Belgarath
03-18-2006, 02:34 PM
Windows XP Service Pack 2 added a new dimension to troubleshooting. For instance, if you are getting an error of "Limited or no connectivity" (from now on known as LONC) on one of your computers, then you no doubt have been frustrated. I know that I was until I found several solutions to this problem.
There are several reasons why you may be getting this error on your computer. Here's my list:
Firewall(s)
Defective Ethernet Adapter
Ethernet Adapter Link Speed/Duplexing
Corrupted communications
There may be other reasons, but the four items listed above will generally cover it all. The first item, Firewall(s) comprise about 25% of the LONC errors. Try disabling your firewall(s). I added the plural there because I have seen many people running two or even three different firewalls on their system. It's OK to be security minded, but that's a little overboard. ;)
The second item, Defective Ethernet Adapter or NIC is a little tougher to find and it’s only about 5% of the time that I’ve found this to be the case. It's generally best to try the other steps before replacing your NIC (Network Interface Controller). The other steps do not cost any money and just a few minutes of your time. So leave this one for last. Also, if you aren't experienced with replacing a NIC, then it's best to have a professional do the job for you. Computers are sensitive pieces of equipment. One little static discharge inside the enclosure can kill a PC.
The third item, Ethernet Adapter Link Speed and Duplexing, comprises about 30% of the LONC errors that I see. It may seem daunting, but changing the speed of the NIC is very easy to do. Click on Start, then click Control Panel. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click the link on the left for "Switch to Classic View." You should see an icon for "System" listed in your Control Panel.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/control_panel.jpg
Double-Left click that icon to open the System Properties.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/system_properties.jpg
At the top, click the "Hardware" tab then click the "Device Manager" button that you will see on this page. The Device Manager will open in a new window. It basically shows you all the devices (Hardware and software) that is installed in your computer. Look down the list for "Network Adapters" and click the + (plus) sign that is just to the left of that. This will show you a list of Ethernet adapters that is installed. If you have several, you will need to know which one your connection actually uses. I'll explain that in just a bit. With your mouse, right-click on the adapter, then left-click on "Properties."
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/device_manager3.jpg
This will open the properties of the adapter. It will look similar to this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties.jpg
Click the Advanced tab.
In the Properties section, look for something that says Media Type or Link Speed and Duplexing. When you click on that, you should see something like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_advanced.jpg
Some adapters will have a value of Auto_Config, Auto, or something similar. Click the drop-down arrow and you will see a list of things like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_link_speed.jpg
Select 10 base-T Full Duplex or 10MB Full. Yours may not be exactly like this, but it will be very similar.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_link_speed2.jpg
Click OK, close Device Manager, close System Properties and close Control Panel. Finally, Restart your computer.
If you still get the LONC error, It’s time to reset Windows Communications. This is the most common fix for the error. It works about 50% of the time.
To reset communications, click Start then Run. In the Run Window, type “cmd” without the quotes then click OK. This will open a Command Prompt Window that will look similar to this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/command_prompt.jpg
When you type commands, they will appear where the see the flashing underscore. You are going to type five commands and then restart your computer. Type each bold command exactly as you see them here then press the Enter key after each one:
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
This resets the TCP/IP (Internet Protocol) Stack
netsh firewall reset
This Resets the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Firewall
netsh winsock reset catalog
This resets the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Winsock Catalog
netsh int ip delete arpcache
This deletes the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Cache
ipconfig /flushdns
This flushes the DNS (Dynamic Name Server) Resolver Cache
Type the word exit then press the Enter key to close the command prompt.
Restart your computer.
When your computer restarts, you may get a message from the Windows XP Firewall that it is blocking something. If so, in most cases, you will need to click the “Unblock button. There are some situations where you want to continue blocking something, but that is for a later discussion.
We hope that this resolves the Limited or No Connectivity error that you are receiving. If the three steps above do not resolve it, then it’s time to look at a) A defective NIC or, b) A problem with the Ethernet port on the modem or router. I have also seen this error with a defective Ethernet cable, but it’s fairly rare. I have also seen the error resolved by unplugging the Ethernet cable from the modem or router, powering down that piece of equipment for about a minute, then powering it back up. Once the initialization is complete, plug the Ethernet cable back in. In one instance that I can think of, it took a reset of the router back to factory defaults to resolve the problem.
Something I mentioned earlier is determining which Ethernet adapter your connection uses. Most computers only have one adapter, but I have seen some with more. If you go to Control Panel then open Network Connections, you should see at least one connection listed there. It should look something like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/network_connections.jpg
Sometimes there are more. You may see a 1394 connection, which is the Firewire port on your computer. Don’t ask me why it shows up in Network Connections. I haven’t seen any Firewire modems yet and I don’t know if we ever will. You may also see a dialup connection there. In some cases, you will see a Network Bridge or an Internet Gateway.
The Local Area Connection is the one that you’re interested in, though. It most probably uses the Ethernet adapter. As you can see in the Screenshot above, mine is an SIS 900-based adapter. You may have a Realtek, 3Com or Intel based adapter in your computer. There are other brands, but these are the most common.
I hope this helps some of you with the problem of Limited or No Connectivity. I know that it’s been a pain in the rear for me since MS released Service Pack 2 for XP. If the ideas that I have given you here don’t resolve the problem, drop me a PM and we’ll see if we can figure it out. I’m always happy to try to help.
Good luck,
Bel
There are several reasons why you may be getting this error on your computer. Here's my list:
Firewall(s)
Defective Ethernet Adapter
Ethernet Adapter Link Speed/Duplexing
Corrupted communications
There may be other reasons, but the four items listed above will generally cover it all. The first item, Firewall(s) comprise about 25% of the LONC errors. Try disabling your firewall(s). I added the plural there because I have seen many people running two or even three different firewalls on their system. It's OK to be security minded, but that's a little overboard. ;)
The second item, Defective Ethernet Adapter or NIC is a little tougher to find and it’s only about 5% of the time that I’ve found this to be the case. It's generally best to try the other steps before replacing your NIC (Network Interface Controller). The other steps do not cost any money and just a few minutes of your time. So leave this one for last. Also, if you aren't experienced with replacing a NIC, then it's best to have a professional do the job for you. Computers are sensitive pieces of equipment. One little static discharge inside the enclosure can kill a PC.
The third item, Ethernet Adapter Link Speed and Duplexing, comprises about 30% of the LONC errors that I see. It may seem daunting, but changing the speed of the NIC is very easy to do. Click on Start, then click Control Panel. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click the link on the left for "Switch to Classic View." You should see an icon for "System" listed in your Control Panel.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/control_panel.jpg
Double-Left click that icon to open the System Properties.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/system_properties.jpg
At the top, click the "Hardware" tab then click the "Device Manager" button that you will see on this page. The Device Manager will open in a new window. It basically shows you all the devices (Hardware and software) that is installed in your computer. Look down the list for "Network Adapters" and click the + (plus) sign that is just to the left of that. This will show you a list of Ethernet adapters that is installed. If you have several, you will need to know which one your connection actually uses. I'll explain that in just a bit. With your mouse, right-click on the adapter, then left-click on "Properties."
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/device_manager3.jpg
This will open the properties of the adapter. It will look similar to this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties.jpg
Click the Advanced tab.
In the Properties section, look for something that says Media Type or Link Speed and Duplexing. When you click on that, you should see something like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_advanced.jpg
Some adapters will have a value of Auto_Config, Auto, or something similar. Click the drop-down arrow and you will see a list of things like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_link_speed.jpg
Select 10 base-T Full Duplex or 10MB Full. Yours may not be exactly like this, but it will be very similar.
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/nic_properties_link_speed2.jpg
Click OK, close Device Manager, close System Properties and close Control Panel. Finally, Restart your computer.
If you still get the LONC error, It’s time to reset Windows Communications. This is the most common fix for the error. It works about 50% of the time.
To reset communications, click Start then Run. In the Run Window, type “cmd” without the quotes then click OK. This will open a Command Prompt Window that will look similar to this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/command_prompt.jpg
When you type commands, they will appear where the see the flashing underscore. You are going to type five commands and then restart your computer. Type each bold command exactly as you see them here then press the Enter key after each one:
netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
This resets the TCP/IP (Internet Protocol) Stack
netsh firewall reset
This Resets the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Firewall
netsh winsock reset catalog
This resets the Windows XP Service Pack 2 Winsock Catalog
netsh int ip delete arpcache
This deletes the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) Cache
ipconfig /flushdns
This flushes the DNS (Dynamic Name Server) Resolver Cache
Type the word exit then press the Enter key to close the command prompt.
Restart your computer.
When your computer restarts, you may get a message from the Windows XP Firewall that it is blocking something. If so, in most cases, you will need to click the “Unblock button. There are some situations where you want to continue blocking something, but that is for a later discussion.
We hope that this resolves the Limited or No Connectivity error that you are receiving. If the three steps above do not resolve it, then it’s time to look at a) A defective NIC or, b) A problem with the Ethernet port on the modem or router. I have also seen this error with a defective Ethernet cable, but it’s fairly rare. I have also seen the error resolved by unplugging the Ethernet cable from the modem or router, powering down that piece of equipment for about a minute, then powering it back up. Once the initialization is complete, plug the Ethernet cable back in. In one instance that I can think of, it took a reset of the router back to factory defaults to resolve the problem.
Something I mentioned earlier is determining which Ethernet adapter your connection uses. Most computers only have one adapter, but I have seen some with more. If you go to Control Panel then open Network Connections, you should see at least one connection listed there. It should look something like this:
http://68.209.88.219/misc_images/network_connections.jpg
Sometimes there are more. You may see a 1394 connection, which is the Firewire port on your computer. Don’t ask me why it shows up in Network Connections. I haven’t seen any Firewire modems yet and I don’t know if we ever will. You may also see a dialup connection there. In some cases, you will see a Network Bridge or an Internet Gateway.
The Local Area Connection is the one that you’re interested in, though. It most probably uses the Ethernet adapter. As you can see in the Screenshot above, mine is an SIS 900-based adapter. You may have a Realtek, 3Com or Intel based adapter in your computer. There are other brands, but these are the most common.
I hope this helps some of you with the problem of Limited or No Connectivity. I know that it’s been a pain in the rear for me since MS released Service Pack 2 for XP. If the ideas that I have given you here don’t resolve the problem, drop me a PM and we’ll see if we can figure it out. I’m always happy to try to help.
Good luck,
Bel