Windows Vista Can't Access Internet

Working with a friend's computer that cannot access the internet either through IE or Chrome. I have been working this issue in the Malware Removal forum and it was suggested we try here in the Vista forum.


The connection is via cable modem. I have swapped out a known good modem with no luck. In IE we get a message that says "....IE cannot display this page..." and we get a similar message in Chrome. Any ideas to get started?

 

The modem I used in the swap is one loaned by our internet provider to our retirement community Computer Club. We use it to eliminate the modem as a potential problem. I was able to access the internet with my own laptop using either modem.

This is not a new install and the computer was working fine until a couple of weeks ago. I think my friend clicked on something called PC Rx or similar - thus my initial posting in Malware Removal.

When I access the LAN setting in IE, none of the blocks are checked. If I try to check one of the blocks such as "Automatically detect setting" and then click "OK ", nothing happens. If I close out IE and restart it, the blocks in LAN settings are returned to blank status.

Added note - when the computer first boots up, we get several messages about functions not being able to start - I assumed that was due to no internet connection.

 

Evan,

Thanks for the link to the article - no success though I may have begun to find the problem area. I went through the entire 10 pages and here are some of the results:

Network Diagnostics Tool - Won't run. When I clicked on "Diagnose... ", got a message that said "IE stopped working. Close the program ".

Reset the modem.

Deleted browsing history - no impact.

Add-on disabling - it was already running in disabled mode.

Firewall - is off. When I try to start it I get a message "...firewall cannot start. The associated service is not running... ".

The IP address that is assigned is 169.254.195.245 which I had to get through Cmd.exe.

Safe Mode startup - same error message as always when I tried to open IE.

When I got to Method 6, I saw some interesting information but didn't know how to make the corrections. In Newtwork Adapters I saw 4 entries and three of them had yellow triangles with exclamation points in them.

1 - 6TO4 - Message that said configuration information was incomplete or damaged. When I tried to update the driver it appeared to update but then the entry disappeared from the list.

2 - Microsoft 6to4 - When I tried to update the driver it said it was using the correct software but the warning sign remained.

3 - NVIDIA For Inf Net Control - No warning sign.

4 - Teredo Tunnelling Pseudo Interface - Had a warning sign but when I tried to update the driver it said the proper software was installed.

System Restore - Tried running it previously.

Any hints from all of that?

 

The network controller drivers should be installed (although maybe malfunctioning), so if you want to reinstall them, go to Device Manager, highlight the controller and uninstall it. The drivers will be automatically reinstalled when you reboot. I will do that as a matter of course if I suspect the network (ethernet/LAN) controller drivers.

 

That sounds like a strange address. They are usually low in the last 2 ranges, eg. 169.254.0.4 (although I haven't used a 169.... address for a while). Usually the modem is ...0.1, then the computers in the network are ...0.2, ...0.3, ...0.4, etc.

At the command prompt (cmd.exe), use the command
ipconfig /all
Check through the information. The DHCP Server should be the IP address of the modem.

When I came across a somewhat(?) similar problem, my daughter had set the firewall to "stop all internet activity ", I didn't find out until I uninstalled the firewall.

Matt

 

I get a bit confused as to what is the network card, network controller, network adapter so I'm not sure I did everything correctly. There are three items listed under Network: 1) 6TO4, 2) NVIDIA Network Controller, and 3) Teredo Tunnelling ..... Here is a recap of my latest actions:

Uninstalled the driver software for the NVIDIA and restarted the computer. Nothing changed but it did indicate that the driver was found and installed.

Uninstalled the NVIDIA Controller and restarted. Same as above.

Both the 6TO4 and the Teredo Tunnelling have yellow triangles but both state they have the proper software.

I did the IPConfig /all and here is the data:

I tried establishing a connection through the Wizard and get this message:

I also booted an Ubuntu Live CD from the CD player but I got the same connection error when the onboard Firefox looked for an internet connection.

Does any of this stuff prompt any ideas?

 

Is it possible the NIC (networking card or chip) on the computer is bad? You say you booted from an Ubuntu CD and still had no internet. Seems to me that would rule out a problem with Windows and point to a hardware problem of some sort.

You say you were able to access the internet with your laptop using your modem and your friend's modem. Were you at your friend's when you tried this? If so, if it were me, I'd start looking at hardware. I could be wrong but not being able to access the internet with Ubuntu kind of points that direction.

One other thought, possibly something in the bios got changed somehow. If it's an onboard NIC, I'd check to make sure it's not disabled.

 

If anyone wants a comparison, my system appears about the same

Have you tried connecting another computer to the modem? Alternatively, you might want to try taking his computer to your place and seeing if it will connect on your internet connection.

 

I ran the SFC Scannow procedure and it didn't find any problems. It took about 15-20 minutes to run.

I looked in the BIOS to see if the NIC was disabled but couldn't find a specific category. On one screen, I did find the following headings but couldn't determine if any of these were the NIC/Network information:

Advanced Chipset Features
Internal Peripherals
PnP/PCI Configuration
CPU Configuration
USB Configuration

Is/are there any pieces I could move from an existing Dell to test if it is a hardware problem. I just took the power supply out of a Dell 4600 to put into a HP. I am looking at the insides but don't know enough about NIC or network stuff to know what could be tried. It appears that the Ethernet connection is a part of the motherboard. There is a separate, replaceable card for the dial up connections, but not for the Ethernet.

 

hi, i probably have no business poking my nose in here, but:
= "http://www.vistax64.com/vista-ac...585-loss-network-internet-connectivity.html "
is a thought. If the Rx (some reg cleaner?)__be very careful with those__has deleted parts of your registry, and you've already tried a system restore, some .dll's could have lost their registration. Since you can access your files, it might be smart to back up personal data__write down customizations & license info__ and re-install. Which windoz__XP, 6, 7? & which version (H,Pro,Ultimate)?

 

As a test I disabled the LAN controllers on my computer. They were under the heading Integrated Peripherals. You can try just setting "Defaults ", look at the functions which should be listed at the bottom of the screen, it is usually by pressing the F9 key.

My test resulted in no Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection listings in ipconfig /all.

You can see the NIC/Lan/Ethernet adapter on the machine has an IP address (but no Subnet Mask...0.0.0.0). The MAC address is showing

so it is not disabled.

jabrwky, Zander pointed out that a Linux boot CD could not connect, so I think we would be hesitant to reinstall the complete system only to end up in the same situation. If there was a spare HDD lying around, I would try a reinstall on that, but not reformat the current system on the chance that it might be a software, not a hardware problem.

A suggestion I would throw in, if you are stuck, is to purchase a LAN/Ethernet adapter (a PCI card to put in...no Robert, it seems like the Dell LAN adapter is part of the motherboard). LAN/Ethernet adapters are low priced. A search...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ue&SrchInDesc=LAN ethernet&Page=1&PageSize=20
Note the major difference between PCI and PCIe, an older computer won't have PCIe. You should find better prices elsewhere, they were using LAN/Ethernet CARDS (not motherboard connections) until around the turn of the century (did I just say that? ).

Another comment...
I don't like the look of the 6 to 4 and Teredo Tunnelling Pseudo Interface "not working" information. I looked up 6 to 4, you don't need it unless you are working on a network that is running IPv6. Do some websearches about it. I might expect you could still connect in "Safe Mode with Networking" though.

Matt

 

I'm with Mattman on this one. I wouldn't wipe the whole works and start over yet. That thing about booting from the Linux CD and still no internet has to make one wonder. If that was indeed the case, the only way I can see it still being a Windows problem would be on the off chance that Ubuntu didn't get the networking setup correctly during the bootup process. Only way to make sure that wasn't the case would be to try booting from a different version of a Linux Live CD. Assuming things got set up right with the CD you used, well, it would certainly seem to eliminate Windows. The Linux CD isn't dependent on Windows in any way and if it were a problem with Windows, you should have internet when booting from the CD. Or at least, unless I'm missing something here, that's the way it seems to me anyway. I'd spend a few bucks on an addon NIC and see if that fixes the problem. No guarantees but, considering the fact the modem is working on the other puter you tried it on, I can't imagine what else could be causing the problem.

 

Thanks to all who have helped out on this problem. I haven't resolved the problem with the computer but my friend has resolved his problem by ordering a new computer. After the dust has settled, I may have the machine in my possession for a while so I can do a bit deeper investigation.

I would like to resolve the problem and will leave this thread open for a few more days. I will either kick start the issue again then or mark it as Resolved then - if that is OK with the Staff.

 

As I indicated in the previous post, my friend has his new computer and is happily computing. I have had his old Vista machine for several days now and have tinkered trying a number of different things. It was running so slow, it would take 5 minutes and longer to populate the Control Panel Add/Remove/Uninstall tool.

I was finally able to isolate when PC Rx and several other suspect scanners, registry cleaners, etc. got installed on the computer in mid October. I think that was where the problem started. I was able to do a System Restore prior to that point in time. The restore took over two hours to complete. Since I had the computer in my possession, I was able to let that and other things run to completion.

Then I was able to access the internet. Once I could access the internet, things began to look up. I was able to get Norton Antivirus ininstalled - it was inoperable and wouldn't open. I got MSE installed and running. I got all of the Vista updates installed and the machine seems to be running pretty well. I got a number of the questionable tool bars and scanner tools ininstalled and it seems to be very stable and much faster now.

So - thanks to all who helped out. I will mark this one as Resolved - with fingers crossed.

 

Hi Robert,

Congrats!!! Now you have an extra computer! Is there someone at the Center that might need a new computer — if you don't need it?