Office Network Computer Assigned IP Stops Working

G

Guest

I am having a problem that our IT people may be passing the buck on. All
computers have XP Pro, current antivirus (Etrust), adware programs, and have
all Windows updates.
Our workstations connect to a larger network. Each workstation has a
dedicated IP address. The connection goes through a managed switch, gateway
(hard firewall) and then a dsl modem. The dsl modem has the DNS servers
entered. Randomly, a workstation will stop being able to access the
internet. The workstation can ping other computers behind the firewall box,
and can ping computers past the box. The computer can be pinged. We have a
block of IP addresses assigned. I have to keep entering open IP addresses
until I find one that will work. When an IP address stops working, it will
not work on any computer on our LAN. This seems to only happen on laptops
that are disconnected from the network and used out of the office. The IP
addresses that stop working will not work on desktop stations.
I have tried resetting the DSL modem, firewall box,and switches as well as
changing the port the ethernet cable plugs into. Once out of about 5 times
this seemed to fix the problem, but I could not duplicate it. IT said that
it is the switch that is the problem. I am not confident that they are
correct, as they really seemed clueless when I presented the problem to them,
as if it could not happen. Their investigation into the cause was if the
computers could be ping and ping others, it was the switch. We are on a
small budget and can't readily afford to replace equipment in a hit or miss
style of troubleshooting. The last laptop this happened with shared a
connection with another computer through a powered hub. This leads me to
thing that it isn't the switch as the other computer with another IP address
can connect. I have yet to run into a problem that this group could not
resolve, so again I am counting on you (sorry for the heavy pressure).

Thanks, Jerry
 
R

Robert L [MS-MVP]

it could be DNS issue or routing issue. can you ping a public ip like 4.2.2.1? if yes, can you ping yahoo.com? this step by step troubleshoting may help, http://howtonetworking.com/Internet/internetaccess0.htm
Don't send e-mail or reply to me except you need consulting services. Posting on MS newsgroup will benefit all readers and you may get more help.

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
How to Setup Windows, Network, Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties.
I recommend Brinkster for web hosting!

I am having a problem that our IT people may be passing the buck on. All
computers have XP Pro, current antivirus (Etrust), adware programs, and have
all Windows updates.
Our workstations connect to a larger network. Each workstation has a
dedicated IP address. The connection goes through a managed switch, gateway
(hard firewall) and then a dsl modem. The dsl modem has the DNS servers
entered. Randomly, a workstation will stop being able to access the
internet. The workstation can ping other computers behind the firewall box,
and can ping computers past the box. The computer can be pinged. We have a
block of IP addresses assigned. I have to keep entering open IP addresses
until I find one that will work. When an IP address stops working, it will
not work on any computer on our LAN. This seems to only happen on laptops
that are disconnected from the network and used out of the office. The IP
addresses that stop working will not work on desktop stations.
I have tried resetting the DSL modem, firewall box,and switches as well as
changing the port the ethernet cable plugs into. Once out of about 5 times
this seemed to fix the problem, but I could not duplicate it. IT said that
it is the switch that is the problem. I am not confident that they are
correct, as they really seemed clueless when I presented the problem to them,
as if it could not happen. Their investigation into the cause was if the
computers could be ping and ping others, it was the switch. We are on a
small budget and can't readily afford to replace equipment in a hit or miss
style of troubleshooting. The last laptop this happened with shared a
connection with another computer through a powered hub. This leads me to
thing that it isn't the switch as the other computer with another IP address
can connect. I have yet to run into a problem that this group could not
resolve, so again I am counting on you (sorry for the heavy pressure).

Thanks, Jerry
 
G

Guest

I was able to ping the public IP and names. I opened firefox which we
rararely use and was able to connect. This seems to be a problem with IE.
I checked all of my settings in IE and found them to be correct. I did an
ipconfig and flushed the DNS and reregistered it. That seems to have done
the trick as IE is now working. This seems strange that internal DNS
settings affected only IE and not Firefox. Is there an internal DNS setting
as well as the DNS server addresses for the actual internet connection? I
hope this makes sense as I am struggling with the concept and the correct
terms.
 

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