User Friendly PC - Solving Highspeed Internet Problems

Internet Connection Problems

Often times, staying connected to the internet can be a little frustrating. This section covers some common problems which can occur with existing high-speed internet connections. This section is not intended to be a how-to of installing and configuring a network interface, to set up an internet connection.

The problems can range from local trouble at the end users computer to a down server, downed lines or some interruption between the ISP's server and the website you are trying to connect to. Other problems can range from complete disconnection to reduced network bandwidth. More often than not, the problem is simple to diagnose and easily resolved with a little patience and knowledge. Some of the troubleshooting techniques used will range from the most basic to the more advanced.

First, there are some simple things that the end user can do that take little time to determine where the problem may be.

If you are having trouble connecting to a particular website, can you connect to other sites? Try going to another website or performing a Google search. Make sure you go to a site haven't visited in a while as this reduces the possibility of the site loading from your internet cache.
A handy tool you can use is Down for everyone or just me?. This is a site that allows you to enter the URL Uniform Resource Locator) to verify that the site is down. A URL is the address of a specific website or file on the Internet. An example of a URL is http://www.userfriendlypc.net
Another useful tool is at DSL Reports. Speed Test can check the speed of the connection as well as the line quality and report back to you its findings. Another popular site for testing your connection speed can be found at Speedtest.net
Find out if any new software was installed which may have contributed to the problem such as Anti-virus software.
Was a new firewall installed or were changes made to the existing firewall?
Were any software or firmware updates recently performed?
Were there any configuration changes made?
If none of these work check the cabling. Are all of the cables plugged in? Check the connections in case they have come loose or damaged. Is the cable crimped, bent or twisted. All cables have a recommended bend radius. Bending these cables beyond that radius damages the cable and can break the signal required for connectivity.
Make sure there is power to the modem and router if one is used.
If you are connecting to the internet using an Ethernet card, do you have a connection? This is often overlooked. Where the Ethernet cable plugs into the computer, is there a status indicator that is turned on? If the indicator is off, there is no connection at this card.
Is the Ethernet indicator on the modem or router turn on? Again, if the indicator is off, there is no connection.
There are other indicators on the modem and routers and it might be a good idea to look at the documentation for those devices so that you know what those indicators mean.
Another status indicator is located in your windows desktop. In the desktop, you can configure an icon in the taskbar tray to indicate when there is connectivity.
This can be done by going to the Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Connection > Properties > and checking the box, "Show icon in notification area when connected."
This icon will even flash when there is network activity.
If none of these suggestions work, check the Device Manager for errors. This can be access via the Control Panel by going to System > Hardware > Device Manager. See if the network card or device is recognized, working properly and the correct drivers are loaded.
Did the environment around the computer change? While we don't see this often, electrical interference can play a part especially with wireless networks. Check nearby sources for:
- Microwave Ovens
- Fluorescent Lights
- Cordless or Cellular Phones
- Running Vacuum Cleaners or any nearby Electric Motors
- 2-way Radio Equipment
The source may not always be obvious. The source could be behind a wall or located on the floor below.

There are some more advanced troubleshooting techniques that you can used to check the state of your network connection from the command line in windows. To start the command line, click on, "Start" choose run and type in "cmd" (without the quotes) and click OK.

ipconfig

The "ipconfig" command displays all current TCP/IP network configuration values and refreshes Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) settings. Used without parameters, ipconfig displays the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway for all adapters. To use this, just type: "ipconfig" (without the quotes)in the command line.

If you have a network connection, you should see something like:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix : (this may or may not contain an entry)
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.64
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.254

(Note - The address' may differ depending on your configuration)

If there is no connection, you will probably see something similar to this:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

nslookup

Nslookup is a command-line administrative tool for testing and troubleshooting DNS servers. Nslookup is used in Windows and Unix to query Domain Name System (DNS) servers to find DNS details, including IP addresses of a particular computer and the NS servers of a domain. The name nslookup means "name server lookup". To use this, just type "nslookup" (without the quotes) from the command line.

When using the command, it is normal for the system to report that it "can't find the server name for the address". This is due to the configuration of the network however it does then give a prompt ">" let the user know that it is now ready to start finding things.

For instance, if you type in: "www.google.com", it will then go out to the DNS server and report back a list of the addresses it recognizes for Google and likewise for other addresses. What this tells you is that windows is able to resolve names properly and therefore the other programs used within windows should be able to resolve names properly.

Be sure to type: "exit" when you are finished using nslookup.

Ping

Ping is a computer network administration utility used to test whether a particular host is reachable across an Internet Protocol (IP) network and to measure the round-trip time for packets sent from the local host to a destination computer, including the local host's own interfaces. Provided there is no firewall in place blocking the ping, you should get a response. Typically, you might want to type "ipconfig" (without the quotes)to get the address of your default gateway and then ping your default gateway by typing: "ping" (without the quotes)followed by the address of your default gateway. The default gateway is an external device from the computer and pinging the default gateway will tell you if you have connectivity through the network.

Tracert

Traceroute (tracert) is a computer network tool used to show the route taken by packets across an IP network.

Traceroute works by increasing the "time-to-live" (TTL) value of each successive batch of packets sent. The first three packets sent have a TTL value of one (implying that they are not forwarded by the next router and make only a single hop). The next three packets have a TTL value of 2, and so on. When a packet passes through a host, normally the host decrements the TTL value by one, and forwards the packet to the next host. When a packet with a TTL of one reaches a host, the host discards the packet and sends an ICMP time exceeded packet to the sender. The traceroute utility uses these returning packets to produce a list of hosts that the packets have traversed en-route to the destination. The three timestamp values returned for each host along the path are the delay (latency) values typically in milliseconds (ms) for each packet in the batch.

To use this, just type tracert from the command line followed by the IP address you want to use. For example, a common IP address used by techs for testing external networks is 4.2.2.2. To use this, you would type: "tracert 4.2.2.2" (without the quotes). Tracert may or may not give you feedback on certain hops through the network depending on firewalls that may be in place blocking communication.

By using this tool, you can get an idea where in the network the problem may be. Most users will never need this tool but it is available and will give you an idea where the problem lies if you are having trouble reaching a site.

If these suggestions don't work, we recommend contacting your ISP (Internet Service Provider) as there may be an issue on their end that they may already know about. Some of the items discussed here are advanced. If the user is uncomfortable using them or believe them to above their skill level, as always, contact your local technician to troubleshoot and resolve the problem. User Friendly PC can be contacted at (775) 200-6171.