34 replies to this topic

[saltedfish]

Let me describe the situation:

A week or so ago my wireless stopped working. Here's what I know:

1) There appears to be no cause. I downloaded some music, and within 30 seconds the wireless dropped and could not be reconnected to. Passwords have been checked for correctness and everything involved has been power cycled multiple times. It is worth noting that the borked laptop can detect the wireless networks in the house, but cannot connect to them.
2) The wireless here does work, as I am typing this on an older laptop that is sitting no more than 6 inches from the laptop in question.
3) Avast and Spybot have turned up nothing at all, Avast has been updated manually by downloading the patch on the working machine, and transferring it over to the borked machine. I should mention that the wireless briefly stopped working on the working laptop while doing this, but returned shortly.
4) The wireless drivers on the borked laptop have been updated.
5) I attempted, on the suggestion of my girlfriend, a system restore, but to no avail.

I am really stumped because, as I alluded to in the beginning, there is really nothing to work with. No slowness on the machine or other bugginess to serve as a symptom of something else. My initial thought was that it was a virus of some sort, which is why I turned to the Spybot forums (since I've had luck there before). Now I'm beginning to think that perhaps the problem is hardware related.

I know it's a long shot, since I'm basically giving you absolutely nothing to work with, but perhaps someone can suggest something that'll provide a reaction indicative of something else.

[paws]

Hi saltedfish and welcome to the WTT forum.
Sorry to hear about the wireless and Internet issue.

I took a look at your log over at safer-networking in your topic
http://forums.spybot...ead.php?t=64442
and from what you say there, you have lost both wired and wireless Internet connectivity, but your computer can still "see" the SSID transmitted by your wireless Access Point but cannot connect to the Internet...is that correct?

Here's some first aid steps to take:

1 Make sure that you have either Windows, managing your wireless or other software ...but not both (otherwise they may conflict with each other)
2 Make sure you have your wireless switched on in your computer...may be a hardware switch or achieved via software( Fn Key + one of the F keys. (its easy for someone to inadvertently switch this off unbeknown to you)
3 Check in Device Manager that there are no warning signs (yellow or red) against either of your Network Adapters (LAN and Wireless) and that they are both working correctly...(Right click etc)
4 Click on the Network icon in the system tray ( bottom right of your VDU) click on Troubleshooter and follow onscreen directions....(dont take any short cuts here...if it says to close down and restart your routerWireless Access Point...then be sure to follow the directions( again!)
5 Make sure that your Wireless Network is set to "Enabled"
6 Close down your computer, and then close down your modem/router/Wireless Access Point. wait 5 minutes ( by the clock not a second earlier) then start your modem, your router, and wireless access point ( in that order please....but if you have a combined unit that includes all the foregoing just switch it on
7 Now start your computer wait 5 minutes (by the clock etc... now see if you can connect....
if you are still not having any joy then:
8 Open a command prompt with elevated privileges( Right click and select run as Administrator) and at the prompt type the following command that appears below..... use copy and paste please as the syntax and spacing is crucial to the command executing correctly.

cmd /c "ipconfig /all > postme.txt & ping bbc.co.uk >> postme.txt & notepad postme.txt & del postme.txt"

Execute the command by pressing the Enter Key...then please copy and paste the output from notepad into your reply.
Reply

Edited by paws, 29 November 2011 - 03:25 AM.

[saltedfish]

Hi paws, and thanks for the prompt reply. I'll respond to your instructions in order, with any comments.

1) I'm fairly certain that only Windows handles my wireless connectivity. There is, of course, the possibility of a conflicting program, but I don't know what it would be since it would have to be a program that installed itself and took over, since I did not install any programs to handle my wireless for me.
2) The wireless.. everything (wireless and bluetooth) are functioning properly and are on. I neglected to mention in my OP that one of the first things I did was cycle them on and off. Interestingly, in the spirit of cooperation, I reached over and hit the key combo (Fn+F2) to toggle the wireless, and the default visual has disappeared (my machine shows a little graphic onscreen when the antennas are powered on or off).
3) Device Manager is clean, not a single point of interest. All devices are reporting that they are functioning properly.
4) When I clicked "troubleshoot problems" it sat there for a moment and reported that the only detectable problem was that the "Diagnostics Policy Service" was not running. I haven't the faintest clue what that even means, and the window offers no explanation or help.
5) As far as "Enabled" is concerned, I'm not entirely sure where that option is. I clicked on the wireless networks "properties" tab, and looked for any type of checkbox that would 'enable' or 'disable' the network, and found nothing, not even under advanced.
6) For clarification, we have my laptop (the borked one), a the cable box, and the wireless router (and a wired router, but that's not the issue here, although I suppose I should mention that even connecting my laptop to the ethernet cable doesn't seem to work. I'd also like to mention that my previously mentioned power cycles lasted no more than 20 seconds). I turned off all three, the laptop, cable box and router for the specified 5 minutes. (continued in step 7)
7) I turned on my laptop and waited 5 minutes (I can't believe my parents ate almost all the cake without sharing some with me, bah) for things to resolve themselves. No dice, so on to step 8
8) Since I'm typing and reading this on a different machine, I had to copy the command visually. I made sure to pay attention to syntax, knowing how finicky these things can be. Here's the file:

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Cerberus
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-F0-6D-AE-D0-63
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR8131 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 20-CF-30-6A-84-4D
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 48-5D-60-3B-66-92
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::dd57:e215:c60a:6cbf%10(Preferred)
Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.108.191(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 172.16.42.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.hsd1.ca.comcast.net.:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Ping request could not find host bbc.co.uk. Please check the name and try again.

Why is it looking like this is just something stupid that I turned off accidentally?

[appleoddity]

Saltedfish, it is often considered bad etiquette to ask for help in multiple forums at the same time. Forgive me if I am mistaken, but it appears that your work with Ken545 at the spybot forums is not finished and your computer has not been given the all clear. Following directions from multiple helpers at the same time can not only cause trouble for your computer, it can cause confusion for the people who are trying to help you, and ultimately waste a lot of time for everybody involved. I have a few ideas and I'm sure Paws does too, but I sure would like to see you finish up with your existing thread at the spybot forum.

[saltedfish]

I was actually directed to these forums by the folks at the spybot forums under the assumption that I would get my laptop back online, then return to them to clean the laptop. Please advise.

[appleoddity]

I see the comment from Ken545 referring you here. It can be difficult to run the necessary procedures without internet access. I'm a bit surprised at the suggestion to open a thread here without first making sure the system is free of malware, because that is usually backwards from what we are expected to tell people.

The fact that you have uploaded log files for Ken545 to look at, does make me want to be patient and make sure he doesn't find something that could be an infection. But, based on his suggestion to post here, I will offer a procedure to try and get back on-line. A final request will be that you return to your spybot thread and post a link to this thread so that all who are involved may know what has been done to your computer, and that you follow through with having your system checked out if you are able to re-connect to the internet.

Please open an elevated command prompt by clicking start -> programs -> accessories and right-clicking Command Prompt and choosing "Run As Administrator"

At the command prompt, type in the following two commands (copy and paste may be best to make sure the correct syntax is entered).

netsh winsock reset
netsh int ip reset reset.log

then reboot.

See if you are getting on-line now.

Your system IS connecting to the network, but it is unable to obtain an IP address from your network. This COULD be a problem with the router itself - cheap home routers are very prone to goofy problems exactly like this and often times a hard reset and firmware upgrade will help on the router - especially in the case of wireless N routers. (and the fact that one or more computers do work means nothing)

However, if something has gotten corrupted in the TCP/IP stack of this computer, the above two commands are the most likely to correct this issue. I see quite a bit of other junk installed on this computer, and its possible any number of those other programs could be contributing to the problem. If the above two commands do not resolve the issue, you may also try placing yourself in a limited startup mode for a time.

Click start -> type 'msconfig' in the search box. Click the services tab, click "hide all microsoft services" and click Disable all, click the startup tab and click disable all. Click OK and reboot when prompted. See if the internet works. Regardless of the outcome, it is very important that Ken545 knows about this and that your computer is returned to normal startup for all other diagnostic purposes. You can do so by opening msconfig again, and choosing "normal startup" under the general tab and restarting.

Edited by appleoddity, 29 November 2011 - 09:13 PM.

[saltedfish]

I'm terribly sorry about the kerfluffle. It was never my intention to step on toes or overstep my bounds. Thank you very much for your patience in this matter.

Regarding the msconfig, I did open that in non-safe mode to disable Steam (it would constantly complain about the lack of connectivity so I simply disabled it). While there I disabled everything but Spybot and Malware under the startup tab. I'm kicking myself for not mentioning this before as I didn't think it was important (classic mistake, I know).

I'm trying to follow your directions as best I can, but in the off chance that I muck something up, I'll explain what I did below (with all my stupid errors).

1) Ran the two command prompts from the "Run" command initially like a derp and restarted.
2) Realized my error, kicked myself again, and ran the two commands from the actual command line (with admin selected) and restarted.
3) Marveled at the grotesque default Windows 7 interface, tried to connect to the internet and nothing happened.
4) Restarted, and dropped myself into Safe Mode, disabled non-Microsoft services and disabled everything under startup. Hit apply and close, was not prompted to restart, so rebooted manually via the start bar.
5) Post reboot, connections were still unsuccessful.
6) Rebooted into safe mode and selected "Normal Startup" and restarted back into Normal mode.

Note: After rebooting into normal mode and after disabling everything, Spybot's Teatimer program notified me of a litany of programs attempting to register themselves on startup. Among them were "Wireless console 3" and "Boingo Wi-Fi" but I told all of them not to start on startup. (The two named were the only processes that I recognized as being wireless-related; there might have been others but they weren't known to me.) After all this excitement, I tried reconnecting to the net, to no avail.

For posterities sake, here is the link to the main Spybot forum post:
http://forums.spybot...ad.php?p=416337

[appleoddity]

Can you please describe your internet setup in a bit more detail. i.e. brand of router, ISP, brand/model of cable modem, how they are connected, how many other computers are connected, are they wireless, or wired, where those cables are plugged in at, etc. Have you tried bypassing the router and plugging directly into the cable modem with an ethernet cable? Can you confirm you have tried plugging into the router with an ethernet cable? Have you tried taking this computer somewhere else, (McDonald's, a friend, etc..) and connecting? When plugged in with an ethernet cable, please repeat Paws' command (cmd /c "ipconfig /all > postme.txt & ping bbc.co.uk >> postme.txt & notepad postme.txt & del postme.txt") and post the new results.

[appleoddity]

Can you clarify what you mean when you "marveled at the grotesque default Windows 7 interface?"

[ken545]

appleoddity Just so you know, he originally posted a DDS log on the Spybot forum that showed no signs of malware so I directed him here to help get his internet connection back. Do you realize how difficult it is to download programs, run scans and post logs back to the forum on a system that has no internet connection ? If I would have seen any signs of malware on his log I would not have sent him here first

[saltedfish]

Here is the setup at my house:

We have Comcast as our ISP, and a cable box (RCA DCM425).

This DCM425 is connected via ethernet to an Apple Airport Extreme.

In turn, this Airport is connected to the an iMac via hardline, two ThinkPads via wireless, the hip bone, my Asus (the borked laptop) via wireless, and occasionally an iBook via wireless. The Airport is also connected to a printer via USB.

While I was tracing cables and coughing on dust bunnies, I connected my Asus to the Airport and typed in the two commands Paws wrote out. I rebooted and nothing seemed to have changed. Does that second command output to a file? If so, do you want me to post it?

Can you clarify what you mean when you "marveled at the grotesque default Windows 7 interface?"

I realized after I wrote that that I must have been looking at the default "there are no shiny graphics options turned on" interface, you know, the one with dull colors and sharp edges. It was like going back to Windows 95, hence my reaction.

[appleoddity]

The command is actually just a single command, not two. It should be entered all on one line. It will open a Notepad window and produce the output that you copy and pasted above for Paws. You can then save the file somewhere else, or copy and paste it somewhere, etc. But, once you close notepad the command also deletes the temporary file containing the information if you haven't saved it elsewhere. The reason why I asked about your comment about grotesque interface is because you should not have seen anything like that unless something was wrong. The commands I provided you do not do that. Safe mode doesn't even look like that. Very strange.

[saltedfish]

Ahh, I assumed since they were on two separate lines that they were two separate entries. The command line should, then, look like "netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset reset.log?" all on one line? If so I'll redo the command with both wireless and wired. As for safe mode, I'm used to it downgrading the interface, since I assume it reverts to a less intensive graphics scheme for the sake of diagnostics (which I assume is what safe mode is intended to be used for).

[appleoddity]

I'm sorry. We are not on the same page.

I want you to do the same procedure Paws suggested and post the results while the system is plugged in via a wired connection. Not the two commands I suggested.

8 Open a command prompt with elevated privileges( Right click and select run as Administrator) and at the prompt type the following command that appears below..... use copy and paste please as the syntax and spacing is crucial to the command executing correctly.

cmd /c "ipconfig /all > postme.txt & ping bbc.co.uk >> postme.txt & notepad postme.txt & del postme.txt"

Execute the command by pressing the Enter Key...then please copy and paste the output from notepad into your reply.
Reply

[saltedfish]

No no, that was my fault. If I had read correctly, we'd be that much further ahead. Here you go:

(for clarification, this was done from the command line and with the hardline plugged in)

Windows IP Configuration

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

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-F0-6D-AE-D0-63
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR8131 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.20)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 20-CF-30-6A-84-4D
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::add3:ee4:4205:6408%11(Preferred)
Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.100.8(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
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. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net.
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR9285 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 48-5D-60-3B-66-92
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.hsd1.ca.comcast.net.:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{858ADA8C-D47E-4070-94E9-00F9CCEE0929}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Ping request could not find host bbc.co.uk. Please check the name and try again.