Member Avatar for go4urs

Well. . . This has been two years of one problem after another since I got my GAteway Tablet PC from Best Buy. The worst.

Since the last time I had to turn it in for weeks for one serious problem or another, I have not been able to connect to the internet outside my house. Not at Starbucks, nor my cousin's house, or anywhere in New Jersey, not on the train, in the library or sitting in front of Free Wi-Fi Central (no such place).

I search for a signal, same as always and connect as usual. The computer says I am connected, usually with an excellent signal. But I can never get a page to load. EVER. No server can ever be found, no google can be had.

I do not have the same problem in my house. I can get on, same as always. But as soon as I try to connect to my neighbors signal, I can not get online. Its like the thing is configured to my router only and will not work with anyone else's signal. This started after I had my computer 'fixed' by Best Buy.

Any ideas? Is it locked to my network somehow? Should I try to figure out a way to make Best Buy & Gateway go out of business?

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Based on 's report that ping www.google.com returned "could not find host" (after suggested pinging), the symptom points to name-resolution (DNS) failure rather than a radio/link problem. The c:\docume~1\... prompt is just the old 8.3 short-name display for folders with spaces and is unrelated to networking — it will not prevent Internet access (see Microsoft file-naming docs).

Useful, non-destructive tests to run from a command prompt to narrow the fault:

ipconfig /all
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
nslookup www.example.com
ping 8.8.8.8
tracert 8.8.8.8

How to read common outcomes:

  • If ipconfig /all shows an APIPA address (169.254.x.x), DHCP failed — the adapter did not get a usable IP from the network.
  • If ping 8.8.8.8 succeeds but nslookup or ping by name fails, DNS is broken. Temporarily point the adapter to a known public DNS (for testing), e.g. 8.8.8.8, and retest; revert the setting afterwards if needed.
  • If neither IP pings nor name lookups work, check the default gateway in ipconfig /all and any active firewall/security suite that might block traffic.

Other frequent causes: proxy settings left enabled, a third-party firewall or VPN, a vendor wireless utility conflicting with Windows wireless management, captive-portal networks that require a web login, or MAC-filtering on a hotspot. Try Safe Mode with Networking to rule out third-party software, and consider reinstalling/updating the wireless driver or switching between the Gateway utility and Windows' Wireless Zero Configuration. There is no standard consumer mechanism that "locks" a laptop to only one router; configuration issues are the far more likely explanation.

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Member Avatar for amrith92

Hi,

Have you tried pinging for websites? If not, try this...

1. From the desktop, click start
2. Select Run
3. In the Run box, type command
4. Click OK
5. The DOS window will pop up. At the C:\WINDOWS> prompt type ping www.domainname.com and press enter.
6. You will see some results pass through the screen.
7. It will tell you if there were any packets lost in the transfer (0% loss is what you want to see).
8. It will also tell you the average speed, in milliseconds.
9. To close the DOS window, type exit at the C:\WINDOWS> prompt and press enter.

This will check whether information is actually being transferred over the connection.

If you have lost no 'packets' in this transfer, then the connection is absolutely fine. Otherwise check your browsers. Try re-installing them. If it still doesn't work drop a line over at Best Buy.

Member Avatar for go4urs

Thanx amrith92

I'm assuming I shoud do this after I try to connect - when it doesn't work, right?

Member Avatar for amrith92

Thanx amrith92

I'm assuming I shoud do this after I try to connect - when it doesn't work, right?

Yes, do the ping, when it says it has connected to the internet and if it pings successfully, check the browser.

Member Avatar for go4urs

Yes, do the ping, when it says it has connected to the internet and if it pings successfully, check the browser.

okay, my neighbor locked his access, so I had to wait until I could go somewhere else to sign on. I went to the command prompt and followed your instructions.

the response is that ping request could not find host www.google.com. please check name.

Now here's the interesting part - when i run the command, the folder is listed like this c:\docume~1|owner~1.you>

When I follow the same procedure when I connected to my own network, the file is listed correctly without the ~ squiggly lines. What does this mean? Is this why I cant get online?

Thanks


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