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My desktop is lost.

7 years ago

No big deal, but lately my PC thinks it is located about 30 miles SW of its actual location. Just curious. How might this have happened?

Featured Answer

azinoh

7 years ago

I'll wager that nothing has happened, and everything is quite normal. Very likely, the "location" you are referring to is the location where your ISP makes it's primary connection to the Internet. My "location" is actually over 100 miles E of my address. It all depends on how and where your ISP routes your Internet traffic.

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Comments (9)

shuffles_gw
Original Author
7 years ago
Interesting. It used to be accurate - down to the zip code, as I remember.
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azinoh
7 years ago
My response is just a best guess, since you never mentioned what it is that makes you think that your PC is located 30 miles away. My response is based on the answer I get from "Alexa" when I ask it about my location.
shuffles_gw
Original Author
7 years ago
My PC is not located 30 miles distant, multiple web sites think it is. For example, when I try to get the hours of a business, I get the business in that other area. When I wanted to make an appointment with Quest, my PC directed me to Quest in that other location. This is happening across multiple web sites. They all think my PC is located in that other location. Like I said, no big deal, but I wonder what is going on. I don't have Alexa.
acraftylady
7 years ago
If you are on Windows 10 when you go to settings, privacy, location what is the default set at? If it's not right change it. Mary
shuffles_gw thanked acraftylady
Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
A couple links that may, or may not interest you:

https://www.whatismybrowser.com/ (My results: https://whatismybrowser.com/w/WDYB5FG)

https://www.whatismybrowser.com/faq/location-detection-is-wrong

https://www.maxmind.com/en/locate-my-ip-address

When I was in Ohio, sites (and advertisers) thought I lived 17 miles away from where I lived.

Here in Florida, it used to think I lived in West Palm Beach (pretty far) but now it's pretty accurate.

The city is correct. The zip code is close enough.
shuffles_gw thanked Richard (Vero Beach, Florida)
shuffles_gw
Original Author
7 years ago
Mary, I set my location. Richard, that's right. My iSP location in Palmetto.
mtvhike
7 years ago
Mary, I just checked my default location and it was in Jackson, WY (I'm on Long Island, NY!), so I just changed it. Thanks for the insight.
acraftylady
7 years ago
Great, hope it works. Mary

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