that be included on mine too?

Like you said though, it doesn't appear to be related to Amazon as it still doesn't load.

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Answer 7

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 22, 2020 2:40 AM in response to John Galt

Thanks for that! I checked the DNS settings and found two DNS servers had been entered. I've deleted them now, rebooted and now Amazon works instantly!

Thanks for all the help with this, I was beginning to think I'd just have to live with the problem and stick to using Amazon on my phone.

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Answer 8

bopnhoym

Level 1

4 points

Dec 25, 2020 2:17 AM in response to noshadow

This worked for me too! Thanks. I had already uninstalled my VPNs but the DNS settings clearly hadn't been properly removed. After deleting the 2 DNS servers that were there, Amazon loaded straight away, and also Apple TV which hadn't been connecting.

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Answer 9

John Galt

Level 10

146,396 points

Oct 27, 2020 7:31 AM in response to noshadow

Consider Using EtreCheck - Apple Community. Post its report in a reply to this Discussion if you wish. Instructions are included in that User Tip.

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Answer 10

noshadow Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 21, 2020 7:00 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

I've uninstalled the VPN clients & Flash Player, rebooted the Macbook and it's still the same, times out every time. I've attached a new EtreCheck report in case I've missed something.

Etrecheck report

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