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User profile for user: jhberger
jhberger Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

"You are not connected to the internet" message

Until this morning, Safari worked pretty much ok. Now, when I launch it, I get the "you are not connected to the internet" page. Firefox and email work fine and network diagnostics verifies a proper connection. I can't even get to "software update."

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 16, 2010 2:50 PM

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24 replies
User profile for user: Community User
Community User

Jul 17, 2017 4:14 AM in response to jhberger

I have this issue too, and for years. Frustratingly, usually when using websites with short timeouts for tax or other things.


Repairing permissions won't do anything either; That only serves to waste time and start the "timer" again.


What's happening is Apple, in trying to create the ultimate consumer user experience, connects to certain Apple servers via the internet to verify it can get updates and send metadata back to Apple. If this connection doesn't happen instantly, the framework which underlies this, and Mail and other internet-related Apple software, throws an error and interrupts the user, to get YOU to hurry up and get onto a connection that will allow your computer to contact Apple.


Mozilla, ssh, terminal, other non-Apple software will continue to work, as they don't call-home to see if you can get an update before connecting to your toaster, or log into a router to change something.


How to switch this off for real, I'll never know. We found this when blocking all apple domains on a security device at our network edge, and watched the myriad of odd un-solicited traffic. Sure enough, "You're not connected to the internet" -and we certainly are.


Sorry this offers no solution, and is a trite condescending, but it's the fact of the consumerised product that is now.. the Mac, and the rush to 'contain' product owners by vendors.

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User profile for user: Carolyn Samit
Carolyn Samit
User level: Level 10
165,615 points

Nov 16, 2010 3:26 PM in response to jhberger

HI,

If you didn't repair permissions after installing the update, do that now.



Launch Disk Utility. (Applications/Utilities) Select MacintoshHD in the panel on the left, select the FirstAid tab. Click: Repair Disk Permissions. When it's finished from the Menu Bar, Quit Disk Utility and restart your Mac. If you see a long list of "messages" in the permissions window, it's ok. That can be ignored. As long as you see, "Permissions Repair Complete" when it's finished... you're done. Quit Disk Utility and *restart your Mac.*






Carolyn 🙂
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User profile for user: Joseph Lockett
Joseph Lockett
User level: Level 1
0 points

Feb 15, 2011 7:04 AM in response to jhberger

I have the same problem; if I leave the computer on long enough (usually asleep overnight), when I wake it up, Safari will present the "You are not connected to the Internet" message for any page, and Mail will display the exclamation-point-in-a-triangle for all accounts that says it's offline. Yes, Software Update also complains of a "network problem."

Meanwhile, Firefox or SSH sessions via Terminal will work fine, and both network diagnostics and System Preferences claim that the machine is, indeed, connected just fine with an IP lease and everything. This is over a wired Ethernet connection, and, yes, I've tried swapping the cable between the Mac Pro's two jacks.

I'm a long-time Mac user. I've fixed disk permissions; I've flushed Safari's cache; I've done everything described here. Rebooting always fixes the problem -- but it then recurs when the machine has sat or slept for long enough.

Since Safari and Mail are both affected, while Firefox and shell connections are not, it seems fairly clear it must be a bug in some part of the OS relating to both those Internet products. It doesn't cripple the machine, but it's definitely inconvenient, which is not what I expect from Apple products.
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User profile for user: cacau
cacau
User level: Level 1
0 points

Feb 16, 2011 8:31 PM in response to Carolyn Samit

I am having some problems with safari freezing. I have already looked into the internet plus-ins and I understand that it might be one of them. I saw one of your posts helping out another person and I thought I would ask you for help. I am new here and have no idea how to post a new blog. Can you help me Carolyn?

Thanks!
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User profile for user: Marco Meneghello
Marco Meneghello
User level: Level 1
14 points

Feb 21, 2011 8:01 AM in response to Joseph Lockett

Joseph Lockett wrote:
I have the same problem; if I leave the computer on long enough (usually asleep overnight), when I wake it up, Safari will present the "You are not connected to the Internet" message for any page, and Mail will display the exclamation-point-in-a-triangle for all accounts that says it's offline. Yes, Software Update also complains of a "network problem."


I have exactly the same problem.
Any idea?
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User profile for user: mhannum72
mhannum72
User level: Level 1
0 points

Apr 3, 2011 2:12 PM in response to Joseph Lockett

I have just experience exact same symptoms described here. Safari, and software update was not able to connect to the internet, but I had no problems ping'ing Google, and other web sites, and no problems connecting to the internet via Firefox. Clearing Safari's browser cache had no effect, and I found that the condition persisted even after logging out, and then re-logging in as the same user. Things started working correctly again after a reboot. I went through the exercise of fixing my directory permissions before rebooting, but I'm inclined to think that it was the reboot which solved this rather than modifying my directory permissions.

This should be an embarrassing bug for Apple, I think. I agree 100% with this being an issue with the OS rather than Safari, Mail, and Software-Update. If I were the Apple developer hunting this down, I would start searching for some kernel feature or optimization which the Apple software uses, but other software doesn't (or can't).

If this happens to me again, I will try to dig in a little further.
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User profile for user: Justin.Warwick
Justin.Warwick
User level: Level 1
0 points

Apr 8, 2011 6:54 PM in response to Joseph Lockett

John, you've done a great job describing the problem. I've got exactly that same one. As you say, from the terminal I can do all kinds of stuff: pings, DNS resolution, traceroutes, all just fine. I also found, at least in my case, that rather than a full reboot, I can log out and then log back in to get Safari to start working again.
I don't suppose you've had any luck in solving it? Or maybe contact with Apple support? I know many of us would appreciate any update you have.
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User profile for user: Marc Loy
Marc Loy
User level: Level 1
0 points

May 19, 2011 5:37 AM in response to Justin.Warwick

Just wanted to add my voice to those wondering about this issue and its resolution. I regularly end up in this situation where specific programs (most notably Safari) think I am "not connected to the Internet" when clearly I am connected. I tried the Repair Permissions answer to no avail. Seemed like a promising approach and would explain why some applications were affected while others were not, but again, didn't work for me. In the past, I believe rebooting my machine makes things happy again, but gosh that's a disruptive answer.


Fwiw, this happens on my main development iMac which regularly stays up for weeks at a time (minus sleeping nightly).

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