Can't connect to Internet

Question

I have a Dimensions 4300 and I am with Verizon. I cannot connect to the internet and after talking to 3 different tech support people at Verizon, they say that everything is checking out ok and they seem to think it is a computer problem. They said, if I got a network card ,that would probably fix the problem.Can anyone give me some input on what I can check to see if in fact, it is the fault of the computer. Also , is  a network card and ethernet card the same thing? Thanks.

volcano11 · Answer

A network card is usually an ethernet card, although there are also wireless network cards. How are you currently connecting to your dsl modem? To help troubleshoot this problem, go to Start > Run and type cmd then click OK. In the command prompt window that opens, type ipconfig /all then hit the enter key. Write down the output from this command or select it and save it to a txt file, then copy this output into a reply to this message along with the answer to the above question.

Steve

tgsmith · Answer

Ditto on Volcano11's suggestion.  Click Start, Run, type CMD, press enter.  This will put you at the command prompt.  Type ipconfig /all >ipconfig.txt.  This will create the txt file Volcano11 suggested.

volcano11 · Answer

From your description, it appears that the computer is trying to connect through a USB connection.   Perhaps that is why they are telling you to try ethernet.  If the computer does not have an ethernet network card you can purchase and install a PCI 10/100 ethernet network adaper in one of the PCI slots.  The card should cost about $10 after rebate.   Steve

jebbert67 · Answer

The modem is connected to the computer to a usb port. The computer is back East and I am on West coast,so I cannot post a copy of the output screen from the command. Is there a specific thing that you are looking for that I can tell you what is says? It does have in the output screen a IP address listed. Does  the Dimensions 4300 have a replacable network card? When you go to the device manager under network adapters,it has listed [ WAN Network driver ]. What does this mean? The DSL provider seems to think that installing a network card will solve the problem. Can this card be installed in one of the PCI slots? I don't know that much about computers,as you can probably tell  so any help you can give me  I would appreciate. Thanks.

jebbert67 · Answer

Thanks Steve; One more question. Can I install the new ethernet card in any of the slots? I think there are 4.    Also, will any card be compatable with the modem or do I have to check with my DSL provider? Thanks again.

volcano11 · Answer

PCI ethernet cards are pretty standard, so I doubt there will be any compatibility problems.  It doesn't matter which PCI slot you put it in.   Steve

tgsmith · Answer

Steve,

Had a similar case at a local mobile home dealer. Bellsouth DSL modem connected via USB would not connect. Finally, fiddled and tweaked settings and got it to connect, only to lose connection within minutes. Solution: Removed 56K internal Conexant soft modem, and the DSL hooked up fine. Wonder if 4300 has internal modem also? Figured out the soft modem registers were fouling up the USB polling. Might be worth a shot.

Tony

oldtec · Answer

I have a similar problem. The drivers won't load on my integrated NIC on a Dimension 4700.

C:\Documents and Settings\Joann> ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DDYSJ571
        Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

PPP adapter EarthLink XXX.xxx.

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 4.158.9.167
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 4.158.9.167
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 207.69.188.185
                                            207.69.188.186
        NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 80-00-FB-B2-FB-61-F6-58
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::5445:5245:444f%4
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
        NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter 6to4 Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 6to4 Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 04-9E-09-A7
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 2002:49e:9a7::49e:9a7
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 2002:c058:6301::c058:6301
                                            2002:836b:213c::836b:213c
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
        NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Automatic Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 04-9E-09-A7
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::5efe:4.158.9.167%2
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
        NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Is NetBIOS the problem? How do I correct it?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Silly me. After thinking about NetBIOS I realized I should probably check the system bios settings. Sure enough, the NIC was disabled!

I turned it on and now I have DSL!!

I'll leave my post up just in case it might help someone else troubleshoot their similar problem.

Message Edited by oldtec on 11-21-2005 06:34 AM

tgsmith · Answer

Oldtec,

We all sometimes overlook the simplest of solutions. That's why forums such as these are great. Just a note: Microsoft RECOMMENDS that unless specifically needed Netbios over TCP/IP be disabled to reduce vulnerability to hackers.

Tony

oldtec · Answer

Thanks for making me feel better!

JFI the reply I just got from Dell Tech Support stated that if it wasn't that then the motherboard was probably defective, as this model has the NIC on the motherboard, and the board would need to be replaced. OTOH, if I were out of warrenty I'd think a $5 Ethernet card would be more economical. :smileyhappy:

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Can't connect to Internet

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