Unsolved
This post is more than 5 years old
1 Message
0
13164
November 15th, 2003 19:00
internet connection dead / ISP says all fine on their end
hi:
first time poster, please excuse any inadvertant etiquette flubs
about two days ago my internet connection instantaneously collapsed while is use. i've had the connection working solidly for about 3 months, although in the last two weeks i had noticed that the connection was dropping me after moderate periods of inactivity [1-2 hours]. i've pursued a few solutions on my own but really need some direction here.
my basic info: dimension 2350 / win xp / cable modem [rca. usb connect]
what i've done so far:
a) connection dies. i check the modem; pc link light lit solid, cable link light as well. activity light dead. i restart computer, same; i power cycle / reset modem, wait, restart; no change.
b) i call isp. they say everything looks perfect on their end, they can see my comp on the network, my comp is being assigned an ip addy, etc. tech tells me that my modem and connection are fine on their end. suggests setting ie back to default setting, i do, nothing. isp says these type of problems usually caused by firewall, i check, no firewall running. i uninstall all mcafee software and check to make sure default win firewall not enabled. it isn't. reboot and try again, connx still dead. isp says they can't do anything more, must be a system problem.
c) i poke around a bit. modem drivers, everything looks fine, system is not registering any device problems whatsoever. i had system restore turned off for a reason i now forget, so no help there. at this point, to the best of limited knowledge, i cannot find evidence of an actual problem [except the obvious lack of connection]. i run full virus scan, nada; stinger, nada. i decide to reinstall modem, installs fine. i reinstall the connection software from isp, it says "unable to connect to server, check to make sure modem is plugged correctly, proper NIC etc"
d) poke around more, no luck. sigh, backup files, and reinstall xp. reinstall goes ok though i'm now missing some ethernet drivers or something of the sort, but when i reinstall modem [installation goes fine] and then attempt to reinstall isp software, i get the same exact error as above.
e) ran the full diagnostic from dell, took about 3 hours, no errors related to problem.
any ideas? i'd be happy to provide additional details if i left anything out.
thanks in advance / chris
Francis Nguyen
953 Posts
0
November 15th, 2003 23:00
Okay, so you reinstalled Windows? That may not fix your problem if you have a Windows issue. You need to WIPE the HD, including the master boot record, then reinstall Windows. Dell phone support should be able to assist you with these tasks. Also ask them to help you reset the CMOS.
That said, I don't believe you have a software issue in the first place. USB modems stink!!! They are unreliable. Cable modem bandwidth can push +3.5mbp/s, which is more than the bandwidth of USB 1.0. You have a built-in network card in the PC. USE IT! ISP like USB modem because it is quick and simple. Have your ISP set you up with a modem line that will connect to the network card in your PC.
F.
Antoun32
11 Posts
0
November 24th, 2003 14:00
Antoun32
11 Posts
0
November 24th, 2003 14:00
I also have the exact same issue. I have been connecting to the internet with no problems for 3 months and now, all of the sudden, I cannot connect. My ISP also said that everything was fine on their, i.e. modem works, etc. It's been over 1 week and the problem has still not been solved aftern countless calls to Dell and my ISP. Dell says it's my ISP and my ISP says it's Dell.
I reinstalled windows XP and that brought no luck. Please help with suggestions. How do I connecto to internet without using modem and only the ethernet card???
bearchicky
2 Posts
0
December 2nd, 2003 05:00
im having the same problem.
only when i unplug my cable modem from the electrical outlet then plug it back in i get back online.
it happens alot all day long.
my isp says it my computer dropping the isp address
ive searched all the troubleshooting and nothing seems to cover this exact problem.
im gettin ready to go back to dial-up
Antoun32
11 Posts
0
December 2nd, 2003 15:00
It's been over 2 weeks and I still don't have an internet connection. I had a friend come over and plug his laptop into my modem and he instantaneously got on the internet. Also, my Xbox is working fine online so I know for a fact it's not my ISP (Comcast), or my modem or router. After fighting and fighting with Dell Tech Support, I finally got them to admit that there was a hardware failure. They are sending me a whole new machine which should arrive today. I must've spend a total of 35 hours on the phone with Dell and my ISP.
My advise is to call Dell Support and ask to speak to a supervisor or manager.
Antoun32
11 Posts
0
December 2nd, 2003 15:00
One other thing........my computer was not even pulling an IP address. My ISP said the modem was pulling the IP address but my computer was not accepting the address. My computer was pulling some generic IP address that began with 169. I was not getting a Default Gateway either.
I'd listen to what your ISP says about your computer dropping the IP address. I wouldn't be suprised if the problem was your compture.
cmacunas
1 Message
0
December 5th, 2003 10:00
patricia h
3 Posts
0
January 19th, 2004 19:00
My Dell was working okay for over a year, and now internet access is dead. Same thing, where after 20 hours on the phone, Dell says it's my ISP and the ISP says it's Dell. Only I don't get a fake address number, I get 0.0.0.0, no matter what is reconfigured or toyed with. I am about to reinstall factory settings, but would prefer another way, if there is one. Do others get the 0.0.0.0?
Antoun32
11 Posts
0
January 21st, 2004 14:00
Before Dell sent me a whole new computer, I tried re-installing windows and this did not solve the problem. Something that I did to prove that it was Dell's problem was I had a friend plug his laptop into my internet connection. He instantly was able to get the internet from my provider. This is how I knew my brand new Dell computer was faulty. You may want to give this a try if you can. If may give you some insight. I never did figure out what was wrong with my computer.
bearchicky
2 Posts
0
January 21st, 2004 18:00
ok ive got my prob sorta fixed.
what i did was buy a new lan card. which i actually bought for my older puter cuz i figured i was gonna have to send this back to dell.
well older puter frustrated me so bad i got the idea toput the lan cardmi bought into my dell.
so i installed it and even tho it said it wasnt installed correctly ive been on the net via cable modem and have not been kicked off.
its been bout 2 months now and no probs with this lan card so the one that came with the dell the broadcom has got to be faulty.
but like i said i only did that because my older puter was way too slow even with cable .
patricia h
3 Posts
0
January 22nd, 2004 12:00
Thanks, a knowledgeable friend told me to pick up a router, which I did, and I can access the internet with a borrowed laptop just fine also. I'm also concerned that re-installing factory conditions, or re-configuring the hard drive, or whatever you call it, will create system instability, without any guarantee that it will even solve my problem.
I've had my system for 1.5 years, and with only 6 mos. left on my service contract, I don't want to be out of luck in 6 mos. because I was sent defective hardware.
So I guess it's time to lobby hard for a replacement.
Thanks for the help and keep the suggestions coming!
DELL-Donald K
2 Intern
•
4K Posts
0
January 23rd, 2004 02:00
chris404
Often, connectivity issues are caused by TCP/IP errors with the WINSOCK settings in XP. The links below have a tool to reset TCP/I & the other is the manual fix if you can't get online to download the tool.
http://tntmax.com/Download/Software/WinsockXPFix.exe/view
http://support.dell.com/us/en/kb/document.asp?dn=1088678
DaGeezerUS
patricia h
3 Posts
0
January 23rd, 2004 12:00
Thanks for the tip. I've looked over the procedure, and I'll give it a try.