Solved: "Limited or No Internet Connectivity" on my laptop?

[theant4]

So yesterday afternoon I got this message on my laptop, complete with the little yellow triangle hovering over my little internet icon at the bottom of my screen. The weird part is that my desktop computer and my mom's laptop (both of which are using wireless from the same router) can both successfully connect -- I'm using my mom's laptop to type this. I tried unplugging the router and plugging it back in and it didn't help... my laptop still won't connect.

Here's a few of the facts:

- From the bit of research I've done I see that this problem often coincides with a recent installation of Windows XP Service Pack 2, which I have not done.

- I'm using Windows 7, just FYI

- My big desktop computer already has an Ethernet cable connecting its built-in modem directly to the router. Someone on another site suggested using an Ethernet cable to connect my laptop directly to the router, but my laptop is a little bit of a junkpile and doesn't have anywhere to plug one in.

- When running Windows Network Diagnostic it tells me that there's a "problem with the wireless adapter or access point" which would be the router. I've tried resetting the router, but it didn't help.

I'm not sure how much it matters but I first noticed this problem when I was running a virus scan on my laptop. About halfway through the scan it had picked up 3 infected objects. I was using a different computer while I waited for the scan to finish and when I came back in my laptop had mysteriously shut itself down. I rebooted it and got the whole "Windows was not properly shut down" thing with the options to restart in Safe Mode and such. I just restarted it regularly and when I got back on that's when I noticed that I had no internet. I re-ran the virus scan and got rid of all of them. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with my lack of internet, but I figured it was worth mentioning.

While attempting to research solutions for the problem I've seen a lot of stuff about IP addresses and a bunch of acronyms I'm not familiar with. I really don't have a clue about all this networking stuff. Does anyone have any suggestions that could help me out??

 

[etaf]

it maybe the virus - we can move to the virus section later if necessary

but can you post back a couple of things here - you will need to copy from / to the laptop -

make and model of the laptop

There is usually a switch for the wireless - physical or one of the F keys in combination with the FN key - is that switch enabled for wireless ?

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ipconfig /all
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to paste the results into something like notepad and then copy onto a machine that can access the internet and post results here

We would like to see the results from ipconfig /all post back the results in a reply here

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD then press Enter to open a command prompt box (A new dialogue box - black with white font, will appear on screen ):

In the command prompt window that opens, type the following command:

Note that there is a space before the /ALL, but there is NOT a space after the / in the following command.

ipconfig /all > network.txt & network.txt

It will export the results to notepad and then automatically open notepad.

Now all you need to do is copy and paste those results to a reply here
to do that:
From the notepad menu - choose Edit - Select all
all the text will be highlighted
Next
From the notepad menu - choose Edit - Copy
Now go back to the forum - reply and then right click in the reply box and paste
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Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector
Download and install
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector.aspx
Direct link to the program is here http://wpc.475a.edgecastcdn.net/00475A/XirrusWiFiInspectorSetup.1.2.0.exe

{If the above link does not work heres another link http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,77196-order,4/download.html}

Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program

A user guide is available here http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector/xirruswifiinspectorguide1-2-0.aspx

post a screen shot of the program running - if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information, and also post which network "Adapter Name" (1st column) is yours on the list

To post a screen shot of the active window, hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file.
To upload it to the forum, open the full reply window and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are here http://library.techguy.org/wiki/TSG_Posting_a_Screenshot

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better.

If you are using the Mac OS then use http://www.istumbler.net/
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[theant4]

First off, yes the wireless is turned on for my laptop. That was one of the first things I checked. I even switched it off then on again to see if it would help and it didn't.

Here's the stuff from the command prompt...

Windows IP Configuration
Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Owner-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : domain.actdsltmp

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : domain.actdsltmp
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5007EG Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-21-63-D7-D4-97
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::9924:403f:b014:f69a%12(Preferred)
Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.246.154(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
205.171.3.25
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1E-33-90-E3-01
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{8221F7AD-818F-4EE6-BCA9-DA492F959BAE}:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.domain.actdsltmp:
Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes



And as far as the whole virus thing goes, I started all the scans in the first place because I had one of those stupid fake "scareware" viruses ("Win 7 Security 2012" I believe was the name) so I was getting rid of it with Rkill and Malwarebytes like I have the other times I've had to deal with them. This morning I ran Rkill again just out of curiosity and it actually found some malware processes that remained even after I'd run Malwarebytes. So I ran Malwarebytes again but it couldn't find them. I'm currently running a full scan with Microsoft Security Essentials to see if it can find something. During my research I found somewhere that said that viruses can indeed cause this problem, but I would have thought Malwarebytes would have taken care of that. I'll finish running this scan and we'll see what happens.

And then I tried downloading the Wi-Fi Inspector and it gave me an error saying that "there was another installation already in progress." I don't have anything else installing, so I thought maybe this was the error you were talking about and went to download the .NET thing but when I went to install it it told me it was already installed as part of the OS. So I'm not sure what the problem is...

 

[etaf]

we usually have issues with this adapter Atheros AR5007EG on windows Vista - 7 however, has been OK so far - i will post the info at the end , just as a record - but i'm not sure thats the issue

lets try a tcp/ip reset

also what firewall is on or has ever been on the PC - like Norton or mcafee etc


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TCP/IP stack repair options for use with Vista/Windows 7

Start, Programs\Accessories and right click on Command Prompt, select "Run as Administrator" to open a command prompt.

Note: Type only the text in bold for the following commands.

Reset WINSOCK entries to installation defaults: netsh winsock reset catalog

Reset IPv4 TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
and press enter

Reset IPv6 TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log
and press enter

Reboot the machine.

If you receive the message
The requested operation requires elevation.
Then please open the command prompt as administrator - as requested above
Start, Programs\Accessories and right click on Command Prompt, select "Run as Administrator" to open a command prompt.

Please note and post back - if you receive the message
Access is Denied

Post back the results here - we need to know these commands worked correctly
rightclick in the box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and
control key + V to paste

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JUST for the record here - DO NOT ACTION YET, as this is for VISTA ONLY

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Atheros Wireless Adapter - AR5007EG & AR5007
We have recently been seeing a lot of problems with the above adapter over the last few months, mainly concerning WPA and WPA2 encryption and windows Vista.

The adapter gets an IP configuration, and shows as connected, but communication is non-existent or sporadic.

Log into the Router and disable the wireless security and see if you are now able to connect to the internet and surf OK.
--- Please post back here if that works or does not work.

Here are a number of possible solutions

--- 1) In Device Manager right click on the wireless adapter and "update driver." That apparently has worked for some posters.

--- 2) Download and install the latest wireless driver from your laptop manufacturer's web site support section, as some manufactures, appear to now have a working driver available.
Toshiba - update has worked for some PCs
HP The latest HP Atheros driver dated Sept 2010 has fixed the issue - so check the driver date, However, that does NOT apply to all HPs / Compaqs machines
- the poster did an online scan for driver updates on the HP website here HP Product Detection which resulted in a solution. Solved: Can't connect to internet wirelessly - Atheros AR5007 Wifi through Clear Comm - Tech Support Guy Forums

If you can post the Make and EXACT model of your PC here, along with the windows version you have and we will see if we can find the driver and will post a link as a reply here.

--- 3) On one occasion re-setting the router back to factory default and re-configuring the router settings has resolved the issue

--- 4) A few posters here with the same issue have found that the driver from this site ATHEROS drivers for Microsoft Windows resolved the issue
Threads are here
Solved: Public Network - Access: Local Only (Please help!) - Tech Support Guy Forums
Solved: NetGear WNDR3700 Incompatibilty W/ Atheros AR5700 - Tech Support Guy Forums
Solved: Local connection only when connected to secured wirless - Tech Support Guy Forums
Solved: Unidentified Network - Tech Support Guy Forums
Unidentified Network


I do NOT know anything about the site mentioned ATHEROS drivers for Microsoft Windows However, a number of forum members have now successfully used the site to update the driver

However, if you do decide to try the driver, Please let us know the outcome

Direct link to the drivers are below
You only need to click on the green download button labelled " click to download " and wait, the file will download - you do not need to click on any other buttons to get the download started

AR5007
Vista 32 Bit
Drivers for Atheros AR5007 and Windows Vista
Although this driver has shown up in BSODs (Blue Screen Of Death) on Vista SP2 systems, usually conflicting with updated Vista OS drivers like netio.sys, tcpip.sys and other networking related drivers.

AR5007EG
Vista 32 Bit
Drivers for Atheros AR5007EG and Windows Vista


Assuming that after all the above the wireless still does not connect to the internet, all I can suggest is to use wireless security of WEP or to get an external USB wireless card.

You might also bug your laptop's tech support about the problem--maybe people can put pressure on Atheros to find a fix.
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[theant4]

To be honest I'm not sure what firewall I have... I know for sure I don't have Norton, but there's a McAfee thing that checks websites and stuff for me so maybe that's it. My antivirus is Avira and then I also have Microsoft Security Essentials.

Here are the results from the TCP/IP reset: the reset itself seemed to work but even after rebooting my computer it didn't fix my problem.


C:\Windows\system32>netsh winsock reset catalog

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

C:\Windows\system32>netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log
Resetting Interface, OK!
Restart the computer to complete this action.

C:\Windows\system32>netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log
There's no user specified settings to be reset.

 

[etaf]

i think we need to establish if you do have mcafee or other security suite on the PC
goto
control panel >
programs >
uninstall a programs >

then look at the list and see if mcafee is there - I assume , you do not have a subscription to mcafee and with Avira on the PC - you dont want two antivirus running
mcafee recommend running the removal tool after you uninstall - see here


--------------------------------------------------------------
Mcafee RemovalTool
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507
--------------------------------------------------------------

 

[theant4]

Okay I checked and the McAfee is just the "Security Scan Plus" so it's not the actual antivirus software, it's just a scan. I've been meaning to get rid of it anyway because whenever the little scan comes up it yells at me because I have the other real antivirus programs. I'll go ahead and uninstall it.

Any more thoughts on the internet problem?

 

[etaf]

can we see the xirrus screen shot

 

[theant4]

I could never get it installed. I'm getting an error that says "Error 1500. Another installation is in progress. You must complete that installation before continuing this one."

I thought maybe this was the error you were talking about so I went to install the .NET Framework but it's already on the computer so I don't know what the problem is. I don't have any other installations in progress...

You said to install all of that on a computer with working internet right? Or was I supposed to do it on my laptop?


Just out of curiosity, do you think a system restore would at least be worth a try? Since I haven't had internet I've barely used my laptop in the last couple days so I wouldn't be losing anything important. However, if I restored my system to a point before I started running those virus scans would that mean the viruses would still be on the computer? I wouldn't think they would be, but then again like I said before I don't know a whole lot about this stuff...

 

[etaf]

Just out of curiosity, do you think a system restore would at least be worth a try?

yes

 

[theant4]

Okay I've got internet back!!! I honestly don't even know what I did... I was installing a few updates just now and was waiting for those to finish before trying the system restore (looking back on it I'm not sure why -- it would have been pointless) and I had to restart the computer to finish the updates and when I got back on my internet was back!

Thanks so much for the time you've put into helping me -- I really do appreciate it

 

[etaf]

your welcome thanks for letting us know
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