Broken Internet

[SE14man]

My girlfriends internet hasn't been working for a week now.
I havent actually been round there to see what its doing but it just wont connect apparentely.

Can someone give me a huge list of how i can help her to fix it and make it connect.
It might just be her I.S.P but idl ike to try everything before we go phoning them up.

Cheers people.

[guns1inger]

Scan for virii and spyware
Check that everything is correctly plugged in and turned on
If dial up, check that the modem is getting a dial tone and dialing
Check password and login are correct
Check proxy settings are correct, or set to auto if unknown
Check that IP address is assigned by the server (DHCP) if she doesn't have a fixed address. Ditto for DNS.
If things appear to connect, but she can't browse, open a command prompt (Start->run->cmd->OK) and try to ping something like microsoft.com

[SE14man]

Cheers matey, ill give that a go!

[Mr anderson]

wasn’t there a problem within sp2 that caused the internet to have either limited or no connectivity,

http://www.pchell.com/support/limitedconnectivity.shtml , might be of some use

[Bjs]

The basic's :

Firstly , you dont say what type of connection she has , this would help solve the problem ... so I'll run through pci .

Short of storm damage , ie , lightning .

Run avg free , then addaware se to make sure system is free of junk that could be blocking system from connecting .

Go to control panel , modem's , second tab , query modem ... command's should list ... if list fail's , replace modem .

Phone isp , recheck and confirm account details with isp are correct .

Check dialup settings on pc match .

Line fault's ... check with phone company to confirm line condition .

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Should it still fail to connect after confirming all of the above step's are ok ... modem faulty , but also check other cable's connected to modem before replacing it .

If all is well ... consider modem at fault .

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All modem's must be protected using an appropriate line filter to prevent line spike's .

Amr modem's : if modem damaged ... consider onboard comm also damaged ... replace motherboard .

Pci modem , better ... replace modem .

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However the pc connect's to the internet , the phoneline must be filtered against power spike's at all time's .

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The same step's can be carried out for all external modem type's .

Alway's check all cable's and filter's associated with modem device's .

[Dv8ted2]

Is the computer using Zone Alarm? Zone Alarm renames system files that could cause you to lose internet connectivity.

[PhoneMatt]

Does she have a firewall? Is it stopping all browser connections? (Some firewalls can stop your browser, but let a ping go through.) She might try a different one. What browser is she using? You might try reinstalling it.

[neomaine]

(Assuming a cable modem setup, though this may work for similar setups...)

I loose my connection about 1-2 times per month. Always an issue with something at the ISP. The usual fix is to unplug the cable modem for about 30 secs. Then plug it back in. (I've got a router as well but you didn't mention anything about one.)

The 30 secs is enough time to let a risidual power disappear and have the modem reset. This will cause it to resync and (usually) get a new IP address itself (if you don't have a static one setup).

If that doesn't work, then power off the cable modem, and power off the PC. Power on the cable modem, wait for all your connectivity lights to come on. If they come on, then go ahead and power the pc back on. If they don't come back on, give the ISP a call to find out if everything should be OK with the service.

These may not be the low level your looking for but for everyday Joe's (or Jill's) this should work for most minor interuptions due to the ISP.

(Of course, you should also make sure she's paying her bill... )

[ebenton]

When I first started using my cable company's internet service, they offered Earthlink as an ISP, so I used them. Then I started having trouble connecting, but usually only at times of high traffic (after 5PM). It turned out to be an issue between Earthlink and my cable company where supposedly Earthlink did not purchase or set aside enough IP addresses from the cable company, and I would not be able to get an IP address. If I tried to connect early in the morning, it would work, but later on, forget it.
If she can connect at different times but not at others, check out the IP address situation.
After getting in the middle of Earthlink and the cable company pointing fingers at each other for a while, I said, "Screw it. Cable modem is not the only high-speed internet game in town." I got DSL service and have had it ever since.

[Supreme2k]

Your girlfriend probably broke it.

Seriously. When I visit relatives, I spend a good chunk of my time removing spyware/malware, and it all starts with "My internet isn't working/is really slow."

[TBoneit]

If truly a won't connect. clean all the spyware/viruses.... Then for Xp run WinsockXPFix.exe or for older windows w2fix.exe to be sure the winsock stack is working.

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=293452

has a list of the software I use to clean MalWare, Most are free ot have a xx day trial. Steer clear of many of the spyware cleaners that come up on a search engine.

Good Luck

[smearbrick1]

Did she pay the bill?