I've spent (too many) years running Technical Support departments for ISP's. I'm not just a manager. I also take customer calls and troubleshoot with customers every single day. The ISP I work for currently is a small organization, so we have to compete with the "Big Boys" in the market. As such, I and my team know this stuff like the back of our hands. We don't follow troubleshooting guides or read screens for each and every step, then panic and ramble in a bewildered trance if the customer we're talking to steps off the pages into some unknown territory. We don't refer you to your manufacturer if you use anything other than the equipment we sold you as an ISP. We will basically troubleshoot anything that we can for you, if it impacts your enjoyment of the Internet. Suffice it to say, that we know our stuff.
That brings me to this guide, which is designed to cover the very basics of Windows connectivity troubleshooting and hopefully help you avoid calling your own ISP, because while the customers who call us get to speak to someone in their own Province, who actually understands the technology and isn't reading it from a screen, I realize that not everybody gets that opportunity.
These steps are not meant to be all-inclusive, but it's a very good start. From experience I can say that these steps should be able to solve about 90% of all connection issues. As such, it makes some assumptions. First, it assumes you're using some version of Windows from XP onwards. Second, it assumes that the issue you're having is not due to an outage with your ISP or an actual hardware failure with the components at your residence. That being said, the next question is why would I create a connectivity troubleshooting guide and put it online, since you can't read it when you're offline and actually need it? Well, I'm hoping that if you read this article, you'll learn from it or at least print it off future reference, whatever works. I just hope that it helps you next time you're in a bind.
Qualify The Issue
First, check if you have any connection, whatsoever. Can you surf? Can you get e-mail? Is it just one program that's giving you trouble or all of them? If it's just one program that isn't working properly and it isn't your browser or e-mail, then this guide won't be able to help you with that, because it's designed to concentrate on overall connectivity, not problems with specific programs.
If you're having problems with one or more computers getting online wirelessly, then proceed to Wireless Connection troubleshooting.
If you're getting error numbers when you try to connect, then proceed to the Error Numbers section below.
If you're having problems specifically trying to navigate to websites or trying to get your e-mail, then navigate to the Browsers & E-mail section.
Error Numbers
If you get an error number when the computer tries to connect, what is the error number?
If it's 691, wrong Username and/or Password, then make sure you've typed them correctly or call your ISP. They may have a problem, or your account may be suspended for Billing reasons, or you more than likely forgot your Username and Password.
If it's 769, then proceed to Error 769 troubleshooting, because I've dedicated a whole page to that.
If it's 718, then you likely have to call your ISP. They might have an issue causing that.
Errors 678 or 815 are too broad to help us much, so keep going with the steps below. Think of them as the Windows "catch all" for "something isn't working very well".
Browsers & E-Mail
If you can surf, but can't e-mail, then it's probably an E-Mail issue.
If you can't surf either, then it's likely a connection issue. Now, let's qualify the type of connection issue.
Can you get to any webpages or is it just one that's the problem?
If it's just one, then try that site in another browser. You can get different browsers from here: browsers. If it is just that browser that you have difficulties with, then it might just be a problem with the browser you're using. So, you should probably do some Browser troubleshooting.
If the problem exists in all browsers, then there might be a problem with the site. You can also use www.DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com to verify whether or not the site is working. If the site is up, but you can't reach it, then you might have an MTU issue.
If you can't get to any sites, then your problem is a connection issue. So, let's go deeper. Continue reading.
Reboot Your Equipment
First, reboot your modem and your router, if you have one, by unplugging the power to them for 30 seconds. Also, reboot your power inserter, if you have one. I explain what that is below.
The modem is what was provided to you (or that you bought on your own) from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). It usually has 5 or more lights on it.
If you're using ADSL, commonly referred to as simply DSL, then you want to look for a DSL/WAN/Line Sync light. If that is flashing or it's off, you're not going to get online. If the light doesn't solidify after rebooting the modem, call your ISP.
Here's what a DSL modem looks like, but just like the cable modem, there are hundreds of models and dozens of manufacturers, so this is just a guide for the basic concept. The easiest way to identify if you have a DSL modem or not is to look for a regular phone cord running from your wall jack directly into the back of the modem. If so, it's a DSL modem.
If you're using cable Internet or wireless Internet, then you're likely using a cable modem. Look for an online light. Failing that, look for a cable light, but only if there isn't an Online light. If it's flashing or it's off, you're not going to get online. If the light doesn't solidify after rebooting the modem, call your ISP.
Here's a few of the common cable modem models, but certainly not the only type. The easiest way to identify a cable modem is by looking on the back of the modem for a threaded connector, which is where the coaxial cable connects. It uses what's called an F connector, that basically looks like a nut.
If your ISP is a Fixed Wireless provider, you will likely have a PoE (Power Over Ethernet) device or a Power Inserter. What is that? Well, if you use wireless Internet, as in your ISP provides you with a connection to the Internet through the air, then you likely have some form of transceiver (radio) outside of your home, that sends and receives your signal. We'll need to reboot that as well, by locating the Power Inserter. This can usually be found by following the cable on the back of your modem to the other end. Before it gets outside it will reach a device, that looks like a splitter, except that it also has a power cord. That's what you want to unplug for 30 seconds. This might cause your radio to beep for a minute or two. Not to worry, that just means it's reacquiring its signal. If it beeps endlessly, that's a different story and you will need to call your ISP.
Power Inserters will either have 3 coaxial connections, with one leading directly to a power outlet, or 2 coaxial connections, with a 3rd, DC power connector that leads to an outlet. Here's examples of what they sometimes look like.
You may actually have a PoE (Power Over Ethernet) device, instead of a Power Inserter. The concept is very similar, but instead of having a coaxial cable coming from outside, it will be an Ethernet cable. That will connect to a box, which usually has at least one light on it, a power cord, and another Ethernet cable coming out of it, going to the modem. What these devices look like though, can vary greatly. I've seen them as small as your thumb, or much larger like the one below, that's about the size of a laptop power supply. The key is that it has two Ethernet cables and one power cord.
The same process applies. Just unplug the power from it for 30 seconds. This might cause your radio to beep for a minute or two. Not to worry, that just means it's reacquiring its signal. If it beeps endlessly, that's a different story and you will need to call your ISP.
Regardless of how you receive your Internet connection, you may have a router. A router is a device that allows you to connect multiple computers. Most also allow a wireless connection within your home, so that you can do things like walk around with a laptop and remain connected. They often has antennas on the back of them. It should have a WAN/Internet light, but these aren't always clearly marked. Sometimes they use symbols, which can be very counter-intuitive for people who aren't technically savvy. So instead, just make sure your router actually has power and there are lights on.
If every single light is on, that's usually a bad thing. It means the router has locked up. The only time this wouldn't be the case is if you have all of the ports used on the back of the router, in other words, something plugged into every single one. If that were true though, you're probably pretty technically savvy and wouldn't be reading this page, anyway.
One of the ways to find your router is to look for the device with 5 or 6 lights on it that also has antenna(s). This certainly isn't foolproof though, because some routers have no external antenna(s). Indeed, some aren't even wireless, but that's extremely rare anymore.
One final thing, if you still can't figure out which device is your router, but you're pretty sure you have one, then look for these name brands, in order of our favourites to our least favourite: Linksys (by Cisco), D-Link, TP-Link, Trendnet and Belkin. I'm also going to give honourable mention to Buffalo, because while they are very rare, they're also one of the best devices on the market. Keep in mind that there are dozens of other brands, but I've covered the most common ones.
Okay, so you've rebooted everything, the modem has synchronization, the router is back up. Let's wait 60 seconds.
~*~ whistling ~*~
Okay, now your router should have reconnected if your modem is actually allowing a connection. Let's proceed.
Check your connection. Are you back online? If not, let's go to the next step.
By this point in the process you've already determined that your modem has synchronization, in other words, it's connected to your ISP and is communicating properly.
Did you pay your bill? No joke. If you use a credit card and it's expired recently or there's a possibility you're behind, call your ISP.
Your modem will have synchronization, but you won't likely be able to get online.
Okay, so let's try to browse again. Still not working? Keep going. We'll figure this out.
At this point, if you are using a router then proceed to Router troubleshooting.
Network Card Issues
There can be a number of things with the Network settings specific to the Network card that could be problematic. We're going to take a look at only the most common ones.
Enable Network Connections
First, let's open the Control Panel. You'll either click Start and then Control Panel, or you'll need to click Start, Settings and then Control Panel.
Once that opens, if you're in Category View, you will need to click Network and Internet Connections.
Either way, you will now want to click Network Connections.
Once that opens, if you're in Category View, you will need to click Network and Internet.
Either way, you will now want to click Network and Sharing Center.
Finally, on the left hand side, you're looking for the link that either says Manage network connections or Change adapter settings.
This is where you will look for your actual Network Adapter. You may have a few in here. If there are old one's that you don't use anymore like Dial-Up connections, you can right-click and Delete them, but only remove them if you're sure. You might see any or multiples of the following:
- Broadband Connection WAN Miniport (PPPoE)
- Local Area Connection
- Wireless Network Connection
- 1394 Connection
Look for the Wireless Network Connection or Local Area Connection that represents your connection, right-click on it and choose Disable. Wait 10 seconds, then right-click it and choose Enable. If you don't know which one is the connection you use, Disable and then Enable each of them. It won't hurt. Once you're done, test your connection.
PPPoE Connections
If you do have a Broadband Connection or one that is labeled WAN Miniport (PPPoE), you should double-click that icon now in order to reconnect to the Internet. If a connection window appears, press the Connect button. If you receive error 769 or 691, address those errors before continuing.
I'm going to assume that connection is there because it's supposed to be and that it's not from a prior ISP connection that you never removed. Otherwise, you should right-click the icon and Delete it. If it's from a previous ISP it will either have an obvious name, or when you opened the connection window a minute ago, the Username that showed up was one you would hopefully recognize as being something that you no longer use.
If this connection is from your current ISP, make sure it is your default. There should be a checkmark on the icon, if it is. You can also tell by right-clicking on it and reading the menu that appears. If the option that is available says Cancel as Default Connection, then it's configured properly. Don't select that option. If however, you see an menu item to Set as Default Connection, then you should select that. This will ensure that this PPPoE connection will activate whenever you need to access the Internet and are not already online.
Here's what the right-click menu should look like on a PPPoE connection that is properly configured:
Note: You may have just created a PPPoE connection because you were bypassing your router. You will only leave it there while troubleshooting. Once you get your router working again, you should delete the PPPoE connection, because the router is supposed to be managing your connection. Having a computer behind the router trying to manage the connection as well, will cause intermittent connections, speed issues and similar problems. To remove it, first Disable your Local Area Connection(s), then right-click the PPPoE connection and select Delete. Confirm that you want to do so. Then, Enable the Local Area Connection(s) again.
Once you're done, test your connection again.
Refreshing The Network Adapter
We're going to check the Network Card to see if it's working properly. There's a setting or two we can adjust and we may even reinstall the drivers.
Warning: Please read this entire section through before proceeding. There's a miniscule chance that this won't work and you may need drivers disks before you start. Personally, I've never seen that be the case, at least not since Windows XP came on the scene, but I thought I better mention it.
To start, right-click on Computer or My Computer and click Properties. You will find this icon on your Desktop or in your Start menu.
If you can't find that, then you can also go to the Control Panel, in Classic View and double-click on System.
Once you're in System Properties, you need to locate the Device Manager. In Windows XP you will need to click the Hardware tab and then press the Device Manager button. In Windows Vista and Windows 7 you will simply click Device Manager in the top left hand side of the window.
This will open a new window. After the list populates you will be able to see drivers for all of the components installed on your computer, listed alphabetically and sorted into many categories. Look for your Network Adapters and if there is a plus sign or right arrow on the left of Network Adapters, click it, in order to open up that category.
Wait! You don't see a category called Network Adapters? Well, that means your network card has either been uninstalled, or it has failed. You may need to take the computer to a technician. If you don't see the adapter listed as an Unknown devices or Other devices as mentioned below, then it's just not on your system anymore. This is most likely because it stopped working and Windows has removed it, as a result. You could try reinstalling it, if you know where your drivers disk is. Otherwise, start calling your technician.
Note: If you have one of those Network cards that won't work with the list of drivers built into the Windows library, then you need to look for a disk containing one of the following: your Motherboard or System Drivers, System Restore, System Repair or Network Card Drivers. I can't tell you what disk it will actually be. You'll have to figure that out on your own, but I can tell you that if there are Network drivers on the disk, you can usually put the disk in your CD/DVD drive and when the AutoRun program opens up, there will usually be an option specifically to install System or Network Drivers. Don't be surprised though, if you find the Network drivers disk, reinstall the drivers and it still doesn't work. There was likely a good reason Windows disabled them in the first place. So again, start calling your technician.
Otherwise, there are 4 states which a device can appear inside the Device Manager. If it's working, the icon will simply look like an picture of the type of device that driver represents.
If it's disabled, there will be a red X on it. Simply right-click the device and choose enable to turn it back on.
If it's not working, there may be a yellow exclamation mark ! indicating a problem state. If this is the case, then when you get to the Network Adapters category in the Device Manager, the symbol beside the category heading is usually a minus sign instead of a plus sign, or a down arrow, instead of a right arrow. This is because Windows is trying to point out to you that there's something wrong with the device, so it expands the category, right away.
It can also have a yellow question mark ? representing the fact that Windows is unsure about the device. Perhaps it has the wrong or no drivers installed. If the device has a ? it's also not usually listed in it's proper category. For example, a Network Adapter that is unknown will usually show up in the category Unknown devices or Other devices, rather than Network Adapters.
This is the part I warned you about earlier.
If you reached this point in the troubleshooting, there's a very good chance this driver, even if it indicates it's functioning properly, is somehow broken. So, we're going to use a little Windows trick that has proven effective many thousands of times. We're going to right-click the appropriate Network Adapter and choose Uninstall. This will remove the device. If Windows prompts you to delete the drivers, you do not want to do that. I repeat, do not delete the drivers. As soon as Windows has removed the device, the list flashes and updates a couple times and the device is gone.
You're now going to click on Action at the top of the window and choose Scan for hardware changes. This will reinstall the driver we just removed and 99% of the time, it will fix whatever was broken. Don't touch anything. Just let Windows go through it's process, unhindered. If all is well, it will give you a message once it's done that your device is installed.
There are two cases in which this process will not work. The first, is if the Network Adapter is physically damaged. In other words, it's unrepairable. When that is the case, Windows will often force you to answer it's question. It will want to know if it should go online to find the drivers or if you have drivers that it should search to find the appropriate one. This will happen when a device is broken because Windows recognizes that something isn't quite right and it's assuming the drivers are the problem. If that is the case, you will likely need to take your computer to a technician.
The other time that Windows won't reinstall the device on its own is when you have nVidia drivers. I've heard tell that nVidia and a few other brands of drivers will not reinstall automatically, despite the drivers already being there. If this is the case, you may need to insert the drivers disk that came with the computer or the Network Adapter, if you purchased it after-market, in order to reinstall the drivers. Personally, I've fixed literally thousands of Internet connections by simply "refreshing" the drivers this way within Windows and I've never seen this phenomena wherein you need the drivers disk, unless they were physically damaged, but it's worth mentioning.
Once the drivers have been reinstalled, try a web page again. You should be back online.
If you're still not able to surf, then we're going to have to try something even lower level in the terms of a connection than browsing: Pinging.
Before we do that…
While we're still in the Device Manager, there's a couple settings I want to point out. If your connection is intermittent only on one computer, or erratic, there may be a couple reasons for it. The first is a bad Ethernet cable or even a failing Network card. The second reason may be a software problem within Windows. So, there's some workarounds that may help compensate for these issues. Let's take a look at both.
We can try slowing your Network card down, to see if it becomes more stable. Now, before you skip this section, think about this. Your Internet connection is probably somewhere between 1Mbps and 10Mbps. Those are the most common speeds for North America, at least. Your Network card on the other hand, is capable of speeds of at least 100Mbps. Although, most modern computers have Gigabit adapters, making them capable of 1000Mbps. In other words, you're probably using less than 10% of your Network card's capabilities in the first place, so slowing it down is not likely going to impact your use of the computer at all, but it may help resolve the issue you're seeing.
Note: Most people use routers to allow multiple computers to share an Internet connection and nothing more. So, unless you're connecting multiple computers to each other, sharing files, or streaming media to a media center, then you're never even going to use anything over 10Mbps, anyway. For 99.999% (That's an exact number, I counted.) of people, slowing down your Network card will have absolutely no impact on your use of the computer.
Here's what we'll do:
- While still in the Device Manager, right-click your Network card and choose Properties.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Look for an option that says Speed & Duplex.
- Change it to 100Mbps Full Duplex or possibly even as low as 10Mbps Full Duplex and press OK.
That's it. See if your connection improves. If not, you can always change this setting back to Auto/Auto-Negotiation or whatever the setting was prior to you making the changes.
Okay, this problem appeared in Windows Vista and Windows 7 and manifests itself in many ways. Basically, if you have problems with certain sites on only your computer, this setting may be the culprit. So, we're going to disable it and see if your problems go away. Honestly, I've turned this off on dozens of computers and it's helped every time.
- So, while in the Device Manager, right-click your Network card and choose Properties.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Look in this list for something that says Priority & VLAN, disable it and press OK.
That's it! You're done. If it doesn't make a difference, you can always come back here and turn it back on, but I never do.
Pinging
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories. Now look for either Command Prompt or MS-DOS Prompt, but don't do anything just yet!
Okay, so you found that icon. If you're using Windows XP you can just click that icon.
If you're using Windows Vista or Windows 7, do the following:
- Roll your mouse over it and right-click.
- Choose Run as Administrator and left-click.
- If you get a prompt from Windows to continue, then approve the action and proceed.
This will open a black DOS window. This is what computers used before Windows. Click on the window with your mouse and start typing. Don't worry about where, the program will only let you type in one spot, anyway. Type the following command:
ping google.ca -n 20
Hit Enter after that and wait. If you get errors, such as Host Unreachable then you can't even ping by URL, so let's try something else. Let's modify that command and type it like this:
ping 74.125.95.104 -n 20
Hopefully, you'll get something like this from one of those commands:
Pinging google.ca [74.125.95.104] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.125.95.104: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Reply from 74.125.95.104: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Reply from 74.125.95.104: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
Reply from 74.125.95.104: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
Ping statistics for 74.125.95.104:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 40ms, Maximum = 41ms, Average = 40ms
What you do next depends on the results you received:
- If you get no successful results, or an error that says something like Host Unreachable, then contact your ISP and let them know what you've already done. Give them the link to this troubleshooting guide, if you want.
- Now, if you do get some successful responses, but get anything over 5% loss, contact your ISP. You might have a connection problem. It could also be a bad Ethernet cable or something similar, but I'll let them help you determine that, at this point.
- Finally, if you get responses from either command and have less than 5% loss then you are online, but you've got an issue within Windows. No worries, it's easy to fix, so keep reading.
Cleaning Up Windows Problems
If you got responses, but can't surf, then it's most likely a computer issue. So, there's a few things to check. We'll go with the simplest solution first. Go to Browser troubleshooting and make sure you don't have a Proxy Server turned on. If that didn't fix the problem, then make sure to come back here to finish up this last bit of troubleshooting.
Go back to that black DOS window we opened earlier and type the following 3 commands, hitting Enter after each one:
ipconfig /flushdns
netsh int ip reset log.txt
netsh winsock reset catalog
After the last command it will tell you to reboot your PC. Close the DOS window by typing exit and hitting Enter. Then click on Start, tell your computer to Shutdown and Restart. Once you're back up and running again, check your connection. Hopefully you're back online and can surf, finally. If not, then call your ISP.
I hope this helps!
Created: 12 Sep 2010 15:05
