How to 'force' the US version of a global website
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
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Posts: 1,097
How to 'force' the US version of a global website
I'm in Prague at the moment and when I go to google.com (firefox FYI), it's converted to google.cz....sometimes helpful but mostly not.
Similar problem earlier this year in the BA club room in DME airport in Russia.
Someone before me had accessed yahoo.es (I think it was .es) and that always popped up whenever I tried yahoo.com or us.f542.mail.yahoo.com
And you can't clear the cookies on most lounge PCs'
Solutions?
Similar problem earlier this year in the BA club room in DME airport in Russia.
Someone before me had accessed yahoo.es (I think it was .es) and that always popped up whenever I tried yahoo.com or us.f542.mail.yahoo.com
And you can't clear the cookies on most lounge PCs'
Solutions?
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist


Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Worldwide
Posts: 12,952
I'm in Prague at the moment and when I go to google.com (firefox FYI), it's converted to google.cz....sometimes helpful but mostly not.
Similar problem earlier this year in the BA club room in DME airport in Russia.
Someone before me had accessed yahoo.es (I think it was .es) and that always popped up whenever I tried yahoo.com or us.f542.mail.yahoo.com
And you can't clear the cookies on most lounge PCs'
Solutions?
Similar problem earlier this year in the BA club room in DME airport in Russia.
Someone before me had accessed yahoo.es (I think it was .es) and that always popped up whenever I tried yahoo.com or us.f542.mail.yahoo.com
And you can't clear the cookies on most lounge PCs'
Solutions?
http://world.yahoo.com/
#3


Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 7,566
Slightly easier for me as I am UK-based... but when Google insists on sending me to its Latvian or Danish version I force an English version by typing in www.google.co.uk
I wonder if www.google.us would do the trick?
BTW, it's not just your actual location that will make Google try to send you to a foreign-language version... I find that when I use T-mobile wifi in the UK Google somehow thinks I'm in Germany and insists on sending me to google.de!
I wonder if www.google.us would do the trick?
BTW, it's not just your actual location that will make Google try to send you to a foreign-language version... I find that when I use T-mobile wifi in the UK Google somehow thinks I'm in Germany and insists on sending me to google.de!
#4
Join Date: Oct 2005
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www.google.com/ncr works well, with the added advantage that it 'sticks', meaning that you only have to enter it once.
I presume it uses a cookie to set you to .com more or less permanently.
When you visit a site like google.com, your numeric IP address (you can't see it, but everything on the Internet has an IP address) is sent with your request. Sites like Google check that against a database to get a pretty accurate indication what country that IP address has been allocated to.
That's how they to the redirecting trick.
I presume it uses a cookie to set you to .com more or less permanently.
When you visit a site like google.com, your numeric IP address (you can't see it, but everything on the Internet has an IP address) is sent with your request. Sites like Google check that against a database to get a pretty accurate indication what country that IP address has been allocated to.
That's how they to the redirecting trick.
#6
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MisterNice
#7




Join Date: Feb 2000
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sometimes I use the annoymouse.org website for just this type of thing. Also, if you HAVE any sort of VPN connection to a company, then that would do it. I have setup a simple VPN on my home router, so I can connect directly to the USA when I am abroad. It also has really helped with my slingbox traffic in places like India, South america and china. I think what happens is, only CERTAIN servers can/like to/want to pass the VPN authentication traffic so the routing is somewhat more optimal. When I run a tracert of the traffic, I end up doing about 50% less hops with the VPN connection THAN without the VPN connection.
#8


Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Detroit; Formerly Dubai
Posts: 3,676
sometimes I use the annoymouse.org website for just this type of thing. Also, if you HAVE any sort of VPN connection to a company, then that would do it. I have setup a simple VPN on my home router, so I can connect directly to the USA when I am abroad. It also has really helped with my slingbox traffic in places like India, South america and china. I think what happens is, only CERTAIN servers can/like to/want to pass the VPN authentication traffic so the routing is somewhat more optimal. When I run a tracert of the traffic, I end up doing about 50% less hops with the VPN connection THAN without the VPN connection.
#9




Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Menlo Park, CA, USA
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Posts: 7,174
I use the tomato router FW, and openvpn, but one could open a vpn port on any router and use a sW based vpn on a local machine. I have done this with my mac before, which is always on on the LAN.
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend




Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
S.
#11




Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 278
You can force Google to believe you are in any country with this:
http://merjis.com/local_google_search
I have used it, eg, when I am in Japan on my way to the US, to make it think I am in the US and recommend things that are in my destination location not Tokyo!
http://merjis.com/local_google_search
I have used it, eg, when I am in Japan on my way to the US, to make it think I am in the US and recommend things that are in my destination location not Tokyo!
#13



Join Date: Jun 2007
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Posts: 6,095
This is the URL I get in the US:
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx?root=1
Also, there is a language/country preference option on the top right of the screen. Does resetting that help?
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx?root=1
Also, there is a language/country preference option on the top right of the screen. Does resetting that help?
#14




Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Okinawa
Posts: 2,615
This is the URL I get in the US:
http://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx?root=1
Also, there is a language/country preference option on the top right of the screen. Does resetting that help?

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/default.aspx?root=1
Also, there is a language/country preference option on the top right of the screen. Does resetting that help?


