If only certain sites (like Norton Safe Web and IMDB) are down for you but not others, it’s likely a routing/ISP issue, security software filter, or something on the network rather than just browser/DNS cache.
You already tried the basic browser-side stuff, so I’d go a bit deeper:
1. Check if the sites are really down or just for you
- Use a status checker from another device/network, for example:
- If possible, test from:
- Your phone on mobile data (not Wi‑Fi).
- A different network (work, friend’s house, etc.).
If those services or another network can open Norton Safe Web / IMDB, then the issue is almost certainly your ISP or your local network.
2. Try a VPN test
- If you have a VPN (even a trial), connect to a different country and then try:
- If they work over VPN but not without it:
- Your ISP or upstream routing is likely the cause, or
- There is some geo/routing issue affecting your region.
3. Check security software / filtering (very important)
If you’re running any of these, temporarily disable
only their web-filtering/HTTPS scanning and test again:
- Norton (Safe Web / Smart Firewall / parental controls)
- Other AV suites with web filtering (Kaspersky, Bitdefender, ESET, etc.)
- Ad-blockers / extensions (uBlock Origin, AdGuard, etc.)
- Browser security extensions (Norton browser extension, McAfee, etc.)
Steps:
- Disable all browser extensions.
- Temporarily disable AV web protection module (not the whole AV, and only for a short test).
- Try opening the sites again.
If the pages start working when something is disabled, that product is blocking or breaking the connection.
4. Test from another device on the same network
- Use another PC/phone on your home Wi‑Fi.
- Try to open Norton Safe Web and IMDB.
Results:
- If all devices fail → issue is likely at router/ISP/network level.
- If only one device fails → something on that device (firewall, AV, proxy, hosts file) is causing it.
5. Check router / DNS / parental controls
Even though you changed DNS on the device, the router or ISP may still interfere.
- Log into your router:
- Look for any Parental Controls / Web Filtering / SafeSearch settings.
- Look for security features like “Safe DNS”, “Malicious Site Blocking”, “Content Filter”.
- If such a feature is enabled, try turning it off temporarily and test again.
- You can also manually set DNS to something like Cloudflare (1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1) or Google (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4) directly on the router, then reboot router and PC.
6. Run some quick diagnostics (on Windows)
Open
Command Prompt as Administrator and try:
ping www.imdb.comtracert www.imdb.comping safeweb.norton.comtracert safeweb.norton.com
Also, flush DNS cache:
If ping or tracert show timeouts early (e.g. at your router or first ISP hop), that points to a network/ISP issue rather than your browser.
7. Check for proxy or hosts file overrides
- On Windows:
- Settings → Network & Internet → Proxy → make sure no manual proxy is set (unless you added one intentionally).
- Check C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hostswith Notepad (Run as admin):
- Look for lines mentioning
imdb.com or norton.com.
- If such lines exist and point to weird IPs (like 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1), comment them out by adding
# at the start or remove those lines, then save.
8. If it looks ISP-related
If:
- Sites work over VPN or on mobile data,
- Don’t work on any device on your home network,
then it’s very likely an ISP or regional routing problem.
In that case:
- Contact your ISP’s support, explain that:
- Only specific sites (IMDB, Norton Safe Web) are unreachable,
- They load fine through VPN or mobile data,
- You’ve already tried different DNS and browsers.
- Ask if there’s any known routing or filtering issue to those domains.
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If you can, post back with:
- The exact browser error (e.g. DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN, ERR_CONNECTION_TIMED_OUT, etc.)
- Whether they work from mobile data or VPN.
- Whether they fail on all devices on your network.
With that info, it’ll be easier to narrow down whether it’s device-specific, router-level, or ISP-level.
