Phantom internet connection?

[zircon]

I am posting this on behalf of Thin Crust.

If you have a solution to this please AIM him at TennisHero1988 (or I can try to relay the message if he's not on.)

TC was changing the ink cartridge for his printer, dropped something and apparently something hit the back of his computer and turned it off. After rebooting, his internet seemed to have died. No web pages load for him, and he is getting the error that a network cable is unplugged in the system tray. However, inexplicably, he can talk over AIM and retrieve album info in Windows Media Player (something that requires a connection.)

His modem is functioning, the activity light is blinking, and it is directly connected to his computer. No wireless involved. This has been going on for over a week.

Any ideas?

[Thin Crust]

Still not working. Although thanks for the thread.

[Katsurugi]

I don't know how much help I can be. If you have a router, I would first check if you are connecting to it by trying to access 192.168.1.1. If you are not connecting to it, then reset the router and attempt to do so again. It should have its own software installed and you can probably configure from there. Chances are there could be a conflict between IP addresses... at least that would be my guess. Still problems? Just plug directly into the modem. Turn off the modem and turn it back on. It might take a while (30 seconds?) before it reconnects. I really do feel that there's a problem with the router though and from the clues I can put together, there most definitely is one. If you need a cheap d-link one, I can sell you one for mad cheap(5 dollars?). Shipping might be a pain though. (Also, I have to find it.)

In the case you do not have a router, then I really wouldn't know what the problem would be, since there really is a limited number of things that can happen. As always, check all the connections, especially the coaxial cable to the modem. Make sure that the pin of the coaxial cable is still there, not bent or missing.

If you tried all of this stuff... and still getting the same symptoms, I don't know what else to tell you. It's probably more software based then. Try removing any installed networks, restart again, and install the software packaged with the router. Though you won't have a network, you will still have internet access and that might be more important than intranet.

[Thin Crust]

thanks for the help. But I don't have a router. all connections seem to be fine. I'm clueless.

[HalcyonSpirit]

thanks for the help. But I don't have a router. all connections seem to be fine. I'm clueless.

Well, the first post says you have a modem, which I'm assuming is for a DSL or Cable connection. Most modems are also routers to some degree, especially those that the DSL/Cable companies give you when you sign up for the service. So if you haven't already, do what Katsurugi has said if it applies.

If those don't work, you might want to try releasing and renewing the IP address on your computer. Given the amount of time between when it started and now, it's unlikely that'll work, but it's worth a shot anyway. (To do it, go to Start -> Run -> Enter "cmd", then "ipconfig /release", then "ipconfig /renew", all individually and without the quotes.)

If that doesn't work, I'm not sure what to tell you. The sudden powering down of the computer right before this started tells me that something might've been damaged either by the object hitting the computer or the powering down itself. The network card, perhaps, was damaged by a power surge from it suddenly being turned off (unlikely, especially with newer computers, but I've seen it happen with other computer components because of a low-quality power supply).

Have you tried hooking up another computer to this connection? If that computer connects fine using that connection, and then yours still won't work after switching back, it's definitely a problem with your computer. If the other computer doesn't, it means the problem lies somewhere else. You might want to try replacing the cables connecting the computer to the modem/router and the modem/router to the main line (one at a time, though, so you can see where the problem was if it was one of those). The fact that you can be on AIM and get album data but not webpages tells me that perhaps the connection is damaged to the point where only connections that don't require a constant connection can get through.

That's all I can think of at the moment.

[The Coop]

Have you tried power cycling the modem? Turn it off, and unplug it from its power source. Wait about twenty minutes, and then reconnect the power. See what happens.

Also, give the "repair" button a try. Go to "Start/Control Panel/Network Connections/Local Area Connection", and click the "Support" tab. It's helped me a couple times when my modem was being prickish.

[Dhsu]

You need the Haitian to stop mutants from stealing your megahurtz.

[Thin Crust]

My church's technition came over and fixed it. Aparently it was nortin antivirus that was the problem. That and a lot of other programs that were slowing it down.