# XP Network Problems
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 28, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380 "2002-12-28T17:46:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 19
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/1 "2002-12-28T17:46:09Z")
OK, I hosed something up today.
I installed Q329390: Security Update and 810565: Critical Update. After my
reboot, I couldn’t ‘see’ the internet anymore. Hell, I can’t even ping my
router/switch.
Here’s the details:
Alcatel Speed Touch Modem \>\> Linksys BEFW11S4 (4 port switch/router/wireless
access) \>\> 3 machines hooked into switch… one is windows XP Pro machine.
I’m able to connect to Internet if I bypass the router (which kind of kills
the whole home network thing)
The other machines are able to connect to the internet without any probs through the router.
So my network card is good, router is good, modem is good. I’ve uninstalled
the updates, and even restored to yesterday… no luck. I can’t ping the
router from my XP machine. I put the cable into a different port. same
thing. The network card light is green, as it should be.
I most recently tried resetting the TCP/IP stack with NETSH INTERFACE IP RESET LOG.TXT as found in [http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299357](http://support.microsoft.com/search/preview.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;299357)
Any Suggestions?
TIA
E3
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### Author:  [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/2 "2002-12-28T18:08:19Z")
Are you using the same Cat5 cable to connect the PC to the Linksys router as you were when you connected it straight to the Alcatel modem? Have you tried swapping cables with any of the other machines?
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/3 "2002-12-28T18:23:49Z")
Yes. Same cable.
The cable works when I hook directly from the XP machine to the modem. When I use the same cable from the XP machine to the router, (tried multiple ports) I can’t ping the router from the xp machine. The router status-lights turn on, when I plug it in. My network card lights up green, but when I ping from the XP machine, it can’t find anything. When I use a different machine in this setup, and connect to router, the DHCP table doesn’t show the XP machine either.
E3
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### Author:  [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/4 "2002-12-28T18:30:44Z")
Try typing **ipconfig /release** then **ipconfig /renew** at the command line. This should make the PC pick up a new IP address from the router.
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### Author:  [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/5 "2002-12-28T18:40:19Z")
I had a similiar problem, I had to download and install the entire latest XP service pack to fix it.
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/6 "2002-12-28T22:46:04Z")
I installed the XP service pack some time ago. I’m not anxious to do that again.
I tried ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew. I then typed ipconfig /all to get a status… all I get is “Windows IP Configuration”. Nothing else… and I mean NOTHING else. That must mean something… uh… right?
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### Author:  [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/7 "2002-12-28T22:59:49Z")
Hmm. Did anything happen after the renew? Did it sit for a long time or give an error message?
You might want to reinstall your NIC driver.
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/8 "2002-12-28T23:03:22Z")
After the renew it did the same thing. It came immediately back with the message **Windows IP Configuration**
I’m going to look for an updated driver…
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/9 "2002-12-28T23:06:04Z")
On a side note to that though… if I can go directly through the dsl modem to the net, could it really be a problem with the network card/driver?
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/10 "2002-12-28T23:54:42Z")
updated network card driver… no change.
Arrg! this is frustrating.
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### Author:  [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/11 "2002-12-29T00:21:11Z")
Try hard-setting the IP address, subnet mask, and gateway in TCP/IP properties. Also see if you can ping 127.0.0.1.
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/12 "2002-12-29T00:34:58Z")
able to ping 127.0.0.1 with no probs. I’ll try to hard-set the ip…
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### Author:  [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/13 "2002-12-29T04:46:00Z")
If you have installed any new software, or hardware since you installed the Service Pack, you may indeed have to install it again to fix the problem. Technically speaking, according to a Microsoft teacher, anytime you install anything new service packs should be re-installed.
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### Author:  [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/14 "2002-12-29T05:02:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Qwisp \*
> \*\*If you have installed any new software, or hardware since you installed the Service Pack, you may indeed have to install it again to fix the problem. Technically speaking, according to a Microsoft teacher, anytime you install anything new service packs should be re-installed. \*\*
That no longer applies with XP. Might not even have applied with Windows 2000. I’d have to look. I had specifically looked up the issue in regards to XP and Microsoft said… well, let’s see if I can find the article again…
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### Author:  [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/15 "2002-12-29T05:13:24Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by cstamets \*
> \*\*That no longer applies with XP. Might not even have applied with Windows 2000. I’d have to look. I had specifically looked up the issue in regards to XP and Microsoft said… well, let’s see if I can find the article again… \*\*
Here it is:
[You Do Not Have to Reinstall Windows XP Service Packs After System State Changes](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;327393)
This article explains when a service pack must be reapplied:
[When to Reinstall Windows XP Service Pack 1](When to Reinstall Windows XP Service Pack 1)
And while I’m at it:
[Not Necessary to Reinstall Windows 2000 Service Packs After System State Changes](http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;274215)
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### Author:  [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/16 "2002-12-29T05:20:18Z")
Check your TCP/IP settings.
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### Author:  [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/17 "2002-12-29T06:00:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by cstamets \*
> \*\*That no longer applies with XP. Might not even have applied with Windows 2000. I’d have to look. I had specifically looked up the issue in regards to XP and Microsoft said… well, let’s see if I can find the article again… \*\*
Thanks for the info.From what I understand, re-installing service packs is still an issue in Windows 2000, I didn’t know that it was no longer applicable in XP
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### Author:  [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/18 "2002-12-29T19:14:29Z")
Woo Hoo! I got it fixed.
After resetting the TCP/IP stack did nothing, I updated the drivers for the network card. Still nothing. When I executed _WINIPCONFIG_ it still came back with nothing.
I finally tried uninstalling the network card in Device Manager. After receiving an error message that said XP cannot uninstall that device, I booted in safe mode, and was able to delete the network card. When I rebooted, everything worked fine.
Hmmm I think I’ll try install those security and critical updates now. :eek:
E3
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### Author:  [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)
#### Post date: [December 30, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/xp-network-problems/145380/19 "2002-12-30T02:01:58Z")
Good luck…
I still like my Win-98 SE (on all our desk top pc’s) better than my XP home on the new laptop. actually thinking of putting Win-98 SE on the laptop.
Comments?