Windows XP and internet....

[Ctuchik]

So i recently got a new PC and my mom got my old one, everything is fine except from the internet. No matter what she does she cannot get online.

The network icon says that no ethernet cable is attached even though it clearly is.

She has tried both with the onboard and a 2 different PCI network cards, with or without both router and switch.

I have not a fucking clue what's wrong and neither does she.

Does anyone of you have an idea what's up?


I'm positive it's some obscure setting we both miss.

These are the settings Telia says to use, and they are all configured correctly. (sorry that the pictures are in swedich but you should have an idea what it says)

http://translate.google.com/transla...bandviafiber/installningarforipadress&act=url

So why doesn't it work?

 

[soze]

First thing is in command prompt type
ipconfig
Check the IP Address. If it is 169.x.x.x then you problem is you are not getting a DHCP IP Address. Check the connection to the router, if it is connected then you have a problem with the DHCP server on your router. You will need to set a static IP Address and log onto the Router to look for options.
If it is a 192.x.x.x or a 10.x.x.x then you have a valid IP. If that's the case try
ping 8.8.8.8
If you get a reply then you have internet access so try
ping bbc.co.uk
It should say Pinging bbc.co.uk [212.58.241.131] with 32 bytes of data. If it does not then you don't have DNS. If that is the case then go to where you set the static IP and leave the Address Dynamic but force the DNS to be 8.8.8.8 and try again.

 

[Ctuchik]

Yeah but it's not even detecting the cable connected to the network device. Even without a internet connection it should know a cable is connected. It doesn't say "no internet connection" it says "no cable connected".... So i need to get the PC to understand that a cable IS there first.

 

[soze]

It will only say that if it is connected at both ends. So if the lead or the Router or Router port is faulty it will say cable unplugged. If you have a Switch plug the lead into that if the cable unplugged then goes away the Router or the port on the Router is likely at fault.

 

[Ctuchik]

We've tried without both router and switch, it's the same thing. We even tried with a different cable in case it was broken.

Something in XP is fucked up but we can't find what it is.

 

[Overdriven]

Got the correct NIC drivers?

 

[Ctuchik]

Yep, everything that should be ok, is ok. It just doesn't work anyway.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Considered the possibility it's the PC ethernet port that's shagged?

Here's the steps I would follow to determine where the problem lies.
Find the cable that connects the PC to the router. Unplug both ends and reconnect the cable into the router. Your router should show a lit LED for the socket the cable is plugged into.
Reconnect the cable into the XP PC ethernet socket. Does it have an LED show a second after plugging in the cable? If either end isn't showing an LED, then try a different network cable and look for LEDs at both the PC and router. If one or both of the sockets *ISN'T* showing an LED, even after replacing the network cable, then you have definitely got a problem with one or the other socket. No amount of fiddling in XP will resolve this issue as the problem is at a lower level than the OS.
Try the steps above with a different network socket on the router.
If you're using the onboard ethernet socket of the PC motherboard, ensure that LAN or ethernet is enabled in the BIOS setup.
Try another PC on the same router and cable.

If all of those fail, then you're definitely looking at a problem with the router.
If another PC works, then you're looking at a problem with the socket on the XP PC.

 

[soze]

As you have tried other Network cards too I would reset TCP IP on the machine. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357

 

[Ctuchik]

erm...

Nothing seemed to happen she says.

Log file after trying that had this..

bad value was:
REG_MULTI_SZ =
PSched

 

[soze]

Registry corruption nice

Try a repair install or
SFC /SCANNOW or
Reinstall XP SP3

 

[Ctuchik]

Yeah forgot to mention SP3, getting a invalid win32 program when trying to install that lol.. So probably looking at a repair install if the command won't do anything.


/edit: LMAO, SFC /scannow made xp ask for the CD for windows professional server. She's got XP home.....

 

[Access Denied]

You've got a valid XP serial yes? Go on Microsofts website and use the key to download another ISO of XP Home. Burn it to disc and use that for a reinstall.

 

[Ctuchik]

Slight update, a few days ago she went to windows update and downloaded all the updates there and got a TON of windows server files.

How the hell can a XP home installation go so fucking wrong that it thinks it's a server OS?

 

[Access Denied]

Because it's Microsoft. No other explanation needed.

 

[Ctuchik]

So it turned out that the drivers for the onboard ethernet chipset were at fault (actually they were never installed).

Next time mother asks me for help with a PC i'l kick her out of her apartment so i can sit down and see for myself.

Still installed with a ton of windows server files but it seems to be working as it should so i don't care anymore.