The problem may occur for many reasons. These reasons include, but are not limited to, the following: • Connectivity issues or network-related issues, including the following:• A conflict with the firewall or a firewall configuration issue
• Issues with network drivers
• Issues with winsock or TCP/IP
• Erroneous entries in the Hosts file
• Third-party software or Internet connections settings issues, including the following: • Issues with the Startup files or other potential service conflicts
• User Account corruption
• Malicious software has been installed
• Internet Explorer configuration settings, including the following: • Internet Explorer is not optimized
• Internet Explorer has conflicting or inappropriate settings
• Conflicts with third-party browser extensions
• Problems with DLL files or use of unregistered DLL files
• Damaged or missing core Windows files, including the following: • System File Checker
• System Restore
RESOLUTION
Guided Help to identify and fix connection problems
• You must be logged on to Windows by using a computer administrator account to install and to use this Guided Help.
• You must be running Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition to install and to use this Guided Help.
You must first download Guided Help. To start, click the following link: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=aw;en-us;326155&eula=1
Test other known good sites
Start IE, go to google.com, yahoo.com, etc. sites that are not ever down. Reason: You may be getting the message due to a site where the server is down.
Verify connectivity
Make sure that the cables that connect the computer to the modem (this includes cable, DSL and dial-up modems) are secure and that there is correct activity from the modem.
Note You may have to contact your Internet Service Provider or (ISP) to verify connectivity.
Run the Network Diagnostics Tool
The Network Diagnostics tool runs several tests on your computer to determine and report on network connectivity. To run the tool, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
2. Click Use Tools to view your computer information and diagnose the problem.
3. Click Network Diagnostics.
4. Click Set Scanning Options. Click to select every check box except the Verbose check box.
5. Click Save Options, and then click Scan your System.
Note This may take several minutes to run.
6. Expand IP address. Make a note of the IP address that is listed. • If the IP address which starts with 169.x.x.x, Windows has assigned you an automatic IP because it did not receive one from your Internet service provider. This prevents you from accessing the Internet.
• If there are any failures, or if you receive an Automatic Private IP address (APIPA) 169.x.x.x address, start with Section 1 because there may be a hardware configuration issue or a hardware issue.
• If you do not receive an error, and you receive an IP address that starts with any other number, you may be experiencing a software conflict or a configuration issue. Start with Section 2.
Power cycle the modem or router
It is sometimes possible that your IP settings or configurations that you receive from your Internet service provider are misconfigured or have to be updated. Power cycling the modem or router updates these settings. 1. Disconnect the cable that goes from the computer to the modem.
2. Turn off the modem. If the modem does not have a power switch, disconnect the power.
3. Wait several minutes. Then, turn on the modem, connect the cable from the computer to the modem, and restart the computer.
4. Test your connection again and see whether you can browse the Internet.
Verify firewall or router settings
If you connect to the Internet by using a router, it is possible that the configuration settings in the device have changed or have to be updated. To determine whether the router may be in conflict, you can connect your computer directly to the modem or Internet connection to bypass the router.
Note This will leave your computer vulnerable to attacks. Make sure that the Windows Firewall is enabled. To enable the Windows Firewall in Windows XP with Service Pack 2, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Security Center.
3. Click Windows Firewall.
4. On the General tab, select the option to enable the firewall.
To enable the Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP without SP2, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. If you are in Category View, click Network and Internet Connections.
3. Click Internet Connections, right-click Internet Connection, and then click Properties.
4. On the Advanced tab, click to select the To protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet. checkbox, and then click OK.
A padlock icon should now appear for the connection you selected. This means that the firewall has been enabled for this connection. If you have multiple connections and are not sure as to which should be selected, enable the firewall on all connections or contact your Internet service provider for more help in determining which is the appropriate connection.
After your computer is connected directly, test Internet Explorer. If you can visit Web sites, contact the router's manufacturer for help in configuring the device.
Verify that the network adapter is enabled and working correctly
Make sure your network adapter is compatible with Windows XP. Use device manager to verify that your network adapter is installed correctly and is working correctly. Update the driver if you must.
To determine if your network adapter is not installed or detected correctly, verify the device in Device Manager. If there is a exclamation mark icon or a question mark icon appears next to the device, double-click the device, and then verify the error that appears. To access Device Manager, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
2. Right-click My Computer, click Manage, and then click Device Manager.
3. Right-click My Computer, click Properties, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
4. Type the following at a command prompt: start devmgmt.msc
To access Device Manager on a local or remote computer, follow these steps:1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then click OK..
2. Click File, click Add/Remove Snap In, click Add, and then click Device Manager.
Repair the connection
The connection settings may have to be renewed or may be misconfigured. Repairing the connection will reset some configuration settings. 1. Click Start, click Run, type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK.
2. Right-click the appropriate network connection, and then click Repair.
3. Test your connection.
Repair Winsock
These issues may occur if the Winsock registry keys are damaged or corrupted.
Warning Programs that access or monitor the Internet, such as antivirus programs, firewall programs, and proxy clients, may be negatively affected when you run the netsh winsock reset command. If you have a program that no longer functions correctly after you follow these steps, reinstall the program. On computers that are running Windows XP with Service Pack 2, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, click Run, type netsh winsock reset, and then click OK.
2. When the Command Prompt flashes, restart the computer.
On computers that are running Windows XP without Service Pack 2, follow these steps.
A. Delete registry keys
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. In Registry Editor, locate the following keys:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Winsock2
3. Right-click each key, and then click Delete
4. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
5. Restart the computer.
B. Install TCP/IP
1. Right-click the network connection, and then click Properties.
2. Click Install.
3. Click Protocol, and then click Add.
4. Click Have Disk.
5. Type C:\Windows\inf, and then click OK.
6. On the list of available protocols, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click OK.
7. Restart the computer.
Reset TCP/IP
TCP/IP may have become damaged or some configurations may have been changed. Resetting TCP/IP should reconfigure these settings appropriately. To reset TCP/IP, follow these steps: 1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. At the command prompt, type the following information, and then press Enter:
netsh int ip reset filename.txt
Test in Safe mode with Networking
1. Restart the computer. Press the F8 key repeatedly when the screen goes blank.
2. Click Safe Mode with Networking, and press ENTER.
3. If you are presented with an option to select a version of Windows, select the appropriate version, and then press ENTER.
4. After the computer has started in Safe mode, test your connection.
Test by using a new user account
If you still cannot browse the Internet, there may be some corruption with the user account you are currently using. If you have multiple user accounts on your computer, test this by logging in as a different user.
Run antivirus software and antispyware software
If you have antivirus software or antispyware software installed, update it and run the software.
Optimize Internet Explorer
By optimizing Internet Explorer, you can clear old files and settings that may be causing conflicts and may be preventing you from connecting to the Internet. To optimize Internet Explorer, follow these steps: 1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Files.
4. Click to select the Delete all offline content check box, and then click OK.
5. Click Delete Cookies. When you are prompted to confirm this selection, click OK.
6. Click Settings.
7. Click View Objects.
8. Click View, and then click Details.
9. If Damaged appears in the Status column for any program file, remove that program file.
10. Close the Downloaded Program Files dialog box.
11. In the Settings dialog box, click OK .
12. Under History, click Clear History, and then click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the selection.
13. In the Internet Options dialog box, click OK.
14. Try to browse the Internet.
Register Internet Explorer DLLs
Some core Internet Explorer files may have been unregistered. This means that a required file may no longer have its location identified in the registry. Reregistering Internet Explorer DLLs replaces any missing links in the registry for these files.
Note For the file to be correctly registered, make sure that you press ENTER or click OK after each entry. 1. Click Start, click Run, and then type each of the following commands. Press ENTER after you type each command.
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 vbscript.dll
2. Test to see if the problem is resolved. If it is not resolved, go to step 3.
3. Click Start, click Run, and then type each of the following commands. Press ENTER after you type each command.
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 wininet.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll
regsvr32 softpub.dll
Damaged or missing core Windows files
Part 1: Run System File Checker
This problem may occur if some core system files have been removed or replaced. To resolve this problem run System File Checker (SFC) scan to identify missing system files. Then, replace these files. To run SFC, follow these steps:1. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
2. Type sfc /scannow, and then press ENTER.
System Restore
If no other step that was mentioned earlier has resolved the issue and the problem has only started recently, a System Restore may be performed to restore the operating system to a previous working state.