Connected to router, but no Internet connection

**WildcatRay** · 2011-09-01 08:57

Posting for a friend of mine. Her daughter's computer can connect to their home router (wireless) (and at Starbucks), but has no connection to the Internet. The other computers in the house connect to the Internet, as expected. Problem exists after all have been rebooted as instructed by her ISP--modem, router, computer. Also, computer cannot see Internet even when connected directly to the modem--skipping the router. Short of running WinSockFix.exe, I have not found much useful information. (I am loathe to recommend WinSockFix, because it appears to not have been updated since 2004 meaning it is pre-Win7 which is why it makes me uncomfortable.) Also, the problem computer CAN see the other computers on the network. Finally, running the troubleshooter, the response is that there is no physical connection from the router to the Internet, i.e., check wires to make sure they are connected router to modem to incoming wire. Oh, and, there was no Internet connect after turning Windows Firewall off. I do not know if she tried restoring to an earlier date prior to the problem occurring.

Any thoughts on how to proceed from here?

**Tinto Tech** · 2011-09-01 10:52

Hmmm....interesting.

I think you have done all the normal first steps. If the laptop can see other pc's on home network it means that she has established a working network connection. If it can't connect to the internet at home and at Starbucks then it's not specifically a home modem or ISP issue. That points back to the laptop itself. I agree WinsockFix is designed for XP and would be cautious about trying it on Win7.

However, there are a few things you could verify:

Open command prompt and run a ping to google.com. While you're in the command prompt window, run an ipconfig /all command and check the network configuration is ok.

Is the wireless adapter set to resolve DNS automatically or is it populated with a manual DNS IP? - Open wireless adapter properties and look at TCP v4 properties, then DNS settings.

Has the Hosts file been damaged or modified in anyway? Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers\etc and look a the Hosts file using notepad. Check there is no re-direction or blocking entries or corruptions.

Verify if the system restore you mentioned worked and also try booting it in safe mode with networking.

**Medico** · 2011-09-01 11:28

I might try going to the Network and Sharing Center. It should show as connected to the Network with a Red X to Internet. You can click on the red X to start the trouble shooter. This might find and fix the problem.

**WildcatRay** · 2011-09-01 11:44

Originally Posted by Ted Myers

I might try going to the Network and Sgaring Center. It should show as connected to the Network with a Red X to Internet. You can click on the red X to start the trouble shooter. This might find and fix the problem.

She has already done that and (as I stated in my OP

) that "the wire is either loose or not connected and to check to make sure it is properly connected." And, this is the same at home and elsewhere.

**Medico** · 2011-09-01 11:53

I would then look to update drivers on the wireless adapter from the PC manufacturer. If new drivers (an easy installation) don't fix the problem, then Tinto's stuff might help. Drivers are easy to find, download and install.

**WildcatRay** · 2011-09-01 12:03

It is a Toshiba. I told her to go to their support site and see what she can find.

**mercyh** · 2011-09-02 21:31

Here is the TCP/IP reset command for Windows 7. I have used it multiple times and it works fine. It must be run from an elevated command prompt. It will require a reboot.

netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.log

If you cannot ping www.google.com, try pinging 8.8.8.8

If the second ping works but not the first, your problem is DNS related.

**Browni** · 2011-09-02 22:03

I would be even more wary than Tinto Tech in running WinSockFix as I have seen that kill a Vista installation. Who knows what it would do to a W7 setup.

However, I have came across a similar situation quite a few times before and the resolution was to simply delete the wireless adaptor within device manager and reboot.

**gepapaya** · 2011-09-03 02:38

You might also try disabling IPv6 in the computer network adapter properties. I've read that IPv6 and wireless can cause problems if both IPv6 and IPv4 are enabled, and the routers (and modem) are only IPv4. Unless everything is IPv6, probably best to disable IPv6 for now. Hope this helps...

**Dic** · 2011-09-07 20:08

. . . you might try a Repair of Win 7.

**Erniek** · 2011-09-08 04:55

Might sound stupid but have you tried more than one browser? sometimes you might get a glitch\fault in a browser. Try downloading another browser on another PC and then then use pen drive to transfer and install it. Now try and see if you get a live connection.

Another thing to check is to see if [existing] browser is set to "work off-line". Check to see from the drop-down list when you click file in the tool bar at the top. For some unknown reason browsers can sometimes set this [IE has an infrequent habit of this]

**rick23114** · 2011-09-08 06:53

It could be as simple as a proxy server set in your browser. Check "Tools", "Internet options", "Connections", "LAN Settings". If "Proxy server" box is checked remove it. I have seen this cause the browser to fail connecting to the internet.

**WildcatRay** · 2011-09-08 06:57

Update: My friend called Toshiba support and they walked her through recovering the system. That fixed things.

Thanks for all the suggestions. They may help someone who encounters this.

**Erniek** · 2011-09-08 07:10

Just wondering if they [Toshiba] "fixed" the problem or if they just "recovered" the complete OS [Windows\system] using recovery partition\DVD's.

If they "Fixed" the problem do you have any idea as to what did they to do to resolve it?

**WildcatRay** · 2011-09-08 07:21

Originally Posted by Erniek

Just wondering if they [Toshiba] "fixed" the problem or if they just "recovered" the complete OS [Windows\system] using recovery partition\DVD's.

If they "Fixed" the problem do you have any idea as to what did they to do to resolve it?

It was, as I understood her, the former (recover).

Given this, I would suspect that her daughter could have downloaded something she should not have or may have "played around" and changed something without realizing it. (Got to be careful of all those "things" on facebook or, as I like to say, bookface.

)

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