Odd internet problem

[WimpBastard]

I posted this up in the WinXP forum and was told I might get more answers here.

This post is on behalf of a friend who's computer is acting a little funny. He wasn't able to register on this forum because he wasn't able to get his email.

I have a Netgear CG814WG cable modem connected directly to my pc via ethernet, provided by Comcast, my ISP, on WinXP SP2.

The other day I downloaded and installed 2 updated drivers for my Nvidia fx5200xt and my Creative SB Audigy cards. I go about and reboot my machine after installation. When I log back into windows, I find that I cant get any pages to load with Firefox, I conducted a test to see if my internet was still working. Internet Explorer, mIRC, and Ventrilo still connect, though I cant check my email or upload anything with IE. Nor can I connect to Steam, or any game that uses Gamespy's multiplayer stuff, for instance, I loaded up Rome:TW and when I tried to connect to the lobby, the game crashed on me, and so does anything else gamespy affiliated. And I cant even direct IP in civilization 4.

I disable my firewall, antivirus or any sort of program possibly running and try it all again with no success. I tried ending every process running that I could, and still nothing. I then tried rolling back my drivers...still nothing. Even when i set my router to DMZ, I get no change in the situation. I've scanned and cleared any spyware or viruses on my pc. I've rebooted I don't know how many times following all these steps, and when trying to contact my ISP today, the phones are down due to a storm.

I'm fairly clueless about network connections and such, and would appreciate any sort of help available.

[JamesO]

Not sure where this person is located, but the comment the phones are down due to "the storm" may have something to do with his internet connection??

Start, Run, type "cmd" then hit enter, type "ipconfig /all >C:\ipconfig.txt" then hit enter. Leave out the quotes ("").

Open C:\ipconfig.txt with Notepad and copy/paste the info back for review and comment.

My Computer, double click C, look for ipconfig.txt

Post be here for review and comment.

If the IP addresses are 0.0.0.0 or 169.xxx.xxx.xxx this is part of his problem.

If the IP command does not response or he gets an error, then this needs a bit further investigation.

JamesO

[WimpBastard]

This is his reply:

Windows IP Configuration



        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : NATHAN

        Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :

        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

        DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : chn.comcast.net



Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:



        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : chn.comcast.net

        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek RTL8139/810x Family Fast Ethernet NIC

        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0E-A6-C1-8A-E6

        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.10

        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

        DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.87.64.196

                                            68.87.66.196

                                            192.168.0.1

        Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, November 01, 2005 2:44:13 PM

        Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, November 01, 2005 3:44:13 PM

[Resolution]

I would set 192.168.0.1 as the DNS server. Those other entries seem unnecessary. You should be able to do this from the modem's configuration.

If that doesn't work, then tell him to download the WinsockFix, run the program, and then reboot the computer. The program will attempt to fix his TCP/IP connection.

[WimpBastard]

He gave it a shot. No work

[JamesO]

The ipconfig info looks in order.

Reboot the cable modem and router first, cable modem first, then router.

Try pinging www.techsupportforum.com and 209.59.143.50 and see what happens. What response does he get for each operation?

Also try the command ipconfig /flushdns and see what happens. What response does he get?

JamesO

[WimpBastard]

<harr> ok so far
<harr> when i ping boh of those addresses
<harr> i get an average of about 50ms for both with 0% packet loss

<harr> and when i do flushdns, it verifies i did it
<harr> but again, nothing else :\

[WimpBastard]

He sent me a list of programs which do and dont work.

PROGRAMS...

That Connect:

AOL Instant Messenger
Gamespy 3D
IL-2: Forgotten Battles
Internet Explorer (cant upload files or check email)
mIRC
Unreal Tournament 2004
Ventrilo



That Don't:

Civilization 4
Firefox
Gamespy Arcade
Hidden and Dangerous Deluxe
Hidden and Dangerous 2
MSN/Windows Messenger
Operation Flashpoint: Resistance (server list worked though)
Raven Shield
Rise of Nations
Rome: Total War
Steam
SWAT 4
Xfire

According to him the programs which didnt work also usually crashed/locked up the PC. With the exception of Raven Shield, Hidden and Dangerous Deluxe, OFP. The applications that dont work (Firefox, MSN, Xfire) fail to connect.

[Resolution]

Does Device Manager show any conflicts (yellow exclamation points)?

Did he make sure to turn off the Windows firewall?

Can he use Firefox or MSN Messenger from "Safe Mode with Networking"?

[harr]

Driver conflicts was one of the first things i checked for, and boggled me cause I was sure my sound or vid driver was causing the problem, yet, no sign.

I'm in safe mode right now, firefox, steam, msn, they all work just fine. and was able to check my mail to validate my forum account so I can post from now on.

and about the firewall, I am most certain it is off, but whenever I go into Security Center, it tells me my firewall is still on. ive double checked in system services and it says its stopped and disabled.

and also yesterday, I tried updating my network card driver, that didnt help anything either.


I'd like to say thanks for helping me so far, and I really appreciate it.

[JamesO]

Does this machine have Norton Internet Security installed on it by chance?

JamesO

[harr]

Norton Anti-Virus and Firewall, which came installed when I bought this pc, and stopped using shortly after

[harr]

While I was in Safemode, admiring my Firefox once again, I decided to take a look into the device manager list once again. I went through the hidden devices and found a yellow exclamation point on SYMTDI. I rebooted and double checked in normal mode, no conflict there.

So apparently, its a Symantec driver. Is it normal for this to happen in safe mode? or is this the root of my problem?

[Resolution]

Probably the root of your problem. I'm aware that older versions (probably all versions) of Norton Antivirus that were damaged caused people to lose Internet connectivity.

Can you tell us what version of Norton Firewall and Norton Antivirus you have installed (ie., Norton 2003, Internet Security 2004, etc.)?

[harr]

it's 2003, but no matter.

I disabled the device, and rebooted. it took awhile for everything to load up after I logged in, but it fixed my problem.

Now, I'm going to uninstall anything Norton on my system, since I never use it anyway, and hopefully that will fix my extensively long start up time.

[Resolution]

Well, that's what I was getting to. Check out out the removal instructions on Symantec's website.

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT...01092114452606

Don't forget to remove the entries in your startup (msconfig).

[harr]

I actually uninstalled everything before I read your last post, and apparently it said it was Norton 2004 during removal, although I could've swore it was 2003. But anyway, my system boots up just fine now, and everything works ok.

Thanks a lot for all the help.

[JamesO]

My suspicion seemed correct, all things inoperative tend to lead back to NORTON! This is not the first nor the last time NORTON will be causing someone problems!!

Download and install Zone Alarm free firewall Zone Alarm Free

Download and install AVG Free antivirus from Grisoft Gristsoft AVG Free

You will never need to pay for updates, in my opinion, you get faster protection that consumes less computer resources, the programs are less cumbersome, and they protect you as good, if not better than Norton.

I have removed Norton and Mcafee from every machine I own and have no regrets.

JamesO

[johnwill]

You'll be amused to know that this week I had to eliminate NIS and NAV from a client's computer to get it connected to a network. What a bloated and buggy program!

[JamesO]

Another one bites the dust!!

JamesO