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it:internet_troubleshooting

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Help, my internet is not working properly! Here are some tips on how to troubleshoot!

introduction

  • internet issues are one of the most common problems users face which cause frustration, and can usually be easily diagnosed but sometimes can be extremely difficult to track down a cause

internet works but is running at dialup speeds

  • dialup speeds are those up to 56kbps
  • this assumes you are not using a dialup modem!
  • the most common problems here are:
    • you have exceeded your ISP's data limits for the month and have been downgraded to dialup speed
      • check your ISP's account information page on the web
    • you or another user have an application using up most of your internet bandwidth
      • eg iTunes performing updates; downloading videos or other large files; back up of data to the cloud
    • a temporary issue with your ISP's bandwidth
    • regional network overload

internet works but is running much slower than even dialup speeds

  • it could be the website you are trying to reach is very busy, try other websites
  • if using WiFi, your WiFi signal strength may be poor due to distance from server or due to interference with other wireless devices using the same frequencies such as cordless phones or even microwave ovens.
  • try changing the network cable - a damaged cable from kinking may cause variable internet issues which are otherwise difficult to diagnose
  • try running resmon.exe to see if:
    • there are other applications hogging the internet connection - these may be viruses or spyware
    • there are other applications using up the CPU or RAM
  • ensure there is adequate free hard disk space (aim for at least 20Gb free)
  • try a different browser
  • consider emptying browser temprary files and history
  • consider disabling browser add ons
  • consider resetting Internet Explorer settings but this will delete all your cached passwords, etc
  • see also Microsoft guide

cannot connect to internet at all

  • if all computers conmnected to the network are unable to access the internet then the problem almost certainly lies with the router, the ISP or the internet network rather than the computer itself
  • the most common problems for access to the internet suddenly failing are:
    • network cable has been pulled out from either computer or the modem
      • this can be confirmed as running cmd then typing ipconfig shows there is no ip address for the computer
    • if using WiFi, WiFi has failed:
      • out of range of WiFi server (usually a modem/router if on a home network)
      • WiFi is turned off:
        • most laptops have a WiFi switch that can be accidentally turned off
        • smartphones and iPads sometimes do not automatically reconnect to WiFi, you may need to go into Settings, WiFi and reconnect it manually
        • an administrator of the WiFi router has disabled WiFi or changed the password
    • internet modem/router has crashed
      • turn the modem off for 20secs then restart it and wait 1 minute for it to re-configure
    • network has failed
      • this is not uncommon in a corporate environment, particularly after a black out when the network routers may need time to reboot
    • browser issue
      • close down browser, and computer and reboot
      • if still a problem, see if another type of browser also fails, if so, it is unlikely to be a browser issue
      • if only the one type of browser fails:
        • consider deleting temporary files and history for that browser then re-start browser
        • consider disabling browser Add-ons then re-start browser

advanced troubleshooting

no computers can access internet

  • re-boot the router/modem
  • if still fails, access the modem diagnostics:
    • usually this is done by opening the browser and typing the modem's IP address and then you will be prompted for a login name and password for the modem (see modem documentation although hopefully you changed the password to stop people hacking into your network and using your data)
    • once you have logged in, there should be an item called diagnostics which will indicate whether there is internet connectivity from the modem to your ISP
    • if there is no internet connectivity at your modem:
      • check the phone line connection from the modem
      • check to see if you can make phone calls on your home phone - if this is down, then the likely cause is a phone outage
      • if the above are OK, the most likely cause is a problem with your ISP
        • consider using your smartphone via 3G (not WiFi) to access your ISP's webpage to see if they are detailing any outages, and if not, consider phoning them to notify them of this outage.

only the one computer cannot access the internet

  • check the network cable or WiFi if using WiFi
  • reboot the computer and re-try accessing the internet
  • run cmd then type ipconfig:
    • no IP address or IP address = 169.254.xxx.xxx:
      • if there is no valid ip address for the computer then your computer is not connected to the network for some reason:
        • re-check cable
        • if using WiFi, make sure it is enabled
        • consider renewing network configuration:
          • run cmd.exe and type ipconfig /renew “Local Area Connection”
          • run cmd.exe and type netsh winsock reset catalog then reboot computer
        • check your network adapter is functioning:
          • in Windows, go to Control Panel, Network Connections, right click on Local Area Connection, select Properties, then in the dialog box, click on Configure button to display the network adapter - it should say it is working properly, if not, try:
            • go to Device tab and click on update driver
            • if that does not solve the problem, “reboot” the adapter by:
              • right click on Local Area Connection as above and select disable, then repeat and select enable
    • IP address is present:
      • test network connectivity:
        • run cmd.exe then type ping google.com
        • if that fails, try to ping the IP address of the Default Gateway (as shown in ipconfig), or the IP address of another computer in your local network eg. ping 172.28.65.02 (obviously you will need to determine the IP address of that computer by running ipconfig on that computer), if this fails, your router may be the issue, although usually other computers would also have this problem
      • temporarily disable any firewall or antivirus program and see if that allows internet access
      • try using a different browser
      • check that someone has not set the internet connection to use an invalid proxy
      • try resetting the TCP/IP system
        • see Microsoft guide
        • essentially, right-click cmd.exe, Run as Administrator, then type netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt
      • try flushing the DNS cache:
        • run cmd.exe and type ipconfig /flushdns, then type ipconfig /release then ipconfig /renew then reboot computer
        • a Domain Name System (DNS) is the database of web addresses and what IP address they correlate to. When your internet browser resolves one of these addresses, Windows stores that data in a cache to improve performance the next time you visit the said domain name. Sometimes this cache can become corrupted or out of date.
      • try resetting Winsock:
        • right-click cmd.exe, Run as Administrator, then type netsh winsock reset
      • in Win7, try disabling TCP auto-tuning via cmd.exe then type netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=disabled
        • it can be re-enabled by typing netsh interface tcp set global autotuning=normal
      • try safe mode
        • boot to safe mode with networking to check the internet connectivity.
        • press F8 when you turn on your computer and select Safe mode with networking option to boot the computer to safe mode with networking
      • more info on ipconfig here
  • consider system restore to return your computer to an earlier configuration when it was working
  • see also:
it/internet_troubleshooting.txt · Last modified: 2013/01/10 12:37 by 127.0.0.1
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