Lost my internet browsing function on main PC and am fishing for any suggestions to get it back pls.

Netgear wireless modem router hooked up via Ethernet port to main PC; laptop works off Wi Fi. The laptop works fine and can access the internet, but the main PC can no longer access the web via IE, AOL software or Mozilla. A torrent prog I have can bizzarely still download (but seemingly not upload/seed). Solutions I have tried on main PC:

• Ping router – replies fine.
• LAN connection 2 is connected @ 100MBS - have ‘repaired’ & still fine.
• Open browser and LAN 2 ‘traffic’ light on router flashes as does ‘ISP data TX’ light. No web content appears in browser though ‘cant contact website’.
• Both browsers internet connection options are in auto with no proxy selected.
• All 3 progs added to Windows firewall exceptions.
• Windows firewall disabled and AVG anti virus disabled (nothing else running – Norton long since uninstalled)
• BIOS checked and LAN card remains enabled.
• LAN card reported as working fine via System/Hardware.
• IE connection troubleshooter ran and everything passes fine other than no HTTP/TCP data.
• Network connection properties on LAN 2 has TCP/IP protocol installed and TCP/IP 6 (as well as others in the list).
• Modem router has been re-flashed with previous known good settings backup - I used IE to access the router and do this.

I’m a bit stumped what else to try really – the ISP connection definitely works (I just posted this using it!) via Wi Fi. The LAN connection is up and talks to modem, but no data seems to come into the browsers (even though the LAN and ADSL data RX/TX light flashes on the modem when a browser is launched).

Any ideas what I can try guys?

One other clue is that when I tried the first re-boot when this started my BIOS gave me a ‘checksum error’ running POST. I noted I had in fact lost time and date settings and my boot up passwords. BIOS setup reports CMOS battery level ok at 3.6v, and it hasn’t happened since; my other BIOS settings seemed OK.


Cheers for any help or pointers on where best to look.


D

 

from a dos prompt from both your PC & Laptop type:

route print

Copy & paste the results in here

 

Sounds like a DNS issue. If you can ping 4.2.2.4 (AT&T cluster on the Internet) put not Google at your dos prompt then it's a DNS problem.

 

Hi & thanks for your help mate.

First is the Wi Fi connected Laptop details (the router gateway address is the 192.168.0.1 I believe. I think the one ending in 3 is the upstairs PC itself:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

D:\Documents and Settings\'user name'>route print
================================================== =========================
Interface List
0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
0x2 ...00 16 6f 3a 2a 37 ...... Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
- Packet Scheduler Miniport
0x3 ...00 15 60 ae 96 de ...... Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet - Packet Scheduler Miniport
================================================== =========================
================================================== =========================
Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.2 25
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.2 192.168.0.2 25
192.168.0.2 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 25
192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.2 192.168.0.2 25
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 192.168.0.2 192.168.0.2 25
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.2 3 1
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.2 192.168.0.2 1
Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1
================================================== =========================
Persistent Routes:
None

D:\Documents and Settings\'user name'>

NOw OVER ON THE MAIN PC ALL I GET IS:

Unable to initialize device PRN.

I HOPE that's going to mean something to you as I am well out my depth now

Thanks again

D

 

I think you did a typeo - retry

(try the ping as suggested above too)


route print

if that fails, try:

route print > d:\routeprint.txt

Then the results should be in that text file

 

Ohh and I can ping 4.2.2.4 on both

Thx

D

 

Dohh - sorry route print not print route This is the PC:

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator>route print
================================================== =========================
Interface List
0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
0x2 ...00 30 1b b3 fe 3f ...... NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller - Packet Scheduler Miniport
================================================== =========================
================================================== =========================
Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.3 20
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
192.168.0.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.0.3 192.168.0.3 20
192.168.0.3 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 20
192.168.0.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.3 192.168.0.3 20
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 192.168.0.3 192.168.0.3 20
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.0.3 192.168.0.3 1
Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1
================================================== =========================
Persistent Routes:
None

THX

D

 

My sister and BIL had an issue where all the Internet bits on their PC worked except for browsing. I could even telnet to port 80 on a webserver and download a page but IE and Firefox did nothing. In the end I uninstalled McAfee and it all got better. Even disabling McAfee had no effect I had to uninstall it.

Was OK again after a reinstall so no idea what was going on.

 

Hope I'm not heading for a rebuild!

AOL gives some hint at a Norton worm blocker programme being installed when it fails to connect but Norton was uninstalled ages ago when it ran out. Nothing Nortonish in add/remove progs either.

Cheers

D

 

The most common issues I have come across which cause this are nearly all program related. If there is something you have done recently then mention it here

If not, uninstall all AV and firewall stuff to try and get everything out of your machine. In addition download the cleaner programs for things like norton from their own site. These will remove all the things that just uninstalling don't.

That should hopefully restore internet connection, if it does just reinstall your security software one thing at a time.

 

I got it! Under the TCP/IP settings fro LAN 2 the DNS server setting for some strange reason (or virus) had changed from 'get automatically' to a specific address. Back to Auto and it works fine.

Ohh well at least I learnt a lot and will be dropping the term 'DNS' into casual conversation from now on!

Thanks anyway & full virus scan running now and popping off to Norton for some proper uninstaller.

D

 

Sorry, I thought someone else had checked all your settings above with the route print thing. At least you have got it working

 

Well found Diesel. Just reading over this and for future reference, use

ipconfig /all

to highlight issues with DNS resolution or gateways.

J

 

Top tip J - that would immediately have shown me 'auto config' was off. Thanks

 

Another useful command when facing IP connectivity issues.

Sometimes the IP stack on the computer can be corrupted which causes dns issues. Following command will also reset the IP to obtain auto on both addressing and dns

netsh int ip reset c:\iplog.txt

Also routers can get confused on dns, but that's another story

HTH

 

Is that similar to the windows based 'repair' command on network connection properties? I think this flushes a cache and rebuilds, err, stuff

Another top tip though & thanks - handy these 'hidden menus'!

D

 

Repair retains information which might now resolve the corruption. While the netsh cmd is meant to completely rebuild the ip stack to when XP was first installed.