[hope_rbf]

Ping fails;

AOL can get to the Internet, so I am deducing the LAN is up and working. The PC with the default gateway ip address is the only PC of 3 on LAN with a Verizon wireless usb modem.

But Internet Explorer cannot get to the Internet.

And I cannot ping the ip address of the default gateway.

If I ask Windows Network Diagnostics to try to figure out what's wrong, the log says:
WinSock status
Error attmpting to validate the Winsock base providers: 2
Not all base service provider entries coudl be found in the winsock catalog. A reset it needed.
Redirecting user to support call

Network Adapter Diagnostic
Using home Internet connection
Network connection: Name=Local Area Connection, Device=Inter(R) PRO/1000
PM Network Connection, Media Type=LAN, SubMedia Type=LAN
Network Connection: Name=NationalAccess - BroadbandAccess on xxxxx (name of lan),
Device=NationalAccess - BroadbandAccess on xxxxx, Media Type=SHARED
ACCESS HOST RAS, SubMedia Type = NONE
Ethernet connection selected
Network connection status: Connected

lots of warnings
Error 12029 connecting to .... A connection with the server could not be established.

I have done the following and restarted and it makes no difference:

netsh int ip reset reset.log
netsh winsock reset catalog

Sucessfully reset the Winsock Catalog.
You must restart the machine in order to complete the reset.

[JohnWill]

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD to open a command prompt:

Type the following command:

IPCONFIG /ALL

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter.
Paste the results in a message here.

If you are on a machine with no network connection, use a floppy, USB disk, or a CD-RW disk to transfer a text file with the information to allow pasting it here.

[hope_rbf]

ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : COMPUTER1
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mixed
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : mshome.net

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : mshome.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) PRO/1000 PM Network Connect
ion
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-16-76-DB-C7-5B
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.118
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, March 16, 2008 6:00:47 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, March 23, 2008 6:00:47 PM

PPP adapter {A63AF4C4-90F2-4A4F-8108-41C05F8865A6}:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.166.117.222
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 205.188.146.145
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

[Wanderer2]

What is up with the ppp adapter?

If you disable this interface does everything work correctly?

[hope_rbf]

You have to consider my experience level - just enough to be dangerous.

I do not know what a ppp adapter is.

I do not know how to disable it.

I do not know how to save it in case I need to restore it after I disable it.

I googled ppp and learned it is a peer-to-peer protocol. I can't know where it came from; could it have been added by McAfee Easy Network?

[TerryNet]

"... the only PC of 3 on LAN with a Verizon wireless usb modem."

Huh? That and your ipconfig /all makes me think that you might be connected via ethernet to a router and by USB to a modem. If so, why--what are you trying to accomplish?

If not, then I echo Wanderer2's "What is up with the ppp adapter?". Are you using AOL to set up PPP on the connection to the router instead of setting up the router's WAN to connect to AOL?

What is the brand and model of the "Verizon wireless usb modem"?

Of course, given that you apparently have broadband why suffer with AOL anyhow???

[hope_rbf]

Back to my original post - I cannot ping the Internet gateway PC - therefore Internet Explorer is not functioning (see details of network diagnostic log).

That is why I am suffering with AOL -- no other reason. AOL is using a "broadband connection" through the PC with the wireless modem. (not using any dial-up connection)

I know the hardware is all fine, because AOL can get through.

I installed the USB modem on my PC, but the other PC got "more bars", so it's now installed on that computer. The USB modem software is still installed on my PC; I tried de-installing it but had a problem with that too.

To my limited knowledge, there is no router in the building.

Yes, we have an ethernet LAN, connecting three PC's and a high-speed copier/printer.

The third PC is successfully using IE - that PC's ipconfig does NOT have the ppp adapter. I printed them both and compared them.

So, if you can tell me how to disable the ppp adapter safely, and how to restore it if need be, I am willing to try (remember, I know just enough to be really dangerous).

However, if it requires updating the registry, I'm going to get some assistance from someobdy who knows what they're doing.

[TerryNet]

I think we need you to describe your entire network. Brand and model of each modem, switch, hub or router, how those devices and your computers are interconnected (by USB, ethernet, Wi-Fi, etc.).

If there is no router, where/what is the Dhcp server with LAN address 192.168.0.1?

What kind of broadband service do you have (DSL, cable, fiber, etc.)?

[Wanderer2]

To disable the interface you right mouse click on My Network Places and go to properties. You will see two [or even three] interfaces like Local Area Connection, PPP [stands for point to point protocol] and perhaps 1394 [firewire interface].

Right mouse click on a interface and one of the choices is disable. Same right mouse click on the disabled interface gives you an enable choice to enable the interface.

It would be helpful if you could describe how and what everything connects to. Also post ipconfig pages from all pcs.

[hope_rbf]

I'm not at that PC right now, but... (from my memory)

There is a LAN configured
There is a 1394 configured
When I'm on AOL, an Internet Gateway shows up as another Network Connection. I think it says "broadband"

I see no icon labeled PPP. I won't be back at that PC until 3/20.

I believe you are on the right track -- the Network Connections on the third PC (gets to the Internet the same way my PC does) looks the same; however, the ipconfig/all on the third PC does NOT have the ppp adapter.

Thanks,

[JohnWill]

The PPP adapter could mean that there was a DSL service installed at some time in the past. It doesn't necessarily mean it's active. I've seen those on a number of systems posted here that worked fine.

[hope_rbf]

This was really too simple a solution.

We have McAfee Firewall installed. Sometime, somehow, the IP address of my PC was changed. The two PC's in our LAN have been explicitly trusted on the Internet Gateway PC.

All I had to do was update the IP adress for my PC.

[JohnWill]

You should simply trust the whole private IP range, since with dynamic addressing, the IP address can change.