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FIX A DEAD CONNECTION
If you’ve hit a snag running any
of the commands in Step 1, here
are a few solutions to the most
common errors.
1) You have an IP address, but no
default gateway, even aft er releasing and
renewing, or you can’t ping a domain name.
In this case, make absolutely sure
you have Windows configured for DHCP
(or statically, should your ISP support it).
For XP, go to the Start menu, then Run; in
Vista go to Start or the search bar. Type
control netconnections and click
OK. Right-click your active icon (should
be the one without a red X) and select
Properties. From here, ensure that all box-
es are checked and highlight Internet Pro-
tocol (TCP/IP) and click Properties. If you
don’t have a static IP, make sure there’s
a dot in the circle next to “Obtain an IP
address automatically.” If everything is
set up correctly but your command lines
are still failing, the ISP is probably at fault
and will need to be contacted.
2) You pinged Google.com continu-
ously but received an extraordinary num-
ber of timeouts.
The most common causes for this error
are a confl ict in an assigned public IP ad-
dress or large amounts of interference with
the connection due to, say, interior power
cables running parallel to the residence’s
WAN line. Unfortunately, both of these is-
sues necessitate a call to your ISP. However,
if you list everything we’ve mentioned
above, the conversation should be quick
and torture-free, and while interference can
take time to diagnose and resolve, assigning
a new customer WAN IP should take no
longer than fi ve minutes.QUICK TIP
To compare your To compare your
ISP’s stated ISP’s stated
connection speed connection speed
with your download with your download
speeds, divide the speeds, divide the
speed your browser speed your browser
reports by 1024.
Example: 550KB/sec
/ 1024 = .537 MB/sec.FIND THE ROOT OF THE
PROBLEM
Some of the jargon you get from
tech support is actually worth-
while. First, if your network
connection is on the fritz and you’re con-
necting through a personal router, remove
the router and connect your PC directly
to your ISP’s point of entry (e.g., the cable
modem). Reboot your modem immediately
and then restart your computer. Next,
examine your network cables. Is your
Ethernet cord crimped or does it have a
loose RJ45 retention clip? Replace it. The
smallest things can often disturb your con-
nection, and it’s always best to err on the
side of caution.
Next, open a command prompt by go-
ing to Run in XP’s Start menu or the search
bar in Vista’s Start menu and typing cmd
and hitting Enter. Type ipconfig and hit
Enter. Ensure you’re receiving a proper IP
address, subnet mask, and default gateway.
If any entry is empty, type ipconfig /
release and hit Enter; then type
ipconfig /renew and press Enter.
Now try to ping the default gateway by
typing ping xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
(where the x’s are the numbers in the gate-
way) and pressing Enter. Note the results. If
you can ping your gateway, see if you can
resolve a domain name by typing ping
google.com and pressing Enter.
Next, test the stability of your connec-
tion for 15 minutes by running a continu-
ous ping. At the command prompt, input
ping –t google.com and press Enter.
After the time is up, hit Ctrl + C to stop
the ping. Scan the list and observe any
timeouts (a couple is OK, but more than
that is trouble). If you still can’t browse,
or if you’ve encountered an error during
any of the commands, refer to Step 3 for
a solution.
DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF SLOW
INTERNET CONNECTIONS
Running a home network with two
or more dormant computers? Turn
off those machines or put them in
standby—any additional rigs downloading or
uploading information (no matter how minute)
will negatively impact your online perfor-
mance. Therefore, if you want maximum band-
width, lock out those YouTube-surfi ng in-laws
during your sweet all-night-long TF2 sessions.
Also, as clichéd as it might sound, the
most common causes of a bogged-down
connection are spyware and malware. If
you haven’t done so already, download and
install both Ad-Aware SE free edition (http://
tinyurl.com/6lzwnk) and Spybot Search
and Destroy (http://tinyurl.com/2c4c69);
run them one aft er the other (you can safely
ignore the compatibility warnings). You might
be amazed at how well these utilities can
improve performance.
Now for some housecleaning: For XP, go to
the Start menu and then Run; for Vista, go to
the search bar. Type msconfig to open the
System Confi guration Utility. Click the Startup
tab and uncheck any boxes except the fol-
lowing (if present): Windows display drivers,
anti-virus/fi rewall soft ware, soundcard driv-
ers, systray, Windows Explorer, and anything
listed under Microsoft Operating System. If
you’re unsure about a specifi c entry, take the
safe route and leave it checked. Many times,
some soft ware,
such as Apple’s
QuickTime, will
start itself with
Windows and
auto-update in
the background,
hogging all your
precious band-
width.
Lastly, if you
utilize DSL or
cable, call your
ISP and request a
line-test. This is a quick and simple procedure,
and while it can only be run from the provider’s
side, it can instantly reveal whether your resi-
dence is too far from the central offi ce, suff ering
from severe signal degradation, etc.1
(^23)