Member Avatar for Nodatafromserve

I have 3 computers connected to the same broadband router and as of this morning, only 1 of the computers will connect to the internet.The three computers are a Dell Dimension 8100, A Dell Inspiron 1100 and A Dell Dimension 2400. The router that I'm using isa D-Link DI-704P. Does anyone know what the cause of this is and any way to fix this as soon as possible? Thanks

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by hoobastank68

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Short summary: the thread shows classic symptoms of a router-side failure — several clients suddenly unable to get online while one machine still worked, and the problem was ultimately fixed by replacing the router (as later reported). That outcome strongly points to DHCP/NAT or firmware/hardware corruption in the gateway rather than a simultaneous coincidence of three broken NICs or identical OS misconfiguration.

Why that happens: inexpensive consumer routers can develop a corrupted DHCP table, exhausted NAT/session table, failing ports, or buggy firmware that manifests as intermittent or partial connectivity. Those issues can let one client hold a valid lease while others are denied leases or dropped. Client-side checks (drivers, cables, Device Manager) are still worth doing, but when multiple, otherwise healthy machines fail at once the router should be the primary suspect.

Practical next-step checklist (focused on isolating the gateway without repeating earlier thread commands):

  • Temporarily swap in a different router or put an unmanaged switch between clients and the gateway to see if clients obtain addresses from the gateway — a quick way to confirm the router is at fault.
  • From the router admin page, inspect the DHCP lease table, MAC filters, port status and system logs; note if lease counts are at the configured maximum or errors appear.
  • Try a factory reset and firmware upgrade (export the config first if you need it). Firmware corruption can be fixed this way; if the router still misbehaves, replacement is appropriate.
  • Update NIC drivers and test different ports/cables and a USB/PCI adapter to rule out subtle hardware/duplex problems on clients.
  • If you need continued uptime, keep a spare router pre-configured and export/backup router settings after a clean configuration.

Comments: ’s suggestion to start with basic checks and updates and ’s approach of comparing a working machine’s network information are both useful early steps. In home networks, a failed router is a common and expected failure mode — having a known-good spare or a short replacement window with your ISP/retailer saves the most time.

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Member Avatar for morganfalk

Is this a wireless router or are all of your machines connected directly to the router?

With ethernet?

Do you have a DSL or Cable modem?

Who provides internet service to your modem?

(if I am using "baby" questions, please forgive me, I am usually helping my mother and her friends with their computers and it always starts out...put the little arrow thingy on the green rectangle that says start!!! :mrgreen:)

If you are not wireless, are any/all of the computers equiped with integrated wireless cards?

what O/Ss are you running: XP Pro SP2 with Security Updates and Hotfixes?

Is your router a firewall as well?

If so has the firewall been configured?

And are you running the XP Firewall if you are using XP?

What virus protection do you use, and what anti-spyware program?

Did this problem begin after 8/13/05?

Obvious questions - don't mean to offend...

Have you turned off the router, the computers, the modem, disconnected the power sources, and any cables of any kind connecting them to each other. (Then do my 7 year old sons' "Moons of Endor" dance while wearing a Darth Vader mask...) Just kidding about the last part...maybe...

Reconnect the modem to it's power source
Reconnect the modem to the wall
Reconnect the router to it's power source
Reconnect the router to the modem
boot up the machines (if they're XP)
reconnect them to the router
if it doesn't work reboot once

go to control panel~internet options~customlevel~securitysettings~
enable - alow script-initia...

still doesn't work, time for us to start on that list above

Member Avatar for morganfalk

Is this a wireless router or are all of your machines connected directly to the router?

With ethernet?

Do you have a DSL or Cable modem?

Who provides internet service to your modem?

(if I am using "baby" questions, please forgive me, I am usually helping my mother and her friends with their computers and it always starts out...put the little arrow thingy on the green rectangle that says start!!! :mrgreen:)

If you are not wireless, are any/all of the computers equiped with integrated wireless cards?

what O/Ss are you running: XP Pro SP2 with Security Updates and Hotfixes?

Is your router a firewall as well?

If so has the firewall been configured?

And are you running the XP Firewall if you are using XP?

What virus protection do you use, and what anti-spyware program?

Did this problem begin after 8/13/05?

Obvious questions - don't mean to offend...

Have you turned off the router, the computers, the modem, disconnected the power sources, and any cables of any kind connecting them to each other. (Then do my 7 year old sons' "Moons of Endor" dance while wearing a Darth Vader mask...) Just kidding about the last part...maybe...

Reconnect the modem to it's power source
Reconnect the modem to the wall
Reconnect the router to it's power source
Reconnect the router to the modem
boot up the machines (if they're XP)
reconnect them to the router
if it doesn't work reboot once


Email me and I'd be glad to help you out if we can fit it in our schedules this weekend-I have a clent i the morning on Friday but not the pm

still doesn't work, time for us to start on that list above

Member Avatar for Nodatafromserve

Is this a wireless router or are all of your machines connected directly to the router? All of the machines are connected to the router via cables

Do you have a DSL or Cable modem? cable

Who provides internet service to your modem? comcast

(if I am using "baby" questions, please forgive me, I am usually helping my mother and her friends with their computers and it always starts out...put the little arrow thingy on the green rectangle that says start!!! :mrgreen

If you are not wireless, are any/all of the computers equiped with integrated wireless cards? I'm not sure...I don't think they are

what O/Ss are you running: XP Pro SP2 with Security Updates and Hotfixes? The Dell 8100 has xp sp2 , the dell 2400 is sp2 but the laptop, the 1100 is sp1

Is your router a firewall as well? I'm not sure

If so has the firewall been configured? once again...I really don't know

And are you running the XP Firewall if you are using XP? I don' t think it is

What virus protection do you use, and what anti-spyware program?norton and spyware doctor

Did this problem begin after 8/13/05? yes

Thanks...I'm really clueless as to what to do about this...I've tried switching cables and slots to see if ne was bad but that doesn't really seem to have anything to do with it...I'm not that great with this kind of computer stuff, but I'm quick to learn so any advice is helpful...

Member Avatar for Nodatafromserve

Just to test out some theories earlier, I disconnected both the modem and the router, that had no effect other than leaving me without internet on the one good computer for a good long while. Anyhow, what I'm getting at is that I'm at a complete loss for ideas here. I've tried pretty much everything, and the only thing that I've been able to deduce so far is that both of the non-working computers have Broadcom 4401 NICs, which an idiot could figure out by looking in ones device manager or various other places on the computer. I have a (slightly) better knowledge than my girlfriend who's made the last couple posts on here.

So basically in short(hah, who am I kidding) what I can tell you is that I can manually get it to do everything other than the one thing I've want ed it to do all along: Acquire a dymanic IP from the router, everytime I've attempted to ping the router all 4 packets are lost, I've also pinged 127.0.0.1, all 4 packets were sent and received. So I've ruled out the router, ethernet cables and NICs as being bad. I can't count how many times I've tried to repair/renew the connect. Oh and one last thing, both the 1100 and the 2400 network connections went dead the other day for no reason. Neither computer has a firewall enabled, but the one I'm on(the 8100) does have one enabled so I'm wondering if maybe somehow that factors into it.

Anyhow, any thoughts or ideas as to how to solve this very perplexing problem would be helpful. Thank you in advance :cheesy:

Member Avatar for morganfalk

Hi - thanks for all the answers - will get back w/ some suggestions later today when i have a little time - sorry i can't rt now - hang in there and put SP2 on the computer(s) that are only SP1 if you can - try microsoft.com for the update and other updates

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

I have gone through the posts here, and drawn a network diagram, and have realized that you have never clearly stated which computer is the one that is working! Since one of them is working, we will assume the following:

* The router works
* The DNS resolution on the router works
* Your connection to the internet works.

Go to the computer that is WORKING. Open a command window (Start --> Run... then type in cmd). Type in the following into the little black box:

ipconfig /all

Write down the information from the IP Address, Subnet Mask, DHCP Enabled, DNS Servers, and Default Gateway.

Next, go to a computer that IS NOT working.

Fire it up.

Go to the Device Manager. Verify for me please that there are no red X's, and no yellow !'s in the Device manager. You may have checked this before. I want you to check it again.

Open a command window.

Type in:

ipconfig /release

When it is done:

ipconfig /renew

Then, I want you to type in:

ipconfig /all

You should see DHCP Enabled: yes
You should see an IP Address similar to the one that is working.
You should see the same Subnet mask, and Same Default Gateway.
You should see the same DNS Servers.

Test it. Can you open www.foxnews.com?

Try this: You should get DaniWeb. Does this work?

Let me know.

Christian

Member Avatar for Nodatafromserve

Well, It turned out to be the router. Eventually the internet on the "working" connection just died so we decided we needed to get a new router...and now they are all working just fine...knock on wood. Thanks for your help though!

Member Avatar for hoobastank68

glad the problem is solved :)

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