Getting A Better Wifi/Ethernet Signal.
Technology1 min ago
internet connection
15 Answers
I lost my internet connection last week. I've rung Virgin (NTL) media who have run several tests to my set top box and onto my pc. (I've Broadband / ethernet)They say the problem is that my IP number starts 169 and it should start 80. After several attempts / tests to change it, using ipconfig, they've come to the conclusion that everything their end is o.k and the signal is reaching my pc and it's my PC that faulty. Can anybody help me find what the problem with my pc might be. How do I find out if my pc is 'talking' to their system, if at all. Before I call in the engineers I'd like to explore as much as I can. Thanks for any immediate help you can offer.
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You say you lost your connection last week. I assume it was working fine before that.
The first thing to find out is if you changed anything last week ?
Did you make any changes such as a new router, or re-install Windows, or change your network settings, or any other hardware or software changes that may have caused you to lose your connection ?
I am confused by your statement that your ip address begins 169 but should be 80. I see no reason why your IP address should begin 80.
More to follow......
The first thing to find out is if you changed anything last week ?
Did you make any changes such as a new router, or re-install Windows, or change your network settings, or any other hardware or software changes that may have caused you to lose your connection ?
I am confused by your statement that your ip address begins 169 but should be 80. I see no reason why your IP address should begin 80.
More to follow......
assume you are using DHCP (this means that when you start your computer and connect to the internet your are GIVEN an ip address) rather than having a fixed ip address.
Check this as follows:
1) Open the Windows control panel and look for the Network Connections icon (it may be in Network and Internet Connections section)
2) Open Network Connections and you get a Network Connections window. There should be one icon, Local Area Connection.
3) RIGHT click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties. You get a Properties window.
4) There is an area in the middle showing your installed connection items (Client for Microsoft Networks, Internet Protocol etc)
5) Click on Internet Protocol and select Properties button.
6) On the General tab it should have the following two options selected:
a) Obtain an IP address automatically
b) Obtain DNS server address automatically
Make sure both are selected.
Save your changes are reboot your PC to see if that helps.
More to follow....
Check this as follows:
1) Open the Windows control panel and look for the Network Connections icon (it may be in Network and Internet Connections section)
2) Open Network Connections and you get a Network Connections window. There should be one icon, Local Area Connection.
3) RIGHT click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties. You get a Properties window.
4) There is an area in the middle showing your installed connection items (Client for Microsoft Networks, Internet Protocol etc)
5) Click on Internet Protocol and select Properties button.
6) On the General tab it should have the following two options selected:
a) Obtain an IP address automatically
b) Obtain DNS server address automatically
Make sure both are selected.
Save your changes are reboot your PC to see if that helps.
More to follow....
You can check if tcp/ip is working on your PC, and your ip address, as follows:
1) Open a Windows Command Prompt window
2) Type HOSTNAME and press enter (this gives you the host name of your PC). Lets says its FRED
3) Now type:
PING FRED (replace FRED with your own hostname)
The PING command tries to call your PC using the hostname.
You should get messages like
Pinging FRED (111.222.333.444)
Reply from 111.222.333.444 bytes=32
etc
This shows you what your ip address is (in this example it is 111.222.333.444).
If you get the REPLY successfully and 32 btes of data it shows you that tcp/ip is working on your PC ok.
If you DONT get a reply then it shows you that tcp/ip is not set up on your PC correctly.
more to follow.....
1) Open a Windows Command Prompt window
2) Type HOSTNAME and press enter (this gives you the host name of your PC). Lets says its FRED
3) Now type:
PING FRED (replace FRED with your own hostname)
The PING command tries to call your PC using the hostname.
You should get messages like
Pinging FRED (111.222.333.444)
Reply from 111.222.333.444 bytes=32
etc
This shows you what your ip address is (in this example it is 111.222.333.444).
If you get the REPLY successfully and 32 btes of data it shows you that tcp/ip is working on your PC ok.
If you DONT get a reply then it shows you that tcp/ip is not set up on your PC correctly.
more to follow.....
Thanx for the detailed response so far VEHELPFULGUY.
Due to the lack of connection at home I'm having to ask this via work so I won't be able to try anything until tonight.
As for changes, I'm not aware of anything. I think I lost Outlook express a couple of days prior to losing the net. The only other issue I've had recently was Virtual memory. I kept getting a virtual memory low message and that windows was automatically increasing it. (I did have 516) This caused some probs at the time opening some programmes. I have a 80g hard drive with approx 20g free.
As for the IP address I'm only repeating what was said on the phone.
Due to the lack of connection at home I'm having to ask this via work so I won't be able to try anything until tonight.
As for changes, I'm not aware of anything. I think I lost Outlook express a couple of days prior to losing the net. The only other issue I've had recently was Virtual memory. I kept getting a virtual memory low message and that windows was automatically increasing it. (I did have 516) This caused some probs at the time opening some programmes. I have a 80g hard drive with approx 20g free.
As for the IP address I'm only repeating what was said on the phone.
You say you have used ipconfig, so lets try that:
1) Open a command prompt window
2) Type ipconfig /all
This shows you your current network settings.
You can see your ip address
The Default Gateway, DHCP Server and DNS Servers are all supplied by Virgin and should all be allocated when DHCP tries to get you an ip address.
If there is a problem, or some fields are blank, then issue the command
ipconfig /release
This will disconnect tcp/ip and reset eveything as zero.
The ip address will be shown as 0.0.0.0
Now issue
ipconfig /renew
This will now try to reconnect to the Virgin network.
If I do this I get as follows (your numbers will be different)
IP Address..........192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask.......255.255.255.0
Default Gateway....192.168.1.1
If the /renew command does not work then for some reason your PC cannot connect to the Virgin network.
One thing to try is to turn off the Virgin modem and leave it off for say an hour (or overnight) and then turn it on and try again.
This may reset the modem and allow you to connect.
1) Open a command prompt window
2) Type ipconfig /all
This shows you your current network settings.
You can see your ip address
The Default Gateway, DHCP Server and DNS Servers are all supplied by Virgin and should all be allocated when DHCP tries to get you an ip address.
If there is a problem, or some fields are blank, then issue the command
ipconfig /release
This will disconnect tcp/ip and reset eveything as zero.
The ip address will be shown as 0.0.0.0
Now issue
ipconfig /renew
This will now try to reconnect to the Virgin network.
If I do this I get as follows (your numbers will be different)
IP Address..........192.168.1.101
Subnet Mask.......255.255.255.0
Default Gateway....192.168.1.1
If the /renew command does not work then for some reason your PC cannot connect to the Virgin network.
One thing to try is to turn off the Virgin modem and leave it off for say an hour (or overnight) and then turn it on and try again.
This may reset the modem and allow you to connect.
Thanx once again Vehelpfulguy. Guess what I'll be doing tonight !
During the tests we did switch the set top off & on, even disconnecting the lead from the box to my pc.
My concern is if I get to the following :
"If the /renew command does not work then for some reason your PC cannot connect to the Virgin network."
Still, fingers crossed I wont need to go that far.
During the tests we did switch the set top off & on, even disconnecting the lead from the box to my pc.
My concern is if I get to the following :
"If the /renew command does not work then for some reason your PC cannot connect to the Virgin network."
Still, fingers crossed I wont need to go that far.
One extra thing to check tonight it that you have all the Windows components installed to get networking working.
In the Local Area Connection Properties window I mentioned earlier should be a number of items. I have:
1) Client for Microsoft Networks
2) File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
3) QoS Packet Scheduler
4) Internet Protocol (tcp/ip)
You may have extra ones depending how your machine is set up, but you MUST have these 4.
If any of them are missing then install them (see the install button on the properties window).
In the Local Area Connection Properties window I mentioned earlier should be a number of items. I have:
1) Client for Microsoft Networks
2) File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
3) QoS Packet Scheduler
4) Internet Protocol (tcp/ip)
You may have extra ones depending how your machine is set up, but you MUST have these 4.
If any of them are missing then install them (see the install button on the properties window).
You should also check your network device is working properly.
1) Go into the Windows control panel and select Performance and Maintenance
2) Then select "See Basic Information about your computer". This will open the System Properties window
3) Select the Hardware tab, then press the Device Manager button. This shows the Device Manager window.
4) Have a look at your Network Adapters entry. Click the plus sign to show the device
5) RIGHT click on the device and select Properties to see the properties of the device. It should say "This device is working properly"
If there is a problem you may see a yellow question mark against the device in error. See this picture for an example of the yellow question mark.
http://www.infopackets.com/graphics/device+man ager.gif
If there is a question mark you need to correct the error. This may be as simple as re-installing the drivers.
You can also use the Troubleshooter button to try to solve the problem.
If you have more than one network device, make sure the correct one is being used.
You can also see your network connection details in the Network Connections window I mentioned in an earlier append.
Make sure it says "Conected". If not you have a problem.
1) Go into the Windows control panel and select Performance and Maintenance
2) Then select "See Basic Information about your computer". This will open the System Properties window
3) Select the Hardware tab, then press the Device Manager button. This shows the Device Manager window.
4) Have a look at your Network Adapters entry. Click the plus sign to show the device
5) RIGHT click on the device and select Properties to see the properties of the device. It should say "This device is working properly"
If there is a problem you may see a yellow question mark against the device in error. See this picture for an example of the yellow question mark.
http://www.infopackets.com/graphics/device+man ager.gif
If there is a question mark you need to correct the error. This may be as simple as re-installing the drivers.
You can also use the Troubleshooter button to try to solve the problem.
If you have more than one network device, make sure the correct one is being used.
You can also see your network connection details in the Network Connections window I mentioned in an earlier append.
Make sure it says "Conected". If not you have a problem.
Morning Vehelpfulguy. I couldn't update yesterday as I wasn't at work and therefore no internet access.
I went through all the processes & checks you kindly suggested and they all came back o.k except for one. I tried the ipconfig release but did not get the row of zeros. It came back with the same ip address I already had of 169 etc. I tried the ipconfig reset just in case and got the following message : error occured whilst renewing local area network connection. Unable to connect your DHCP server.
I rang Virgin again & explained, they say it's the DHCP part of my ethernet card thats not connecting. I said my ethernet card is showing as working properly but they state this is inmaterial. Not being an expert, I asked if this was a programme, driver or hardware problem. They said hardware as in my ethernet card. I asked if this was a simple case of removing the card & replacing, or was it fixed to a larger part of the system. They suggested I rang a premium rate phone No for pc help.
p.s when I pinged the host name it successfully pinged the 169 number. Apart from this I'm no further forward.
Regards Sommers
I went through all the processes & checks you kindly suggested and they all came back o.k except for one. I tried the ipconfig release but did not get the row of zeros. It came back with the same ip address I already had of 169 etc. I tried the ipconfig reset just in case and got the following message : error occured whilst renewing local area network connection. Unable to connect your DHCP server.
I rang Virgin again & explained, they say it's the DHCP part of my ethernet card thats not connecting. I said my ethernet card is showing as working properly but they state this is inmaterial. Not being an expert, I asked if this was a programme, driver or hardware problem. They said hardware as in my ethernet card. I asked if this was a simple case of removing the card & replacing, or was it fixed to a larger part of the system. They suggested I rang a premium rate phone No for pc help.
p.s when I pinged the host name it successfully pinged the 169 number. Apart from this I'm no further forward.
Regards Sommers
Update - last night I borrowed a PC and connected it to my system. I got the same result. Although a slightly different number it still started 169. I rang Virgin and got a very helpful guy from Swansea who went through the usual, checks. He then thought he'd come across a similar problem before, one that the engineers often missed. It was something to do with ' a loop back system ' which although it showed everything was sending & receiving o.k in reality it wasn't. He said that most engineers trusted this to be accurate & therefore discounted it from the equation. At this point I asked if we were veering away from it being my PC at fault and he said definately yes. He has arranged for an engineer to visit my home, unfortunately in my area they are very busy and can't get to me until next Weds, to sort out the set top box. If this fixes the problem I will of course be happy, although angry at the same time as I was contemplating spending several hundred quid on a new pc this weekend. I wonder how I would have stood had I done so & then found it to be the set top box that was faulty ? I will update, hopefully via my home pc, after next weeks engineer visit. If your'e still threading this VEHELPFULGUY thanks once again for your input.
well as promised an update - The engineer arrived at 8.15 this morning and to cut a 2 hour story short my internet is working again. After his initial testing I think he was as confused as the rest of us. I spoke of the 169 ip number not being valid and he disagreed stating it showed the box was talking to Virgin Media. (later, after talking to his Supervisor, he conceeded it was a Microsoft No generated by the system when it couldn't find a valid ip address). He plugged his laptop into the cable which normally went into my pc and couldn't get connected. He then did the same directly out of the back of the set top box with the same result. After returning to my pc he rang the I.T dept and they got him to connect a converter ( a little blue lump with a flashing light ) and then plug it into my usb port instead. After releasing the ip address and renewing (with help from me as he kept typing it in wrong and getting no response) we got a valid ip address of 172. He says I can leave it as a usb connection or get another ethernet card for my pc. I asked how it could be my pc's card when it reads as working o.k and he couldn't get online direct via the box using his laptop. His reply was he didn't know!!
A big thank you to those that have shown an interest in my plight. Regards Sommers
A big thank you to those that have shown an interest in my plight. Regards Sommers
Hi,
I think it can be solved but before that I want to know the ping status of your system.That is the lag time of the connection and if the package send and receive is normal.Then try to renew your IP address just follow the command prompt Method for Changing Dynamic IP:-
1) start->run->cmd->ipconfig/release - Current IP Address
ipconfig/renew - New IP Address
2) reset (or) unplug your modem
This may help you to change the dynamic IP address of your computer after doing this check your computer IP address by following the command start->run->cmd->ipconfig/all.
And to find the internet IP address you can use the site http://
I think it can be solved but before that I want to know the ping status of your system.That is the lag time of the connection and if the package send and receive is normal.Then try to renew your IP address just follow the command prompt Method for Changing Dynamic IP:-
1) start->run->cmd->ipconfig/release - Current IP Address
ipconfig/renew - New IP Address
2) reset (or) unplug your modem
This may help you to change the dynamic IP address of your computer after doing this check your computer IP address by following the command start->run->cmd->ipconfig/all.
And to find the internet IP address you can use the site http://
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