NON-FJ - Desperate Call for Computer Help

[FJ Flyer]

Calling all computer geeks.  I'm pulling my hair out (what's left of it).  Lost my internet connection on my PC at home.  It was working fine monday evening.  Tuesday, nothing.  I tried resetting the modem and router and rebooting.  Tried connecting the PC directly to the modem with a cable.  Nothing.  When I troubleshoot the network connection I get "Local Area Connection" Doesn't have a valid ip config."

What's odd is that my wife's Macbook will connect using the cable connected to the modem.  

Driving me nucking futs!!!!  Any advice appreciated.  I'm running an HP PC with Windows 7 and I've got a linksys router. Comcast internet with a cable modem.

[red]

Calling all computer geeks.  I'm pulling my hair out (what's left of it).  Lost my internet connection on my PC at home.  It was working fine monday evening.  Tuesday, nothing.  I tried resetting the modem and router and rebooting.  Tried connecting the PC directly to the modem with a cable.  Nothing.  When I troubleshoot the network connection I get "Local Area Connection" Doesn't have a valid ip config."  What's odd is that my wife's Macbook will connect using the cable connected to the modem.  
Driving me nucking futs!!!!  Any advice appreciated.  I'm running an HP PC with Windows 7 and I've got a linksys router. Comcast internet with a cable modem.

FJ Flyer,

You can lose the LAN (ethernet) channel on a PC, while everything else still works.  Don't panic; you can get a new plug-in LAN (ethernet) circuit board for less than US$20, and a used card for maybe half of that.  If you have an empty PCI slot inside the PC for the ethernet card, you will be golden again.

There may be another way to get going, though.  Most modems will accept a USB cable, also.  You may need one end of the cable to be a standard USB oblong plug, and the other end is a little (1/4") square box.  People think of this USB connector/cable as a printer cable or camera cable.  If the USB connects, you are in business again, but maybe at a somewhat slower data-speed.

Much beyond that, it gets kinda technical, but any hometown computer wizards can probably make it happen for you.

Cheers,
Red

[cclase]

hi...maybe some insight here?:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-networking/local-area-connection-doesnt-have-a-valid-ip/65cd7bca-071c-419b-8115-35e7b3906b20?auth=1

chris

[andyb]

Start -> Run -> (type in:) cmd + hit enter

You'll get something like C:Documents and Settings\Administrator>

Type in:  ping 127.0.0.1

and hit enter.  It'll see if the loopback address is working; which helps to sort if it's a hardware issue, a wiring issue, or a driver issue.

Did you just install anything?  I've seen stuff like itunes jack this up (well, bonjour does the damage, but whatever).  If you're set for auto-updates (generally a good idea) then you may have had an update run that you weren't aware of that decided to break something.

[FeralRdr]

If you haven't done so already, try using 'System Restore' and selecting a restore point from before Monday.  If it is a software issue, this may help rectify it.

[FJ Flyer]

I'll give the soft solutions a try, then go to a new card.  

I tried the pings last night.  I can ping the router successfully.  Any pings to outside servers don't go.

I'll have to look for the Bonjour issue.  Don't think itunes updated monday night.  I get prompted for itunes updates.  I also did a system restore to a point about two weeks back with no change.

Something else I haven't done is a router reset.  But I'm not holding out hope for that as the PC would always connect with a direct cable connection.  I'll check for the USB connection on the modem.

I've been trying various suggestions I've found on the net (using the wife's macbook) without any success.

Just got a letter from comcast telling me to upgrade my modem if I want the new higher speed service.  So a modem and a card may be in the works.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[cclase]

Chris,
Since ping to the local gw is successful, l1-l3 is ok.  I wouldn't assume hw failure as culprit.  Bonjour has caused me issues in the past and uninstalling it has helped.

Chris

[andyb]

If you can ping the gateway, then setting a suitable static IP should get you through (if there's a DCHP giving out wonkiness).  Finding your own ip to be 0.0.0.0 and clearly invalid points fingers at Bonjour.

I agree that if you're able to bounce a ping off it, it's unlikely to be hardware.  You might even get by with a stupid reinstall of the driver, though I'd bet not.

If the router is set up poorly, or has had some goofyshit failure, then i could see it needing a reset.  Shouldn't be the issue, but sometimes you have to clear out the possible avenues of trouble that you 'know' can't be causing it.

After that ranting, I'd try this and that:

-Disable (and stop) the bonjour service.  Faster than uninstalling it, for testing.  Services.msc or whatever should get you there.
-ipconfig /release
-ipconfig /renew
   (or reboot, but where's the skill in that?)
-ipconfig /all
   I'm assuming that you have two NIC's, one wired and one wifi.  Because it failed to work on both, odds are they're both still operating properly, the issue is in a higher layer.

If the router is handing out addresses the way it should be, you'll now have one, which should be in the same range as the gateway's address.

Reading this was amusing.  Also, a good solid reminder of what utter crap itunes really is.

[Dan Filetti]

Andy is better at this than me, listen to him.  I was wondering why no one suggested -ipconfig /release -ipconfig /renew

Easy to do, and may clear it up.

Dan

[ddlewis]

Andy is better at this than me, listen to him.  I was wondering why no one suggested -ipconfig /release -ipconfig /renew

Easy to do, and may clear it up.

Dan

it's in the link that cclase posted..

and just in case.. those commands should be typed in from dos/command prompt window.
Start button, run, type "cmd" <enter>   -- opens dos command window
-- type in these commands:
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig                            <-- to show what you've got..>

[FJ Flyer]

Got it. Been playing with ipconfig, looking at the IP addresses, and pinging, etc. 

Amazes me that it can be fine for a couple years, then over night, it all goes down the crapper. 

[FJ Flyer]

Ok.  I think I've tried all the suggestions.  I disabled Bonjour.  I did the ipconfig/release and renew.  The ping to 127.0.0.1 was okay.  But still no connection.

The NIC is integrated into the motherboard. 

I tried the USB cable from the modem to the PC and from the modem to the router.  No joy.

Here's what I don't understand.  The wife's macbook is connecting fine with the direct cable to the modem.  The PC doesn't, and the router doesn't.  I also tried a Netbook running windows 7 and an old laptop running window 2000 and neither of them connected, either directly or through the router.

What the hell?

[FJ Flyer]

More info for the ongoing boring saga.  I actually can barely see my neighbors unprotected wifi, so I hijacked it and got a good connection with the PC.  So I downloaded the network adapter driver update and installed it.  Doesn't seem to change things. 

Nothing seems to make sense.  I'm beat.  Going to sleep to fight another day. 

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

[airheadPete]

Wow. I understood absolutely nothing of any of that. Nada.

[andyb]

Andy is better at this than me, listen to him.  I was wondering why no one suggested -ipconfig /release -ipconfig /renew

cclase is the man here, I just didn't like the link much.  Anyone who can remember and refer to the osi layers off the top of their head > me.  I can use them for troubleshooting, but only with the internet as a brain extension at the time   I'm okay with systems, notsomuch networks.

Also, OP: I'd be surprised if both NIC's were actively onboard.  Usually the wired one is, and the wireless one is an expansion board of some form.  Probably so they can swap to a cheaper version to hit price targets.  Shouldn't actively matter unless you decide to swap the adapters.