Solved Wired connection, internet stuck at "Identifying", 169.XX IP problem

[n00boxular]

Wired connection, internet stuck at "Identifying", 169.XX IP problem

Hi hi!

So we recently changed our telephone cable at it was really old and crappy and this involved moving the modem quite a bit. Just to make sure everything was clean and dandy we reset(ted?) the modem/router.

I am on a HP Pavilion DV6 6096 EX NOTEBOOK. My network card is a "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller" with uptodate drivers. My modem's model no. is irrelevant as I have established that it is not the cause (read ahead).

I have 2 PCs connected to the modem, both are recieving internet and one of them was used to setup the WIFI settings. We have a third cable going to a VoIP device that is switched off. Now this 4th slot is where I am inserting my ethernet cable for my laptop. However my windows is just showing it stuck at identifying network. Every other device is working perfectly fine.

I have tried the following
-> Changing ports on the modem: NO CHANGE
-> Changing Cable: NO CHANGE
-> ipconfig/renew ipconfig/reset: NO CHANGE
-> Check services.msc to make sure all relevant services are started: STARTED
-> Restarting modem/computer/network card: NO CHANGE
-> Uninstalling network card's drivers and re-installing the latest ones: NO CHANGE

While connected via cable and recieving the identifying stuck sign, I went to:

>Control Panel\Network and Internet\Network Connections
>status
>details

The window shows THIS:

Please help me, Ive spend 1000+ $ on this laptop (wasnt so smart when I was buying) and I pay ~ 60 $ for my internet (I live in a shitty place) and this piece of crap has been a constant source of pain. From switchable graphics causing issues in games, over heating, AMD driver issues and now this.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Welcome to the Seven Forums.

Assign a static IP:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-...address-linksys-e3000-router.html#post1969591

 

[n00boxular]

Thank the lawrd aaalmighty! PRAISE BE TO JEEBUS!

What are the disadvantages to having a static IP over a dynamic one? (Apart from the one about conflicting IP addresses which can be dodged more easily than dodging a turtle)

 

[n00boxular]

Uh oh. So I did as the video said in the post that you linked. Now it is connecting to the router but the taskbar icon shows an exclamation mark. This is what I set:

Troubleshooting using the windows troubleshooter says that the DNS server isnt responding.

 

[DMHolt57]

look at the ipconfig on one of the machines you have connecting. The router address is most likely not 169.xxx and more likely 192.168.1.0. In the ipv4 properties of the laptop, advanced button, enter the router address as default gateway, if set to auto, should then get an address from the router...

 

[n00boxular]

look at the ipconfig on one of the machines you have connecting. The router address is most likely not 169.xxx and more likely 192.168.1.0. In the ipv4 properties of the laptop, advanced button, enter the router address as default gateway, if set to auto, should then get an address from the router...

I've done just that as the first post asked. I'm not sure what to put in the DNS server area.

EDIT; Ive accessed my router while on my wireless connection. This is what the DHCP page shows:

 

[DMHolt57]

As I suspected, the router is at 192.168.1.1, so all machines should have addresses starting with 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, etc.

 

[UsernameIssues]

...What are the disadvantages to having a static IP over a dynamic one? ...

If you move the laptop to another network (another home or office), you might need to change back to getting an IP address automatically. Of course, this assumes that the laptop can get an IP automatically. It appears that something is not quite right with this laptop. Assigning a static IP address is just a way around the problem.

Uh oh. So I did as the video said in the post that you linked. Now it is connecting to the router but the taskbar icon shows an exclamation mark. This is what I set:

Troubleshooting using the windows troubleshooter says that the DNS server isnt responding.

You can try to let it obtain the DNS info automatically. Or you can take note of the DNS IP addresses on a working computer on your network and manually assign those same DNS IP values to this problematic laptop.

~~~~
EDIT; Ive accessed my router while on my wireless connection. This is what the DHCP page shows:

You don't have to do any of the stuff below. You can continue to use a static IP address of 192.168.1.150 if it works for you. Most of the info below is repeated from the post that I linked to earlier... but here it is again with the IP addresses specific to your network:

Change the field named End IP Address: to 192.168.1.250
Change the static IP of the problematic laptop to 192.168.1.252
If the laptop cannot get online - then change the static IP to 192.168.1.250

Some routers hand out IP addresses in sequence...
(e.g. 192.168.1.2, 192.168.1.3, 192.168.1.4.....)
...other routers hand them out randomly. If your router is handing them out sequentially, then you will probably never reach 192.168.1.250. Some routers will not accept a connection from IP addresses outside the DHCP range. Hence my suggestion to set the last IP in the range to 192.168.1.250 and then use 192.168.1.250 as the static IP - IF 192.168.1.252 does not work for you.

 

[n00boxular]

Thank you for that detailed response but bear with me for a little while.

Since my WIRELESS is working fine (Obtaining IP address automatically and stuff). The first thing I did was to "/ipconfig/all" in cmd.exe to take the DNS servers. However they were both "192.168.1.1". I read somewhere online that if they are both the same in cmd.exe then I would have to call my ISP to request for the DNS servers. I have emailed them and they said they would respond asap.

 

[UsernameIssues]

...the DNS servers. However they were both "192.168.1.1"....

By "both" do you mean that the there were two IP addresses under the DNS part of IPCONFIG and that they were both 192.168.1.1?

If 192.168.1.1 is listed only once, then that is fine:
The computer is asking the router for DNS info.
Then the router asks the some other entity (depending on its settings/options) for DNS info.
The router relays the DNS info back to the computer.

I just skip the middle layers and go straight to the DNS servers at OpenDNS (where I have some filtering setup).

 

[n00boxular]

...the DNS servers. However they were both "192.168.1.1"....

By "both" do you mean that the there were two IP addresses under the DNS part of IPCONFIG and that they were both 192.168.1.1?

If 192.168.1.1 is listed only once, then that is fine:
The computer is asking the router for DNS info.
Then the router asks the some other entity (depending on its settings/options) for DNS info.
The router relays the DNS info back to the computer.

I just skip the middle layers and go straight to the DNS servers at OpenDNS (where I have some filtering setup).

Im just gonna wait for my ISP to respond and if they don't. I'll go install windows 8.

 

[UsernameIssues]

Windows 8 sounds like a plan

One thing that I don't think got answered.
When using a hard wire connection to the router...
...and using a static IP
...and letting the computer get the DNS info from the router
(e.g. obtain DNS server address automatically)
can you surf the net?
Does the hard wired connection also get that duplicate DNS entry?
If so, then is sounds like a bad setting in the router.

 

[n00boxular]

Sorry for not answering that, but that option is greyed out when I choose "Use this IP"

Here is what I see when I am on the wired connection:

 

[UsernameIssues]

Doh! I failed to check if that was even an option that you could select. It is greyed out for me too.

You could try and manually set the DNS to 192.168.1.1 (instead of 8.8.8.8) and see if you still get that DNS error. I'm not sure why the router (or your ISP) is not letting you pick/use your own DNS. You might ask them about that too.

 

[n00boxular]

Just check it. Doesn't work. Gonna give my ISP one more day before I format. Thanks for all the quick responses.

For those who read this thread later and have the same issue:

This is happening because your network card is not being assigned a correct IP address. To solve this issue, assign a static IP address to that network card.

You can obtain all necessary info from a working connection to the same modem/router.

 

[UsernameIssues]

If you end up with Windows 8 on the laptop, be sure to post back and let us know if that cures this ill.

Or post back if the ISP solves the issue another way. It sure seems like a weird router configuration that will not talk to a computer once you assign a static IP within the DHCP range or outside of that range and the same DNS IP address that it doles out to other working computers.

 

[TheCyberMan]

You can leave the DNS settings as googles Public DNS servers if using the static IP address always better to do that than point to the ateway IP address as that cannot resolve IP's or website addresses using your ISP's DNS servers is preferable to any other. Having 192.168.1.1 is ok to use if you have no DNS server addresses to use.

One thing to do which i have not seen that has been done is to download the latest drivers for your ethernet adapter card from the computer manufacturer's website if a branded computer or motherboard manufacturr's website if a custom or self built computer. If an add on card then the vendor website.

Device manager is not reliable for finding updated drivers as card manufacturer's do not always update the microsoft database when they release a new driver.

 

[n00boxular]

If you end up with Windows 8 on the laptop, be sure to post back and let us know if that cures this ill.

Or post back if the ISP solves the issue another way. It sure seems like a weird router configuration that will not talk to a computer once you assign a static IP within the DHCP range or outside of that range and the same DNS IP address that it doles out to other working computers.

I'm probably gonna have to go with the windows install since my ISP's customer support is real shit. That, however, might take time since I have to get my hands on a ext. HDD to copy over ~ 1 TB of data. Don't worry about me reporting back, this is the second time this forum has amazed me with quick responses and helpfulness.

You can leave the DNS settings as googles Public DNS servers if using the static IP address always better to do that than point to the ateway IP address as that cannot resolve IP's or website addresses using your ISP's DNS servers is preferable to any other. Having 192.168.1.1 is ok to use if you have no DNS server addresses to use.

One thing to do which i have not seen that has been done is to download the latest drivers for your ethernet adapter card from the computer manufacturer's website if a branded computer or motherboard manufacturr's website if a custom or self built computer. If an add on card then the vendor website.

Device manager is not reliable for finding updated drivers as card manufacturer's do not always update the microsoft database when they release a new driver.

I'll try the google DNS server thingy right now and edit this post with the results. Also, I made sure that the drivers I re-installed were the latest from the manufacturer's website.

 

[TheCyberMan]

If the DNS servers do not work try ressetting the TCPIP stack and winsock and flushDNS cache.

Open a cmd prompt by right clicking and choosing run as administrator and type:

netsh int ip reset reset.log press enter
netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log press enter
netsh winsock reset catalog press enter
ipconfig /flushdns press enter and restart computer

 

[n00boxular]

I googled "google DNS servers" and what do I see? Ive tried their servers already 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. Same stuff. Tried the flush, reset thing in command prompt with the DNS settings still no go. Tried changing the routers DNS servers, still no go.

What's even more frustrating, I did a system restore to a few days before the problem started and the problem is still there.

I went back to my wireless connection and tried the static IP with google DNS servers and I couldn't connect to the internet so I'm guessing my router isn't allowing different DNS servers.

I noticed that my wireless connecting was showing a DNS connection suffix or something when connected so I tried to assign that to my wired connection and still no go.

FML