Networking Troubleshooting 101: How to Fix Common Problems

By Carey Holzman

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Once you become accustomed to having a high-speed Internet connection, it's easy to take it for granted. Sooner or later, you'll attempt to surf the Internet or check your email, as you settle into your Internet routine, but instead of seeing the page you've come to expect, you receive an error message, such as in the figure below.


Figure 1: Internet Explorer version 7 displays this error message when a Web site cannot be reached.

The important thing to remember is stay calm, cool and collected. This article will show you how to easily resolve 95% of the most common causes of temporary high-speed Internet loss and get you back online in a few simple, easy-to-follow steps.

We also have put together a series of short video tutorials that take you through some of the same steps so you can see them live and how to navigate the various screens.  They are as follows:

• Basic troubleshooting
• How to use the Ping test

The process of elimination

Listed below are eight things you can easily check yourself that will resolve most Internet connectivity issues.

1) Determine whether your Internet connection is down. Verify that you cannot send or receive email and that you cannot browse Web sites with Internet Explorer. If either of those actions works correctly, you still have Internet access.

For example, Internet Explorer will display the error shown in Figure 1 above if a Web address is typed incorrectly, if the site you are trying to access is down or if Internet Explorer has been configured to work 'offline.' To diagnose this, try to access two or three different Web sites. To verify online or offline status of Internet Explorer, simply click on Tools (with IE version 7) or File (with IE version 6) and ensure there is not a checkmark beside 'Work Offline.' If so, click once on 'Work Offline' to remove the checkmark and then re-try accessing your preferred Web sites.

2) Reset your equipment. Unplug power from your cable/DSL/Satellite modem, your router (if you have one) and turn off your computer. Wait a minute or two, then plug your cable/DSL/Satellite modem back in, then plug your router back in (if you have one), wait a minute or so and then turn your computer back on. That fixes most high-speed Internet connection issues.

Also, be sure to check for a 'pause' button on your modem. Some modems have this “feature” that, when pressed, disable your Internet connection for security purposes. Most high-speed Internet modems and routers have no buttons at all, so if you don't see one, this diagnostic does not apply to you.

3) Verify your cabling. It's not enough to simply look at the cables. You must unplug and re-plug your cables to ensure they are seated properly. Usually a light will appear on or near the jack the cable plugs into, verifying the equipment detects the cable(s). It’s best to turn off any equipment before unplugging or re-plugging any cables.

4) Ensure your network card is enabled. It is incredibly easy to disable your network card in Windows XP. I've witnessed people doing it unknowingly. The good news is that it's just as easy to enable.

a) Click Start in the lower left corner of your screen, click Run, type NCPA.CPL and click OK.

b) At the top of your screen, click View and click Tiles.
(Your screen should now closely resemble that of Figure 2 below.)

c) Examine the words under Local Area Connection. If it says Disabled (as shown in Figure 2 below) continue to step d. Otherwise skip this step and continue forward with step 5 below.

d) Using your mouse, right-click on Local Area Connection.

e) Left click your mouse on Enable (as pictured below).

f) Wait a few moments and then try your Internet connection again.


Figure 2: Verify your network card has not been disabled, as shown in the example above.

5) Call your Internet Service Provider's (ISP) technical support. Your ISP may be experiencing an outage for numerous reasons. It's best to find this out before you start fiddling too much with your computer and its settings in vain. People who live in high-growth and construction areas will experience more outages as a result. If your ISP verifies they are having technical difficulties, be glad it's on their end and not yours. Just as when your phone or power goes out, there is not much you can do but distract yourself until it comes back on.

6) Turn off third-party firewalls. A third party, in this case, means any program (software) not provided by Microsoft. Internet security software is created to keep people out of your PC. If you installed a third-party firewall (Norton Internet Security, McAfee, Zone Alarm, etc…), it may be keeping you out! Disabling a firewall does not often work to resolve these kinds of problems when they occur, so we recommend uninstalling it completely. If this resolves your problem, please consult your firewall’s user manual or technical support before reinstalling. Those steps do not apply if you are using Windows XP's built-in firewall.

7) Scan your PC for viruses, spyware and other malicious software. Bad guys exist in cyber-space. Be sure you have an up-to-date anti-virus program running at all times. Free programs such as AdAware and SpyBot Search & Destroy can help to rid yourself of unwanted nasties and free programs such as SpywareBlaster can help to prevent them from reoccurring.

8) Rebuild your WinSock. Often times, after getting infected with Spyware or running Spyware removal software, the Windows WinSock can become corrupted. Without getting too technical, the WinSock tells Windows how to connect to the Internet. If it gets manipulated incorrectly or damaged, Windows will no longer be able to access the Internet. While that might sound quite complicated, the fix is very simple. Using another computer that can still access the Internet, download the WinSock Repair Tool. Place it on a floppy disc, CD or USB flash drive and run it on the sick computer.

If you've gone through all these steps and your Internet still does not work, it's probably time to request professional help. While most problems can be resolved with the steps above, there are always exceptions due to the number of variables involved. At least you'll feel justified requesting help after you've exhausted all your options and realized it no longer involves something simple.