One of the most common support issues seems to be loss of network/internet connectivity. Here are a few troubleshooting tips when this happens to you. Do you have a physical connection to the router and/or modem? I am going to assume a high speed connection here (broadband and not dial-up). Check to see that there is a connection light on the router and/or modem. If it’s a modem, it will usually say something like PC/connection. If it’s a router, it may just have a number associated with the port, or connection, that you are plugged into. Okay, you’ve established that you have a physical connection. What now?
Let’s make sure you have an ip address. Click on the “Start” button on the lower left hand corner. Then select “Run.” This will bring up a new box. In the box, type “cmd” if you are running windows 2000 or Xp, and “command” if you are running 95, 98, or Me. This will bring up a black box. (By the way, win 9x has a graphic interface for this. To open it, type “winipcfg” in the run box.) Type “ipconfig.” This will show us our current ip address. If you have a 169.x.x.x number, then you have been “autoassigned” a number and need to renew your ip address. You can do that by either restarting your computer or typing “ipconfig /renew” . If it comes back with a 192.x.x.x or some other number besides 169.x.x.x, then you are probably in business. Just to mention, if you have a number besides a 192.168.x.x number, then you might have a public ip address. This means that your computer is directly connected to the internet and therefore open to being exploited. You should install a firewall on your network. Email me if you have questions about that.
Ok, what happens if you can’t renew your ip address? Good question. If you receive a message that says something about not being able to contact the dhcp server, then a few things might be happening. Your modem may need to be power cycled, your modem/router might not be set up to give out ip addresses (that’s what a dhcp server does), or your machine might have something wrong with the tcp/ip stack. Power cycling the modem/router is always a good thing to try when you run into these situations. Unplug the power cable for about 5 seconds and then plug it back in. It’s that simple. Afterwards, try renewing your ip address – “ipconfig/renew” . If you still can’t get a ip address, consult your router’s manual to see how you can check to see if dhcp is enabled. This process is usually pretty straight-forward. The last problem is a little more difficult. At this point, I would run a good spyware program. I have some listed on the right column. If you’re at all concerned it’s a virus, you can run an online scanner that is listed on the right too. If all else fails, I would reset the tcp/ip stack. Click on the “start” button again. Select “run” again. “Cmd” or “command” should already be in the box. Hit “ok” . In the black box, type “netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt” . Don’t worry about what that means, just type it. If that still doesn’t work, then something else may be going on that we’ve missed. As always, feel free to email me.
