W2K computer suddenly won't recognize router or DSL modem

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I had some trouble with a trojan which I think I got taken care of. I also did some Windows updates. Sometime in that time period my computer will not recognize my modem (even when connected directly without router) or wired router. DSL support was not able to solve.

My other computer on the network can access the internet so the modem and DSL connect are working fine.

I tried reinstalling W2k and everything else I can possibly think of for the last two days.

Anything I can do to troubleshoot? Thanks.
Jeff
 
Your computer will never "recognise" the router or the modem. Remote network devices are not supposed to be "recognised" or "installed".

When you installed Windows, did you install the drivers for your network card?
Plug the computer into the router and post here the output of rhe "ipconfig /all" command.
 
Nodsu said:
Your computer will never "recognise" the router or the modem. Remote network devices are not supposed to be "recognised" or "installed".

When you installed Windows, did you install the drivers for your network card?
Plug the computer into the router and post here the output of rhe "ipconfig /all" command.

Sorry if I used the wrong terminology but when I use the ISPs self diagnosis tool it tells that it can't find the DSL modem.

The network settings tells me the network card is working properly and is sending packets.

Here are the ipconfig numbers. Thanks for your help.

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : jeff-57ba7o6
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR FA31
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-40-F4-6B-
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.67
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.94.156.1
68.94.157.1
 
I would try to enable DHCP go into internet options and select obtain IP address automatically, see if that fixes your problem.
 
Have you tried some basic commands. From command prompt

To see if you can send information back and forth to the router:
Type => ping 192.168.0.1

If it transfers the packets correctly then we know the problem is not between your computer and router and can move on
 
Blind Dragon said:
Have you tried some basic commands. From command prompt

To see if you can send information back and forth to the router:
Type => ping 192.168.0.1

If it transfers the packets correctly then we know the problem is not between your computer and router and can move on

Request timed out. Same via browser.
 
Blind Dragon said:
What does it say under device manager => network adapter

NETGEAR FA311/FA312 PCI Adapter

No (!) or anything. All clear.

I'm having problems accessing things because I keep getting that "explorer.exe has generated errors" message. This
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314867
doesn't apply because I have no CleanSweep or Apitrap.dll or extra explorer.exe. But I can deal with that later.
 
I would try tapping f8 before windows starts to load, should give you the advanced options menu. Select safe mode with networking then come back and see if you can 1)Delete your temporary internet files from IE. 2)Open Windows Explorer 3)Go to www.update.microsoft.com
 
Post the ipconfig /all again after enabling DHCP? (You need the service enabled and set the network card properties to obtain everything automatically).
 
lemonflavor said:
Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : jeff-57ba7o6
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR FA31
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-40-F4-6B-
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.67
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.94.156.1
68.94.157.1
you're static IP address is not in the same subnet as the router :(

ASSUMING the gateway to be correct, change the ip to 192.168.0.67.

Otherwise, try changing the gateway to 192.168.1.1

Using DHCP would be a better choice
 
Nodsu said:
Post the ipconfig /all again after enabling DHCP? (You need the service enabled and set the network card properties to obtain everything automatically).

Here you go:

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : jeff-57ba7o6
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR FA31
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-40-F4-6B-
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.64.5
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 68.94.156.1
68.94.157.1

If this helps:

C:\>ipconfig /release

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

All adapters bound to DHCP do not have DHCP ad
atically configured and can not be released.

So I still can't get to the internet or the network.

------------------

Blind Dragon: >> 1)Delete your temporary internet files from IE. <<

For some reason after doing that the explorer.exe problem seems to have gone away for now at least.
 
jobeard said:
you're static IP address is not in the same subnet as the router :(

ASSUMING the gateway to be correct, change the ip to 192.168.0.67.

Otherwise, try changing the gateway to 192.168.1.1

Using DHCP would be a better choice

That didn't do it. :(

The explorer.exe error is back again. Seems to be intermittent but the network thing is first priority I suppose.
 
Considering that it was working; then you got infected, you did some "cleaning", then you started having connection problems, add that to the explorer.exe error.

I would say that you are either not clean at this point. If the error doesn't happen while you are in safe mode then I was getting at the fact a running process or service is causing the error -most likely malicious. Or something may have deleted something that shouldn't have been deleted during the removal of the trojan.

What trojan were you infected with? How did you get rid of it?

The reason I suggest this is because if you used Highjackthis -> I once deleted some 016 or 017 entries and couldn't connect on this computer - but my playstation connected just fine. I had to call my ISP tell them what happened and they did something on their end with me disconnected
 
I never did go into safe mode. It comes and goes and I think deleting temp internet files was just a coincidence.

Originally I stupidly clicked on a Barclay's credit card link asking for updated info. I happen to have a Barclay's credit card. The URL (text email) said barclays but it had an i before it that I didn't see. Stupid. I know better.

I had a few trojans that I thought I got rid of like w>exec, Dot1XCFG and awvtv. But like you say something else must be there.

I have and used hijack, combofix, adaware, spyware terminator.

Could they do anything on their end even if this other computer on the same network can connect to the internet? I have a feeling I also deleted too many things but i thought reinstalling w2k would solve that. Who is your ISP. Mine is SBC/Yahoo DSL.

Edit: I just tried safe mode and there was no explorer.exe error (could be coincidence) but network still not accessible.
 
OK. With DHCP on, you got the 169.x.x.x address. This means that you've got a rather low-level network problem.

Indeed, some malware can leave your system crippled like this, but you said that you have reinstalled Windows? Was that a format and reinstall or a simple "repair" install? Also, you shouldn't connect a freshly installed Windows computer to a network before setting up a firewall.

Also, the obvious basics - when you connect the cable, do the link lights turn on both on the computer and the router? Can you try with another cable?

Could be a misconfiguration in the router too.. Can you try with some other computer?
 
Nodsu said:
OK. With DHCP on, you got the 169.x.x.x address. This means that you've got a rather low-level network problem.

Indeed, some malware can leave your system crippled like this, but you said that you have reinstalled Windows? Was that a format and reinstall or a simple "repair" install? Also, you shouldn't connect a freshly installed Windows computer to a network before setting up a firewall.

Also, the obvious basics - when you connect the cable, do the link lights turn on both on the computer and the router? Can you try with another cable?

Could be a misconfiguration in the router too.. Can you try with some other computer?

When I reinstalled Windows it was a repair install.

The router is my firewall. (BWT I've tried directly connecting to the modem so I know it's not the router.)

All the lights turn on for the modem. I can connect to the net with this other computer on the home network through the modem so the modem seems to be working fine. The/this other computer is connected through the router.

This is looking bleak. Any other help would be much appreciated.
 
I checked to make sure it isn't the cable which it isn't.

I also reinstalled (not reformatting) W2k but to no avail.

Windows Installer keeps coming up now and then but it doesn't seem to install anything. The explorer.exe error seems to be gone for now.

Still can't connect to the internet or network. Interestingly the Ethernet light on the modem is green as is the light on the Ethernet card so it may be within the computer.

I've exhausted any other possible troubleshooting idea I can come up with.
 
I'm still thinking 2 possibilities

1) You are not clean.
2) You deleted something that you shouldn't have.

When you run HJT do you have 017 entries: Tell us what they are if you do

O17 Section


This section corresponds to Lop.com Domain Hacks.

When you go to a web site using an hostname, like www.techspot.com, instead of an IP address, your computer uses a DNS server to resolve the hostname into an IP address like 192.168.1.0. Domain hacks are when the Hijacker changes the DNS servers on your machine to point to their own server, where they can direct you to any site they want. By adding google.com to their DNS server, they can make it so that when you go to www.google.com, they redirect you to a site of their choice.

If you see entries for this and do not recognize the domain as belonging to your ISP or company, and the DNS servers do not belong to your ISP or company, then you should have HijackThis fix it. You can go to http://www.arin.net/index.shtml to do a whois a on the DNS server IP addresses to determine what company they belong to.
 
Update: I ran WinsockFix and am able to get to the network and to the internet only by bypassing the Linksys wired router. I called Linksys and they wouldn't help because my router is too old and I didn't want to pay $32.

Winsockfix however brought back some of the spyware problems.

I do have one #017:
O17 - HKLM\System\CCS\Services\Tcpip\..\{D262411A-E1D3-45BA-ADDF-F7111DEB345F}: NameServer = 68.94.156.1,68.94.157.1

Although it looks like that is my ISP - AT&T, SBC/Yahoo.

But I'm getting popups like crazy in IE, even though I didn't open the program.

Edit: Not that I would know but I think you're right on 1 and 2.
 
I only use Firefox except for a few things where I need to use IE because functions won't work in FF.

Hopefully I can get the Linksys going again and I will do according to your instructions for the Security stuff.

Thank you!

I might post back here if something else related comes up.
 
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