Network Connections

[Guest]

Yesterday I lost all my network connections and will not let me on the
internet, (on my other hard drive). The folder is there but nothing in it.

Should be 2 NIC cards plus my 56k Modem.

1) I did a virus scan for "anything", found nothing.
2) Uninstall my Sygate firewall again.

Even after doing this, still can not find any of my connections.

Can not even open up Microsoft Security area to see what is going on.

 

[Sharon F]

Yesterday I lost all my network connections and will not let me on the
internet, (on my other hard drive). The folder is there but nothing in it.

Should be 2 NIC cards plus my 56k Modem.

Does the hardware still show up in Device Manager? And as working hardware?
Seems odd that all the communication hardware would go out at once but
still think it's worth checking up on the devices themselves.

Were there storms with lightning in your area recently and was the system
hooked up to the nics and modem at the time? Personally, I've lost hardware
- modems, a UPS and usb hubs -to lightning.

 

[Guest]

Thank you Sharon.

Everything still in Device Mgr, and they all report in working order.

No, on storms, just big heat wave in so. California.

Dan

 

[w_tom]

Start by collecting useful data. The NIC is a computer. One side
talks to Windows. The other side talks to the network. Device Manager
simply suggests that Windows is talking - or believes it is talking -
to the NIC. Now get basic information about the other side of that "NIC
computer'..

Simple test from Windows Command Prompt will report useful symptoms.
Enter a command such as:
PING -t 192.168.0.xxx where that is the IP address of this
computer. Repeate command using IP address of some other network
computer or router. As this test runs continuously, confirm that
lights on this NIC, that NIC, and on router all report activity.

Assuming this computer connects to an internet router, then one
version of that command that should work is:
PING -t 192.168.0.1 or maybe
PING -t 192.168.1.1

Important and useful information is also available from an NIC
hardware diagnostic provided by your computer manufacturer. Diagnostic
either on a separate hard drive partition or downloaded from computer
manufacturer. If not, then download a diagnostic from NIC
manufacturer.

Diagnostic, of course, loads and executes without Windows. First
diagnostic will test everything between motherboard computer and NIC
including things that Device Manager does not notice. That should test
OK. Then second half of diagnostic tests communication between this
NIC and another. Necessary that both computer uses an NIC that is from
same manufacturer. As this worse case testing procedes, corresponding
lights should appear on router. This last test requires same
diagnostic to be loaded on other computer. Often intermittents that
cannot be detected using normal activity (because normal operation is
very tolerant of errors) are firmly detected by this worst case
testing.

For example one NIC would work just fine (mostly) until the hardware
diagnostic ran for a while. Then the NIC just stopped working
completely. Only the comprehensive hardware diagnostic could find this
failure that everyone kept fixing by rebooting.

 

[Guest]

I also do this to communicate to the modem for wireless or hard wire.
Yesterday, I also found out that I lost my connections to my USB Scanner and
Camera.
Also in Device Manager, I was unable to REMOVE USB devices as well of the
Modem and NIC cards.

It appears to me, the only way to resolve this problem is to reformat and
then reinstall after retreving critical information. Even Outlook Express
will not EXPORT.

Thanks.

 

[w_tom]

Problem has become too weird. Time to step back and measure power
supply voltages with a 3.5 digit multimeter. Voltages on any one red,
orange, and yellow wires must exceed 4.87, 3.22, and 11.7. Otherwise
strange things occur.

Maybe move on to execute comprehensive hardware diagnostics that any
responsible computer manufacture provides free with the machine and on
the web site.

IOW first establish that hardware is working. Then later move on to
suspect software problems. Always confirm hardware integrity before
reloading windows.

Meanwhile, the system (event) logs have no additional information?
Another valuable clue that would be destroyed by reformatting.

 

[Guest]

I understand what you are trying to say w_tom. I built this computer myself
and have another hd(back up) now on the same machine. Just maybe you need to
go back and read again start to finish. Thank you for the help anyway. After
I get the rest of my information transfered onto a cd, am going to zero the
hd, reformat, then reinstall all over. Windows will not let me reinstal over
the old program to fix what ever files that went bad. Even the RESTORE won't
let me get to a date before all this happened.

Again thanks to everyone that suggested something.

Dan

 

[w_tom]

Don't forget to report back what is discovered. It is a two way
street and your is a rather curious problem.