Error: on Startup:Network- Limited or No Connection

[MisterG]

Since I installed SP2, every time I restart my computer I
get a networking error message. The network icon appears
in the system tray. When I open it, I get a message that
there is "limited or no connectivity." The "details"
tell me that the network failed to assign an address.

If I then go to my basement and power down and then power
up my SMC Barricade 7004ABR router, the issue disappears
and I can connect to the internet and my home network.
The router has a built in firewall.

Microsoft support has told me to get firmware updates for
my router, network card and cable modem but I can't
believe it is a firmware problem. I think it is a
software issue since it started happening immediately
after I installed SP2.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

MisterG

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Since I installed SP2, every time I restart my computer I
get a networking error message. The network icon appears
in the system tray. When I open it, I get a message that
there is "limited or no connectivity." The "details"
tell me that the network failed to assign an address.

If I then go to my basement and power down and then power
up my SMC Barricade 7004ABR router, the issue disappears
and I can connect to the internet and my home network.
The router has a built in firewall.

Microsoft support has told me to get firmware updates for
my router, network card and cable modem but I can't
believe it is a firmware problem. I think it is a
software issue since it started happening immediately
after I installed SP2.

MisterG,

I don't have a solution, only a few remarks. This message
indicates that your computer could not obtain an IP address from
the DHCP server built into the SMC router. So I would also
propose to update the router's firmware to the latest version
(www.smc.com) and check its DHCP settings.

I also had that router for some time, but swapped it for a
DrayTek Vigor, which is much better. If you can borrow another
router for a test, that could be interesting.

More details are at
http://www.michna.com/kb/WxSP2.htm#Networking_problems_after_installing_Service_Pack_2
in the subchapter: Limited or no connectivity warning.

This also shows that Service Pack 2 is not the cause. SP2 only
makes the problem visible.

By the way, if you experience the problem, is it solved by
opening a command line window and entering the following two
commands, one after the other?

ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

Hans-Georg

 

[Guest]

Well MS techh was right. I upgraded the firmware on the
SMC router and the problem did disappear.

Guess I'll just eat some crow.

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Well MS techh was right. I upgraded the firmware on the
SMC router and the problem did disappear.

It's always reassuring to see that one can occasionally pinpoint
a problem.

Guess I'll just eat some crow.

-)

Glad it works now. The SMC 7004 ABR is a simple, but reliable
router, as long as you don't have special demands like heavy
peer-to-peer file sharing or heavy Internet gaming.

Hans-Georg