We all have those days where our computers give us nothing but trouble. Even tech experts are not immune to problems. Network connectivity issues are among the most common of problems, and are one of the most difficult for mainstream users to fix unaided. Next time you have a have trouble connecting to the internet, try diagnosing the issue yourself before wasting your time calling tech support.
First things first, please reboot all of your equipment, including you computer, router, modem (if you have one), and any other network devices. Also make sure that your cable is actually plugged in or that your wireless adapter is actually switched on. After you have confirmed those things, start by opening up the "Network and Sharing Center" under Windows Vista and Windows 7. In Vista choose "Manage Network Connections" or in Windows 7 "Change Adapter Settings" from the left hand panel. Disable then re-enable the device which you use to connect to the internet. Check to see if the problem has been fixed by loading a page in your browser that you don't visit often, as to avoid loading a cached page. If you still have issues, proceed to the next step.
Step B. Validating you IP address
If your connection is still not working, open a command prompt by typing cmd in the Start menu. Then type ipconfig /all in the prompt. This will list the available information from all adapters. Look for the adapter you use, then locate the section that says "IPv4 address." If you are connected to a router, your IP address should be 192.168.x.x. If the IPv4 address is starts with a 169.x.x.x, then there is a problem with the way your computer is receiving it's IP address. Should you find that your IP is a 169.x.x.x, you should check your cabling thoroughly, and then reboot the router or modem that you computer connects to. Also ensure that the "Autoconfiguration Enabled" section reads "yes." If the "Autoconfiguration Enabled" section says "no", then you may have some faulty settings entered in your configuration. Editing these settings will be discussed later on. If you have a valid IP address, i.e. one that starts with a 192.x.x.x, proceed to step C. If you have an invalid IP address, proceed to step X.
Step C. Verifying a connection to the gateway
In this section, the term "gateway" can mean the router or server which you use to connect to the internet.
Locate the "Default Gateway" section under the adapter you use. Spawn a new command prompt and this time type ping followed by the Default Gateway you just located. Example: ping 192.168.1.1
You should see an output stating either "Reply from x.x.x.x" or "Request timed out." The former is what you want to see, the latter indicates a problem with the connection between your computer and the gateway. If you are able to receive a response from the gateway, proceed to step D. If there is no response from the gateway, reboot the gateway device and try again. If you are unable to receive a response from the gateway and your "Autoconfiguration Enabled" section is set to "No", then proceed to step X.
Step D. Checking DNS connectivity
In most cases, the DNS server you use will be the same as the default gateway. Verify this in the output of your ipconfig /all command prompt window. If this is the case proceed to step Y. If it is not the case, you will need to ping the DNS servers listed. The results of the ping should give a "Reply from x.x.x.x" indicating that you have connectivity to a DNS server. If you cannot obtain response from the listed DNS server, then proceed to step Y. If no DNS servers are listed, then proceed to step Y.
Step X. Manually setting IP addresses and Gateways
Navigate again to the "Network and Sharing Center" and then to the "Manage Network Connections" or "Change adapter settings" option. Right click the appropriate adapter and choose "Properties." Double click on the "Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" option. If there are any numbers in the blanks, write them down before proceeding. After noting any numbers in the blanks, check the button for "Obtain an IP address automatically", then click "OK" and "OK" again on the last box, then disable and re-enable the adapter. Retry your internet connection or retry the previous step in this guide (the step from which you jumped down to here).
If there are no manually entered numbers in the blanks, tick the "Use the following IP address:" button then type an IP address into the first blank. Use 192.168.1.x (x can be any number between 2 and 254) if you are unsure of what IP address you want to take. In the "Subnet mask" blank, type 255.255.255.0 . Under the "Default gateway" blank, type 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 . This is dependent on the manufacturer of you router, and in some cases this number is printed on the router itself for reference. Also the first three sets of numbers in "Default gateway" must match those specified in the "IP address" blank or vice versa. Example: If you set your IP address to 192.168.1.47, then you must set the default gateway to 192.168.1.1, not 192.168.0.1. For the DNS blanks, you can use Google's public DNS servers, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively. Apply those settings, disable and re-enable the adapter then try your tests again.
Step Y. Manually setting DNS servers.
If you have an IP address and a connection to your gateway, then it is likely that you are having a DNS outage. Navigate again to the "Network and Sharing Center" and then to the "Manage Network Connections" or "Change adapter settings" option. Right click the appropriate adapter and choose "Properties." Double click on the "Internet Protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4)" option. If there are any numbers in the blanks, write them down before proceeding. Choose the "Use the following DNS server addresses:" button. You can use Google's public DNS servers, 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 respectively. Apply those settings, disable and re-enable the adapter then try your tests again.
If you cannot resolve you problem after following this guide, you likely have a hardware problem or a network problem beyond your control. Calling your service provider may reveal information about an outage in you area. If there are no outages reported, and you have rebooted all of you equipment, then it is time that you call an expert to help you fix your problems. Either a service call to your ISP (Internet Service Provider) for a more personalized diagnostic or a house call from a local geek should be able to resolve your network issues.
Please feel free to email me about any questions regarding the article of its contents, or if you need personalized technical help.
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