Windows 7 - The default gateway is not available. Please Help

I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64-Bit.

My internet connection randomly disconnects every 5 or so minutes. I don't know how to fix it. I have to run troubleshooting to get it to work again.

The message I get is "The default gateway is not availible".

I have a "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller" Network adapter. Its driver are up-to-date.

Please help.

If you need any additional information just ask.

bump

assuming you are speaking of your home internet connection:

start button > all programs > accessories > right-click on command prompt and click "run as administrator"
then, in the command prompt window type these two lines without the "quotation marks":
"netsh int ip reset reset.log"
press enter; after that, type:
"netsh winsock reset"

after that, restart your computer.
if you're still not working properly, shutdown your computer, unplug your modem (also router if you have one)
and wait 30 seconds. then plug them back in.
wait for the modem (and/or router) to finish booting up and turn your computer back on

if you're STILL not working right, run a malwarebytes full scan.

Usually if the default gateway isn't found the router needs a firmware update in order to work properly with Windows 7.

the router is not aware of what operating system you are using.
it uses universal network protocols that are the same among all versions of windows, Linux, etc.

the only thing specific to windows 7 that would be an issue, is if Ipv6 is getting in the way.

(open network and sharing center, click on local area connection, click Properties, and un-check Internet Protocol version 6, then click ok)

I've seen default gateways not appear or get assigned incorrectly simply because the routers firmware isn't made to work with Windows 7. Happens here on a daily basis in fact. It might be helpful if we knew which router and version number the OP is using.

Assuming that the driver is correct the only other possibility is that the router is very old and support has been dropped in which case it can't be made to work properly with Windows 7 "unlikely" or the firmware isn't up to date. Out of date firmware can cause all sorts of problems like dropped connections or default gateway disapearing acts. Windows 7 does indeed know the difference between routers and the firmware they are using.

It's also important to note that disabling IPv6 prevents Homegroups from working at all.

In fact, simply inputting the default gateway manually into the IPv4 properties window has fixed these types of problems more times that I can count. I can post an example of this and how to fix it. This page exists for this very reason. You will need to know what the default gateway is for your particular router in order for the manual input to work.
http://pocketpccentral.net/blog/2009...blem-resolved/

IPv6 problems usually only occur on very old routers that were made before IPv6 became standardized "very unlikely to be the cause of this problem". And if that were the problem then upgrading the router to a more modern version would be the best course of action.

Resetting winsock usually is required only when upgrading from Vista to Windows 7 "upgrade install" and in those cases the browsers would not go online at all. Here is an example of what might cause winsock to require a reset.
internet connection present, but no browser works.

tried it, error still happens

Bump. Its still happening

The default gateway represents your router. What address is it? It's often set up as the first IP address in your Home Network's subnet. So, for instance, if your Subnet is 192.168.1.x, then your DFGW would be 192.168.1.1.

Try issuing an ipconfig/release to see if you get the correct settings back.

You can issue, in a command prompt ( cmd ) ipconfig/all. that will show you all your settings for your connection. See what the Default Gateway says. Or you can just post the output of that command here.

I tried all of these things and more from multiple sites. All failed, until I went to turn off the firewall and realised it was Mcafee anti virus blocking the Internet connection because the subscription had run out. I Uninstalled it and the problem was fixed automatically.