[SOLVED] Connections constantly time out until retried a few times

[KraGeRzR]

My problem started last week, when I returned from a LAN party at a friend's house and plugged my PC back into the home network

Environment:

• There are multiple PCs on my home network, none of which are affected by this issue - only the PC which I brought back and plugged in.

• My modem routs instead of the router, which is set as an access point, nothing more, nothing less (every other PC works as normal, suggesting the modem and router are not at fault, though they may be the cause of the problem for my specific PC)

Problem:

• On every browser (FF, Chrome, IE), pages will load normally a few times, and then start dropping connections - as soon as I attempt to load a page it gives the connection reset or server not found error

• • after a couple of refreshed pages they will all work for a short time, until some invisible quota is met and connections are dropped again
  • sometimes a page loads but only the basic HTML, all the images and styling won't load
  • every program which connects to the internet drops connections until I retry as well
  • when downloading - I can only open about 6 downloads (or a few multithreaded downloads, and then I am unable to make any more connections in any program until one or more of the downloads is stopped

Attempted solutions:

• I have flushed the DNS (does not affect anything); renewed ipconfig (works for a few moments); tried TCP Optimizer; I have deleted and reset all network adapters
  • I have used nslookup and ping to check the DNS servers: they are fine
  • I have reset the TCP stack to defaults

Everything should be fine, but it still doesn't work correctly.

Nothing seems to have any effect on the problem, except renewing ipconfig. The number of connections that are allowed before they begin to be dropped is also somewhat predictable.

That should narrow solutions down, if only I had any left.

[KraGeRzR]

Here's my IPConfig data:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : AMD
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E
Gigabit Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1F-D0-90-C8-C2
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::348e:e01b:27f4:2efc%16(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.5.3(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, March 20, 2012 12:01:38 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, March 26, 2012 11:24:34 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.5.100
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.5.100
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 318775248
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-16-1F-C7-F8-00-1F-D0-90-C8-C2

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 116.250.255.18
116.250.255.19
203.8.183.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{DB00905D-E30D-4D6C-9F55-0C8D313A1B68}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:38e3:d0c:8b05:d5c2(Prefe
rred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::38e3:d0c:8b05:d5c2%12(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

[smuglar]

This sounds like a hardware error. Try clearing your cookies and physically resetting your router.

[IT-Barry]

Can you compare your "DNS Servers" on the ipconfig above to another pc in your house.

Are they using the same dns?

Other than that your ipconfig looks good.

A few tests, disconnect every other device from the network so just your AMD machine remains.

or connect the machine you have problems with directly to the modem.

Also try a system restore back to a week or more before you went to this guys place for the lan party.

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by smuglar

This sounds like a hardware error. Try clearing your cookies and physically resetting your router.

Already done - no change.

Originally Posted by IT-Barry

Can you compare your "DNS Servers" on the ipconfig above to another pc in your house.

Are they using the same dns?

Yes

Originally Posted by IT-Barry

A few tests, disconnect every other device from the network so just your AMD machine remains.

or connect the machine you have problems with directly to the modem

No change - it loads a few pages, then throws Server Not Found errors until refreshed a varying number of times, and repeat.

Originally Posted by IT-Barry

Also try a system restore back to a week or more before you went to this guys place for the lan party.

Unfortunately I don't use System Restore - I prefer to reformat when I have issues. This one, however, has beaten me.

I would rather know exactly what's causing the error, rather than trying fixes until something works.
Is networking really such an arcane subject?

If I know what causes such symptoms, then I should be able to find the fix myself.

[Shekka]

My initial thought from the first post is that QoS turned on...

Have you check the router settings?

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by Shekka

My initial thought from the first post is that QoS turned on...

Have you check the router settings?

The router is acting as a bridge to the modem which does the routing. No settings have been changed since well before my problem began.

There isn't even a QoS setting on the modem - and all other PCs on the network are behaving correctly.

[IT-Barry]

Having done all the tests and its still in effect when connected directly to the modem its looking to be the machine itself.

I would suggest downloading malwarebytes antimalware and running a scan.

Any new anti-virus products?
Multiple AV?
Any fancy firewall software?

[Shekka]

Following up on what IT-Barry said earlier, did you go directly into the modem with your computer or just disconnect everyone else?

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by IT-Barry

Having done all the tests and its still in effect when connected directly to the modem its looking to be the machine itself.

I would suggest downloading malwarebytes antimalware and running a scan.

Any new anti-virus products?
Multiple AV?
Any fancy firewall software?

Scan picked up nothing, but this does look like a very likely problem.

Originally Posted by beyond11

My tips would be: use a switch instead of a hub. A hub is dumb and therefore allows all the devices on the network to communicate to each other.

Useful info, but I doubt this is causing my problem.

Originally Posted by Shekka

Following up on what IT-Barry said earlier, did you go directly into the modem with your computer or just disconnect everyone else?

I did both.

By the way, something I forgot to mention: the internet I was plugged into at the LAN was DSL, but mine is Satellite. The ping there was <50ms but mine is about 1 second.
I'm wondering if perhaps it reconfigured itself for that latency and now expects it from every connection, and thus times out when the connections don't go through immediately.

[Shekka]

Post a route print.

CMD

Route print

Post results.

Thx

[IT-Barry]

Check to see if any of your browsers are using a proxy server.

Firefox
1) go to tools and click options
2) click on the advanced button and then click the network tab
3) then under connections click settings

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by IT-Barry

Check to see if any of your browsers are using a proxy server.

Firefox
1) go to tools and click options
2) click on the advanced button and then click the network tab
3) then under connections click settings

Among the first things I checked. I'm used to solving problems this complex for other people. But this one has me stumped.

Originally Posted by Shekka

Post a route print.

===========================================================================
Interface List
16...00 1f d0 90 c8 c2 ......Realtek RTL8168C(P)/8111C(P) Family PCI-E Gigabit
Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.20)
1...........................Software Loopback Interface 1
11...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
12...00 00 00 00 00 00 00 e0 Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
===========================================================================

IPv4 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.5.100 192.168.5.3 20
127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
127.0.0.1 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
127.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
192.168.5.0 255.255.255.0 On-link 192.168.5.3 276
192.168.5.3 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.5.3 276
192.168.5.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.5.3 276
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
224.0.0.0 240.0.0.0 On-link 192.168.5.3 276
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 127.0.0.1 306
255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 On-link 192.168.5.3 276
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
None

IPv6 Route Table
===========================================================================
Active Routes:
If Metric Network Destination Gateway
12 58 ::/0 On-link
1 306 ::1/128 On-link
12 58 2001::/32 On-link
12 306 2001:0:5ef5:79fb:2440:1517:8b05:d5c2/128
On-link
16 276 fe80::/64 On-link
12 306 fe80::/64 On-link
12 306 fe80::2440:1517:8b05:d5c2/128
On-link
16 276 fe80::348e:e01b:27f4:2efc/128
On-link
1 306 ff00::/8 On-link
12 306 ff00::/8 On-link
16 276 ff00::/8 On-link
===========================================================================
Persistent Routes:
None

[Shekka]

Try this:

Open a cmd prompt by right clicking and choosing run as administrator and type:

netsh int ip reset reset.log press enter
netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log press enter
netsh winsock reset catalog press enter
ipconfig /flushdns press enter and restart pc

Then lets see how it goes.

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by Shekka

Try this:

Open a cmd prompt by right clicking and choosing run as administrator and type:

netsh int ip reset reset.log press enter
netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log press enter
netsh winsock reset catalog press enter
ipconfig /flushdns press enter and restart pc

Then lets see how it goes.

No change whatsoever. I tried something similar myself.

Thanks for the help so far guys.

[KraGeRzR]

I'm beginning to think it is a DNS problem, but not with the DNS servers.

I think the DNS service in Windows is corrupted. Is it possible to use a liveCD and repair individual Windows Services manually?

Otherwise I'll probably just reformat in a week or two. I didn't do it up until now because I thought that I would go to a lot of trouble and the issue wouldn't be fixed.

[Shekka]

Lets try this:

ipconfig /flushdns
net stop dnscache
net start dnscache


Maybe it will help...

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by Shekka

Lets try this:

ipconfig /flushdns
net stop dnscache
net start dnscache


Maybe it will help...

Not a squeak this time. Same deal. I tried it myself a little while back too.

[Shekka]

Ok one more thing to try... what if you change your dns settings to something from this list. Pick the one closest to you.

In the mean time I will see if anyone else might have some suggestions..

[KraGeRzR]

Originally Posted by Shekka

Ok one more thing to try... what if you change your dns settings to something from this list. Pick the one closest to you.

In the mean time I will see if anyone else might have some suggestions..

The local ones didn't work, but the Google ones did. They also solved my problem for a short while; sort of.

Now it's back to it's old tricks, though the frequency is somewhat reduced.

So I think it's a success, though I still got the error a couple of times since then.

Thanks to everyone in this thread for their help. I'll post back in 12 hours if it stays fixed.