How can I troubleshoot my pc?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-08 08:23pm

My pc decided out of the blue that it didn't want to connect to the net. I fired up this other one, using the same modem and cable, and it has no problem.

Under packets, the connection is showing zeros for both uploads and downloads, but if I disconnect the cable, it gives me the usual "disconnected" warning.

I'm currently scanning it for viruses, but how can I troubleshoot this? The system restore has no effect.

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2007-07-08 08:43pm

Do you have a PCI ethernet card that you can plug into the system to see if it's a hardware failure?
The last time I ran into the problem you're having though, it was caused by some horseshit file sharing app corrupting the LSP on my niece's computer.
I ran this and it restored connectivity.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-08 08:49pm

Glocksman wrote:Do you have a PCI ethernet card that you can plug into the system to see if it's a hardware failure?
The last time I ran into the problem you're having though, it was caused by some horseshit file sharing app corrupting the LSP on my niece's computer.
I ran this and it restored connectivity.

No luck with the file, good try though... thanks.

How can I see if my hardware has failed?

Glocksman · Post by **Glocksman** » 2007-07-08 08:56pm

If it works with a separate PCI ethernet card, then the one (I'm assuming you're using the motherboard's integrated NIC) built in to the mobo probably has died, or the drivers have become corrupt.

Have you tried removing it from device manager and reinstalling the drivers?

I keep an old 3Com PCI card on hand for just this kind of testing, but unless you're here in southwestern Indiana, I'm afraid that doesn't help you much.

RThurmont · Post by **RThurmont** » 2007-07-08 09:19pm

Another easy solution, if you lack a second NIC, and assuming we're talking ethernet and not Wifi, would be to run a Linux live CD with lots of proprietary driver support, like Ubuntu or Mandriva One, and see if you can connect to the net from it. If you can, then its an operating system problem.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-08 09:31pm

RThurmont wrote:Another easy solution, if you lack a second NIC, and assuming we're talking ethernet and not Wifi, would be to run a Linux live CD with lots of proprietary driver support, like Ubuntu or Mandriva One, and see if you can connect to the net from it. If you can, then its an operating system problem.

I was just reading about that. How can I find one?

Luke Starkiller · Post by **Luke Starkiller** » 2007-07-08 09:53pm

Something simpler that works quite often for me is to change the Duplex Setting on the NIC.

Assuming you are running WinXP:

Right-click on the NIC in Device Manager and choose Properties
Go to the Advanced Tab and look for a Property labeled something like Link Speed and Duplex
It will almost certainly be set to Auto, change it to 10/Full
Hit OK and check to see if you are able to connect

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-08 10:10pm

Seems I'm getting intermittent freezes as I do these tests. I'm wondering if I have some bad hardware somewhere...

Is there any way to easily test the components?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2007-07-08 10:46pm

For some reason, I know have my connection back and the freezing problems seem to have stopped. Anyone know anything I should do now as far as testing it?

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2007-07-09 01:18am

Check all the easy/simple stuff first.
Make sure the NIC driver is ok, check out the task manager to see if any weird or unknown processes are running, run some spyware scans too, that kind of stuff. Also, unplug the ethernet cable, blow out the jack with some compressed air and then plug it back in -- sometimes a faulty physical connection can cause all sorts of weird problems.