Loss of Connection

[Ireland914]

Hi, I recently lost the ability to connect my PC to the internet.  I've searched and tried out a few troubleshooting solutions but nothing has worked.  Last night I kicked the power cord for my PC... After rebooting I was unable to get an IP address when connecting to the internet.  Now, I have no idea if kicking the power bar could possibly have anything to do with my problem.  I'm sure it was just a coincidence. 

I know for a fact that there is no problem with my router or the ethernet cables because two other computers on the network haven't had any problems.  I've tried other cables with no luck. I've also run Ad-Aware and viru scans which havent found anything.  There have not been any recent changes to my computer that I could connect to the problem.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[hot dog]

well lets see if I can take a shot at this..    I'm going to throw a few possible solutions at you instead of only one at a time, to speed this up.


Open a command prompt and type: ipconfig     and press enter...  What does it say your "default gateway" and "ip address" is?    Or does it say, "media disconnected"?

If no IP address for you computer showed up with IPCONFIG then try this first: Power down the problematic PC and the router (if the other two working computers are plugged into the same power strip as the bad computer and router, make sure you power those down as well)  Next, power on the router and let it run until all activity lights are up to par...Once the router is up and running, then power on your PC to see if it will obtain and IP address automatically from the router.....that is, if your computer is configured for DHCP (obtaining ip addresses automatically from the default gateway, which is your router), which it probably is................IF you are using a modem, the modem must be the first thing to be powered on...Next the router must be powered on and fully running, then the computer....in that order.
Once you've done this, look at your IPCONFIG stats. again and see if you've got your IP address back......




If your IP address is showing up and you still have no internet connection try this:

Open a command prompt and type: ping www.google.com
press enter, and see if you get a "reply" back... If you get a reply back then the problem may be in your browser.... Try resetting your browser to "default" or "factory" settings.

Are you sure that the switch you are using is actually a "router" and not a gateway? Reason I ask is because some people use the terms interchangeably, but the type of cable used to connect a PC to them are different types. Those other cables you tried, what type of cables are they?  If you are connecting a PC to a router, a crossover cable must be used.  If you are connecting your PC to a gateway, a "straight" cable must be used.  Although the two cable types look alike, there internal wire configuration is quite different.....    Borrow a cable from one of the other two working computers for testing and see if it remedies your connection problem.....if you have not already done so...... 

If using one of the other two computer's cables doesn't work, make sure everything is up to par in Device Manager...  make sure there are no errors next to "network adapters"



Now, after all this, you still have no connection to the Internet, try this: Restart your computer...Immediately, when your computer begins to power on, tap the F8 key and enter the Advanced Options....Then select "safe mode with networking"....  When it boots try to connect to the internet and see if it works..

[Mulreay]

You can also try:

Go into control panel then device manager open up network adapters right click on your adapter and uninstall. Then restart your computer to automatically re-install. This sometimes works.

[westom]

Hi, I recently lost the ability to connect my PC to the internet.  I've searched and tried out a few troubleshooting solutions but nothing has worked.  Last night I kicked the power cord for my PC... After rebooting I was unable to get an IP address when connecting to the internet.

blockHEAD is taking your through various "find out what is wrong before changing anything" process.  Very responsible.

  Meanwhile, he is approaching the problem from a second layer.  You have assumed the first layer is good - ie Ethernet cables.  Maybe – but not definitive.  If good, then lights at both ends of the Ethernet cable glow when the computer connects to router.  Typically, a light exists adjacent to the computer's Ethernet cable.  Does it light?  And extinguishes when the cable is disconnected?

   Another light is typically on the router's front panel.  Then the cable is disconnected from the rear, those the light (with the same numbers) extinguish?  These must happen to know (without doubt) that the NIC, router, and cable work properly at the lowest level of the Networking protocols.

 What you may or may not discover using blockHEAD’s suggestions are same.  Get facts. First know what you have.  Make changes later.

[hot dog]

Reason I had him check the IP configuration first was because if an IP address IS showing up, along with his default gateway and subnet mask, then we can assume that the cable is good....because without a good cable, no IP address can be issued by DHCP.....When the computer is first switched on, DHCP will automatically assign an IP address if the cable is good...   I'm assuming he's using DHCP because most people do..

I'm trying to be systematic but my paragraphs are a little out of order....  I should have placed the paragraph about pinging after the paragraph about the cables...


edit: just realized that even if the IP configuration is displayed there could still be a bad connection between the NIC and router.......Doing an ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew is a better way to tell if the connection is good, without first trying a different cable

[westom]

Reason I had him check the IP configuration first was because if an IP address IS showing up, along with his default gateway and subnet mask, then we can assume that the cable is good....because without a good cable, no IP address can be issued by DHCP.....When the computer is first switched on, DHCP will automatically assign an IP address if the cable is

To expand on what blockHEAD has posted:
  Computer can have an IP address assigned dynamically (from the router) or statically (by a human). Most (default) is to lease an IP address.  That can only happen if lowest level hardware is working properly.  If the address is assigned statically, then low level hardware is still unknown.

  What he is doing is 'following the evidence'.  First learn what exists.  The OP is strongly urged to perform those simple tests and collect the relevant information so that a solution can occur quickly (solved right and the first time).  So that any additional and relevant information may be added later, such as, why a power failure caused a problem this time and will not cause a problem again.

[Ireland914]

So, when I try to run ipconfig a dialog window opens up for a second and then disappears. and it doesn't show anything.  Same thing happens when I try to run it with "ping www.google.com".  It shows up and disappears without showing any info.

I know it's not a problem specific to the cable I'm using or to the router because I've tried using the same cables that were connected to the working PCs and I've tried using different ports on the router.

I tried uninstalling the network adapter through device manager too.  It re-installed fine upon rebooting but still could not connect to the internet.  It's tries to connect but isn't able to obtain an IP.

[Ireland914]

When I run in safe mode with networking and try to connect it says "Failed to query TCP/IP settings"

[hot dog]

lol 

You don't type IPCONFIG into a RUN command box..

Go to START>ALL PROGRAMS>Accessories>Command Prompt


When the Command Prompt Windows Opens up, type IPCONFIG and press enter

Once you press ENTER, it will display your current IP configuration, that is if you have any.. Just tell me everything that is says when you press enter..


I'm guessing that it's not going to list an IP address for you, but for the sake of being thorough go ahead and use the IPCONFIG command and tell me what it says....After that do that first step I suggested....Power down all your computers and unplug the router.  Leave the router unplugged for about 30 seconds before powering it back on...AFTER the router is totally powered up and all lights are on (it may take a few minutes), power on your PC, open a command prompt and type IPCONFIG again, to see if you've got an IP address....


If you still see no IP address, now is the time to try one of the cables from the other working computers...   Plug in one of the other cables and restart the computer, open a command prompt again, type IPCONFIG and see if you've got an IP address...

If you still don't have an IP address, take a quike peak at the link light on your NIC (network interface card) and on the router.  The NIC is the thing that your network cable plugs into on your PC... When then cable is plugged into both the router and the PC and both are powered on, you should see a green or orange light come on, depending on the manufacturer of the NIC and router.   If you have an actuall network card in your PC, there should be an LED light off to the side of the cable port that lights up, if your NIC is built into the motherboard, the cable port itself should light up when you plug in the cable... With respect to the router, the light should be somewhere near the port, I'm guessing, just look for an LED light when the cable is plugged in.   IF no link lights are on it's a sign that the port on your NIC may have gone KA BLEWY !!      You may have some luck opening up the computer and making sure the NIC is properly seating in the expansion slot, that is if the NIC is the type you can remove..

If this is the case, try to find another NIC your can put into your computer, for testing.. If you don't have one, maybe you've got a friend you can borrow one from...

[Ireland914]

Yea, please pardon my lack of computer knowledge

Alright so IPCONFIG gives me the following:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix: phub.net.cable.rogers.com
IP Address: 192.160.0.199
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.160.0.1

It did come back with an IP address.  As for the NIC... I'm not really familiar with them but the one I use is built-in I think. It's not in a PCI slot or anything, the ethernet cable plugs into a jack that connects right to the motherboard.  The motherboard is ASROCK DualCore-VSTA in case you need to know that for any reason.  Unfortunately I don't have a NIC to use.  Should I go out and buy one?  And probably a stupid question, but could the sudden power interruption that occured when I kicked the powerbar have any relation to this problem?

[hot dog]

No don't go buying another NIC yet

[hot dog]

Do this next...  open a command prompt again and type:  ping www.google.com 

To you get a "reply" back or a "time out" ??



edit: Just curious, what browser are you using?

[Ireland914]

It times out.

[Ireland914]

Chrome or Explorer.

[hot dog]

Try this next:  START>control panel>network connections

Right click on the icon you see in the Window, click on "repair."

When it finishes, try connecting to the Internet again..