Repair News Articles from the Tech Industry
December 8, 2008
How to Fix Your Home Network
There are few things that affect the functionality of the home as a home network. From paying bills to online banking, budgeting to shopping, and everything in between, staying connected is a must in today's tech savvy society. Today you'll look at what you need to do to successfully troubleshoot your cable internet home network and maintain optimum performance.
Step1
Ethernet Card Ethernet Card Troubleshoot your computer's network hardware. Make sure your computer and your modem and router (if applicable) is plugged in and powered on. If your desktop or laptop is hardwired to the modem and/or router, look on the back of the computer or side or back of the laptop and find the Ethernet cable. It looks like the one pictured in this article. Make sure this cable is plugged in securely, and both the link and activity lights are on. If you connect via a wireless card or wireless laptop, verify that either the wireless switch is on or a wireless network is selected. You may attempt to connect to the Internet after following any step listed here.
Step2
Modem Modem Troubleshoot your network hardware. After checking to make sure the Ethernet cable is properly secured, follow the cable to the modem and /or router. Here you will do the same as before, checking to make sure the Ethernet cable is properly secured. The link lights for modem and/or router will be on the front side. Again, check to make sure these lights are on as well.
Step3
Power Cycle Power Cycle Power cycle your modem and/or router. After checking to make sure your cable is plugged in and you find everything is secure but your internet connection is still not active, you may need to power cycle your modem or router. To do this, unplug the modem and/or router for 10 seconds then plug it back in.
Step4
Windows XP Network System Tray Icon Windows XP Network System Tray Icon Check your desktop. The Windows network icon located in the system tray will tell you if you are connected to the Internet or not.
Step5
IP Config IP Config Refresh your IP settings. Go to Start > Run > type cmd in the Run box, then type: cd \ at the command line. Now type: ipconfig /release at the command line. After that, type ipconfig /renew at the command line to finish refreshing your IP settings.
Step6
Local Area Connection Properties Local Area Connection Properties Check your network properties. Go to Start > Control Panel > Network Connections, then right click on "LAN or High Speed Internet" and select properties from the drop down menu that appears. Highlight the "Internet Protocol TCP/IP" item and click the "Properties" button. Make sure that the "Obtain an IP address automatically" as well as "Obtain DNS server address automatically" radio buttons are selected.
Step7
Device Manager Device Manager Troubleshoot your network drivers. Have you recently installed a new network card? Check to make sure your drivers are up to date. To do this, go to Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager. Locate and double click on your network adapter. Make sure under Device status the device is working properly, and it is enabled under Device usage.
Step8
Uninstall and reinstall your network adapter. In Device Manager, locate your network adapter, right click on it, then select "Uninstall" Click OK on the warning message that appears. Close out all windows and reboot the computer. Windows will automatically reinstall the network adapter drivers upon restart.
Step9
If none of the above solutions were able to help you restore connectivity, contact a qualified network technician or your Internet Service Provider for support.
Tips & Warnings
* The Microsoft Troubleshooter can help with connectivity issues. Go to Start > Help and Support, then click on Networking and the Web for more information!
* A DSL modem requires different hardware procedures than those listed here. Contact your DSL Internet Service Provider for support with a DSL connection.
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