unplug and power up dsl modem and router

[Tom H.]

Hello,
This is happening more to my wife's new Toshiba laptop running Vista than to
my Dell laptop running XP-SP2.
The computer will loose access to the internet, and the fix is to unplug the
power to the DSL modem and the wireless router, wait a few seconds, re-power
the modem and router, wait 3 minutes then start Internet Explorer. This has
always fixed the problem, but I would like to better understand the
underlying cause. This started happening more often after my wife got a new
Toshiba laptop. It often happens that my Dell laptop is still connected to
the internet. At first I thought that since only her computer was having a
problem that there must have been some problem with her computer and that
turning power off and on to the modem and router would not be the fix, but
it was the fix after all. I guess there is some part of networking here
that does not make sense to me, probably because I do not know a lot about
networking.

Is there some other way to attack the problem to make it happen less
frequently?

Also, I looked for a Vista help newsgroup, but could not find one.

TIA for any help,
Tom

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Hello,
This is happening more to my wife's new Toshiba laptop running
Vista than to my Dell laptop running XP-SP2.
The computer will loose access to the internet, and the fix is to
unplug the power to the DSL modem and the wireless router, wait a
few seconds, re-power the modem and router, wait 3 minutes then
start Internet Explorer. This has always fixed the problem, but I
would like to better understand the underlying cause. This started
happening more often after my wife got a new Toshiba laptop. It
often happens that my Dell laptop is still connected to the
internet. At first I thought that since only her computer was
having a problem that there must have been some problem with her
computer and that turning power off and on to the modem and router
would not be the fix, but it was the fix after all. I guess there
is some part of networking here that does not make sense to me,
probably because I do not know a lot about networking.
Is there some other way to attack the problem to make it happen less
frequently?

Also, I looked for a Vista help newsgroup, but could not find one.

If you are unplugging to router and DSL modem and that fixes it - the
problem is *not* with your computers.

Could be the router....
Could be the DSL modem...

Only you can troubleshoot to find out which.

 

[DL]

Since you are using the OE newsreader did you not look in Tools>NewsGroups,
for Vista?
There are numerous on on the msnews server

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

if you run > msinfo32
you will find an error
log and possibly with
clues.

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[Tom H.]

DL,
I only looked in the netnews.worldnet.att.net server as that is the only
one I know how to access through OE and an internet connection. I have to
use dial-up for access to the msnews server, or at least I do not know how
to access that server using OE and DSL.

Tom

 

[Tom H.]

Shenan,
About as much as I can do to troubleshoot the modem and router is to only
turn one off and see if that fixes the problem. That would tell me which
piece of gear is causing problems, but beyond that I would not know what to
do. Maybe I could go to the router/modem manufacturer website and look for
troubleshooting guides.

Tom

 

[Tom H.]

db,
I ran msinfo32, and that brought up the System Information window, and I do
not know where to look in that for the error log. Also, if Shenan is
correct and the problem is in the modem or router, I don't see a place where
those devices are setup or monitored or whatever.

Tom

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

its the last item
in the subsection
"software environment"

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[Shenan Stanley]

This is happening more to my wife's new Toshiba laptop running
Vista than to my Dell laptop running XP-SP2.
The computer will loose access to the internet, and the fix is to
unplug the power to the DSL modem and the wireless router, wait a
few seconds, re-power the modem and router, wait 3 minutes then
start Internet Explorer. This has always fixed the problem, but I
would like to better understand the underlying cause. This started
happening more often after my wife got a new Toshiba laptop. It
often happens that my Dell laptop is still connected to the
internet. At first I thought that since only her computer was
having a problem that there must have been some problem with her
computer and that turning power off and on to the modem and router
would not be the fix, but it was the fix after all. I guess there
is some part of networking here that does not make sense to me,
probably because I do not know a lot about networking.
Is there some other way to attack the problem to make it happen less
frequently?

Also, I looked for a Vista help newsgroup, but could not find one.

About as much as I can do to troubleshoot the modem and router is
to only turn one off and see if that fixes the problem. That would
tell me which piece of gear is causing problems, but beyond that I
would not know what to do. Maybe I could go to the router/modem
manufacturer website and look for troubleshooting guides.

You lose connectivity, here are things to try - in this order...

- Repair your network connection.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/maintain/repair.mspx
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-GB/help/33307acf-0698-41ba-b014-ea0a2eb8d0a81033.mspx

If that does not fix it...

- Unplug the router from power. Wait 30 seconds. Plug your router back in.
Wait 60 seconds.
(Leave everything else plugged in/untouched.)

If that does not fix it...

- Unplug the DSL modem from power. Wait 30 seconds. Plug your router back
in. Wait 60 seconds.
(Leave everything else plugged in/untouched.)

More information...

Essentially - this is how things are likely working in your environment:

Phone line --> DSL Modem --> Router --> Your computer(s).

Essentially your DSL modem gets an Internet connection from the ISP and
gives an IP to the device connected to it (in this case - the router.) Your
router gets an IP (public or private dependent on whether or not your DSL
Modem might be a router as well) and then your router hands out IPs to the
machines that connect to it.

Therefore - if, as you stated originally - you can fix things by unplugging
(from power) the DSL Modem and router - then something is wrong *likely*
with one of those two devices. Especially if you are seeing problems on TWO
different computers that connect to the system - even more so if the problem
occurs at the same time on the two computers.

The first solution above just causes the computer to look over its settings
and reset them - establish the connection, request a new IP and clear some
caches. The second tests to see if possibly your router is defective. At
the cost of them - you'd probably just want to purchase a new router instead
of trying to fix it - one with more features (unless your DSL Modem might
also be a router - then you could just use it - unless you got the other
router because you needed wireless - although many ISPs now offer modems
with wired and wireless routers built into it.) The last will test the
modem to see if it is losing connectivity with the ISP and then you should
call your ISP to troubleshoot it.

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Shenan,
About as much as I can do to troubleshoot the modem and router is to only
turn one off and see if that fixes the problem. That would tell me which
piece of gear is causing problems, but beyond that I would not know what
to do. Maybe I could go to the router/modem manufacturer website and look
for troubleshooting guides.

Tom

I've had this kind of thing happen a few times, where the router was
accessible but the Net beyond was not. It's usually been due to overheated
and failed modems. The fix is replacement.

Sometimes some very few kinds of data will make it through, like ping, but
browsing or checking mail will fail.

When it happens on your wife's laptop, be *sure* what the situation is on
your system. Use Ping to check some site or browse to a location you've
never been, or that displays the current date and time. Be sure that your
system is not showing you the browser cache and making you think you're
connected. If your system is also disconnected, it's not either PC.

When her system loses connection, see if it can log into the router's admin
pages. This will tell you if it's the PC or outside of it.

If the router can't disconnect and reconnect easily, try using the router
reboot utility, not just power cycling it. Sometimes that is what's needed.

I would suggest, if you're getting regular disconnects, there are chances
that the modem is baked (literally) and must be replaced.

HTH
-pk

 

[Elmo]

Hello,
This is happening more to my wife's new Toshiba laptop running Vista than to
my Dell laptop running XP-SP2.
The computer will loose access to the internet, and the fix is to unplug the
power to the DSL modem and the wireless router, wait a few seconds, re-power
the modem and router, wait 3 minutes then start Internet Explorer. This has
always fixed the problem, but I would like to better understand the
underlying cause. This started happening more often after my wife got a new
Toshiba laptop. It often happens that my Dell laptop is still connected to
the internet. At first I thought that since only her computer was having a
problem that there must have been some problem with her computer and that
turning power off and on to the modem and router would not be the fix, but
it was the fix after all. I guess there is some part of networking here
that does not make sense to me, probably because I do not know a lot about
networking.

Is there some other way to attack the problem to make it happen less
frequently?

Also, I looked for a Vista help newsgroup, but could not find one.

Open Device Manager, open the properties on your ethernet card, click
the Power tab, and deselect "Allow the computer to turn off this device
to save power". Do the same to the USB hubs.

 

[nass]

Hello,
This is happening more to my wife's new Toshiba laptop running Vista than to
my Dell laptop running XP-SP2.
The computer will loose access to the internet, and the fix is to unplug the
power to the DSL modem and the wireless router, wait a few seconds, re-power
the modem and router, wait 3 minutes then start Internet Explorer. This has
always fixed the problem, but I would like to better understand the
underlying cause. This started happening more often after my wife got a new
Toshiba laptop. It often happens that my Dell laptop is still connected to
the internet. At first I thought that since only her computer was having a
problem that there must have been some problem with her computer and that
turning power off and on to the modem and router would not be the fix, but
it was the fix after all. I guess there is some part of networking here
that does not make sense to me, probably because I do not know a lot about
networking.

Is there some other way to attack the problem to make it happen less
frequently?

Also, I looked for a Vista help newsgroup, but could not find one.

TIA for any help,
Tom

Hi Tom,
Is the connection wired or wireless?, this can indicate a bad firmware or
defective hardware like the Router or the Modem, try to update the Firmware
for the Router and the Modem if possible then try the connection and see if
it will last and hold the connection.
Also This could be due to:
1- A Power management settings for the NIC, to know if the Power management
settings correct try this:
Right click " MY Computer" select Properties and then click on Hardware Tab
then click on Device Manager button.
On Device Manager locate this:
[+] Network Adapters, click on the Plus [+] to expand to [-] and locate the
Wireless NIC, then while highlighting the NIC click on the Properties Button.
On the NIC Properties window click on Power management and make sure this
check box is unchecked:
[ ] Let the computer Turn OFF this Device for power saving.

Click [Ok] and out, does it help retain the connection.

2- Best if She/ Both of you change from the Weak WEP encryption method to
the WPA-PSK more secure, also change from the default channel (11 and 6) as
your neighbour may using the same channel to access their wireless which can
interfere with Her connection, making Her losing access.

3- Update the Firmware for the Wireless from the Laptop Manufacturer.

Finally, Open a run command and type in:
ipconfig /flushdns click [OK]
ipconfig /renew click [OK]
netsh winsock reset click [OK]
Reboot your machine, does it help?.

Also try to reconfigured my router to use a HEX pass instead of an ASCII
string and then try the Connection, does it help?.
I recommend using WPA encryption method as it is safer than WEP, which
consider weak by Today's security average.

Wireless by Barb Bowman:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/security/expert/bowman_wirelesssecurity.mspx
Set up a wireless network
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/wireless.mspx

You may receive a "Limited or no connectivity" message
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892896

HTH.
nass

 

[Tom H.]

found it.
no problems reported in the last few days (the timeframe for this issue)
most of the errors I see in other timeframes are software hangs.

tom

 

[Tom H.]

Joe,
In this situation the connection is through a wireless connection. Would
the Ethernet card influence that?

Also, I might mention that the connections manager shows the computer
connected to the wireless network.

Tom

 

[Tom H.]

Thanks to all who have contributed. I now have quite a list of things to do
and read about when next this problem raises its ugly head. At this point I
am suspicious of my modem. I bought the modem for $50 with a $50 rebate
from ATT when I first got DSL from them in May. I am now at a different
location where ATT does not offer DSL so I started getting DSL from Qwest in
October, and when I signed up with Qwest they were not sure if my modem
would work on their system. Well it works, but maybe I am finding out that
it does not work so well. Also, when I was at Best Buy the other day I
think I saw a DSL modem for about $80, so I started to think "do I have a
cheapo modem?" Time will tell.

Tom

 

[Tom H.]

Oooops,
I take back my condemnation of the modem. One time when the problem arose,
I took my wife's computer to the modem and took the cable that goes from the
modem to the router, uplugged it from the router and plugged it directly
into the Ethernet port on her laptop and that gave internet access. (In
other words now the the only thing between the computer and the wall outlet
was the modem, and the connection was working.) To me that means the modem
is fine, but there might be some subtleties I am missing.

Tom

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

the ports on the laptop
are not reliable, physically
that is.

one possibility is that
the rj45 port is the
cause of intermittent
failure with the signal.

there is a unique connector
that would not be a bad
tool to have, as it can be
used for laptops and pc's:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/netwo...thernet-adapters/c40000-c43000-c43004-p1.html

see if you can find something
like this around your area.

the above is a hardware
work around if the laptop
port is the faulty culprit.

in addition maybe the
little batch file i made
sometime ago will come
in handy as well:

-------------------------

start run cmd ~
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
netsh int ip reset
regsvr32 softpub.dll
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
netsh winsock reset catalog

--------------------------
copy the above into
notepad and save it
something like
resetip.bat

then run it whenever
you think it might help.

then there is one more
possible thing to look
at.

open the browser and
type in 191.168.0.1
and see if there is something
here you need to modify.

your dsl provider can help
you with this method or
maybe you can use the
other computer to compare
the settings.
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[Tom H.]

Hi db,

I contacted my router manufacturer (lynksis) and found that there is a
firmware upgrade for my router. I have now upgraded. My problem in
intermittent, so I don't yet know if that will help.

my problems occur in wireless operations, my rj45 connectors seem fine.

Thanks for the reset batch file. I can recall using some of those commands
in the past. Having the batch file will make is simple in the future.

Tom

 

[db ´¯`·.. >]

you're welcome.

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