SUDDEN Wireless Problem; Unidentified Network; 169.x.x.

shpongled · 13 Dec 2009

Hi,

Using Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Using a wireless network card with unofficial drivers because of lack of official (using Ralink R61 chip, using the latest drivers).

Around Dec 10 I noticed that my (wireless) internet connection no longer worked. The router is located in the building nextdoor and noone has been there during these days and several other computers are at the moment using the same connection (including myself and my Vista laptop) so I know the problem lies on my stationary Windows 7 PC.

It finds the router with good signal but it says it's an "Unidentified Network", that it's connected but without internet. There's no internet.

I know the internet worked Dec 9, that day Windows Update installed the updates KB976325 and KB890830. Saw someone that had a similar (or the same but not expressed identical) problem after the updates.

When thinking about it, I think I shut down the computer and let Windows update itself, without starting it up again.
The day after when I started the computer the internet didn't work. Not absolutely sure about this but almost.

I think that Kaspersky updated itself or it's database the same day, but that's a long shot, I don't think that has anything to do with it.
But I reversed the database to the update before just in case..

Have read alot of posts about similar problems without success.

When cmd, ipconfig /all it shows the ip being:
169.x.x.x which what I've understood shows that there's no contact to the internet.
Gateway and DNS are also invalid; 255.255.0.0 etc.

Don't have the Bonjour thingy and haven't modified anything else.

- /release and /renew don't work. Think it says something like Loopback Pseudo... 1.
- tried uninstalling / reinstalling network card and drivers (older drivers aswell as the current one).
- tried boot in Safe Mode with Network without success.
- uninstalled the KB976325 Update, without success.
- tried entering Ip info manually, with my Vista laptop as help, without success.

...

Out of ideas, have you got any?

Thanks! Martin.

mgmcc · 13 Dec 2009

shpongled said:

When cmd, ipconfig /all it shows the ip being:
169.x.x.x which what I've understood shows that there's no contact to the internet.
Gateway and DNS are also invalid; 255.255.0.0 etc.

The network adapter hasn't connected to the router to get its IP address and Windows has defaulted to allocating a 169.254.x.x APIPA address (Automatic Private IP Addressing). This won't let the computer connect to either the LAN or the internet. Does the wireless adapter find the SSID of the router?

shpongled · 13 Dec 2009

If it's SSID is the name I see before I try connect to it, then yes.
I haven't checked the option to connect if it don't find an SSID in the network's settings. Although it states it as an Unidentified Network. WPA2 + EAS.
So it finds the network automatically, thus it's in the list with the signalbars and everything but I can't connect as you see in the previous post with my IP etc.

IPv4 and IPv6 is both enabled, DHCP is enabled, everything is on Auto.
Have though tried entering the values manually without success.

This is again something that ocurred suddenly without myself tampering with any settings (at least not manually).
Thanks.

mgmcc · 14 Dec 2009

Go into Control Panel's "Network & Sharing Center" applet and click the link at the left to "Manage wireless networks". Highlight the existing entry for your network and then click the "Remove" option.

Now go to the network icon in the Taskbar and click it. You should see a list of available networks, including your own (the Router's SSID). Click on that, tick the box to "Connect automatically" and click the "Connect" button. You should be prompted for the WPA key and, after entering it, should be connected to the network.

As you had previously been trying to set up fixed IP addressing, make sure that in the TCP/IPv4 settings of the Wireless Network Connection, you have set both the IP and DNS sections back to getting their addresses automatically. I would also suggest you disable (untick) the box for TCP/IPv6 protocol, which you don't need at present.

shpongled · 14 Dec 2009

mgmcc said:

Go into Control Panel's "Network & Sharing Center" applet and click the link at the left to "Manage wireless networks". Highlight the existing entry for your network and then click the "Remove" option.

Now go to the network icon in the Taskbar and click it. You should see a list of available networks, including your own (the Router's SSID). Click on that, tick the box to "Connect automatically" and click the "Connect" button. You should be prompted for the WPA key and, after entering it, should be connected to the network.

As you had previously been trying to set up fixed IP addressing, make sure that in the TCP/IPv4 settings of the Wireless Network Connection, you have set both the IP and DNS sections back to getting their addresses automatically. I would also suggest you disable (untick) the box for TCP/IPv6 protocol, which you don't need at present.

These steps were some of the first I made, several times. I think I stated them above. I've been prompted for the key and entered it several times, but when I connect it's "Unidentified" and can not communicate with the router, therefore the 169.* ip. It looks to me to be something more complicated than that?

mgmcc · 14 Dec 2009

As the problem appears to have arisen after installing Windows Updates, can you open the Wireless Adapter's "Properties" sheet from Device Manager and then try the option to "Roll Back Driver"?

shpongled · 16 Dec 2009

Solved.
I haven't have had access to the router/modem, because it's located in my landlord's office and since it worked on the rest of the computers in the area I didn't think the problem could be solved from there. But a couple of hours ago my laptop's connection encountered the exact same problem with the connection to the network.
So I go a hold of the officekey and unplugged and restarted the router and now everything is up and running as usual.
So the whole Windows Update theory I guess was just a very unexpected coincidence(?). I don't however know what the reason was of this, maybe too many ip's for the router to hold or something?
Anyway, thanks for the help.
Peace.