Windows 7 "No Internet Access" after Windows Update!

[MachinimatorMLG]

I'll preface this by saying that with only one other exception the internet on my Windows 7 system has been rock-steady, and I always install Windows Updates as soon as they're available.

Last night was a large series of updates, and after they installed and the system restarted, the little internet indicator has a yellow triangle on it and the tooltip reads "Unidentified Network No internet access".

This has happened exactly once before, a few months ago, again following a Windows Update, the system lost internet connectivity. I honestly have no idea how I got it working again that time, and all I remember for sure was that I rebooted the system twice.

This time, however, after dinking around with both the Local Area Connection settings, and the Device Manager(and finding absolutely nothing wrong, just like last time), and rebooting a total of SIX times in the process, the system still cannot access the internet in any capacity.

This is infuriating because I depend on the internet for my work and for online tasks I cannot perform on the secondary computer I'm using to make this post.

Skipping right over the ridiculousness of Windows Updates breaking the system's internet access on multiple occasions, I simply need to get it working again, ASAP.

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

That is extraordinarily unhelpful. Least of all because I don't have wireless.

 

[Mitchell_A]

Perhaps this is a problem with your router?
Try powercyclying (turn off for 30 seconds, then turn back on).

It's entirely possible it isn't assigning the computer an IP address.

Earlier, when we talked about drivers, I mentioned visiting your manuf. website for previous/newer versions. Did you try that? If you need help searching for them, by all means.

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

It's not the router. None of my other systems have had ANY connectivity issues.
I thought we already established that this was a local problem cause somehow during the Windows Update process. Sheesh.

Secondly, all my systems use manually entered IP and DNS. Always have.

How could uninstalling the driver and restarting the system to reset it, have worked twice before, but not be working this time, when its the exact same problem?

 

[Mitchell_A]

That's what I was stumped on myself. I don't understand it.
Either way, I'm still willing to help.

Check to see that the Network Location Awareness service is running?

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

Check to see that the Network Location Awareness service is running?

Took me a moment to find it, but yes. the NlaSvc with the description "Network Location Awareness" is listed as "running".

 

[Mitchell_A]

Ok, I'm running out of ideas and may be sounding like a telemarketer here.
Around what time did the problem being occurring? Can you isolate which Windows Update caused the problem?

Have you run the troubleshooter? Believe it or not, it actually works! :O

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

We've already established that. It's not the updates themSELVES but something in the update process DURING the required REBOOT, not before or after. This is supported especially by the fact that this is the THIRD time this has happened with an Update Reboot, so its logically impossible for any one update to have anything to do with the problem, further supported by the fact that the first two times reseting the network driver by uninstalling it restored normal functionality, with all updates still installed.

That this hasn't worked the third time leads me to believe that the thing that actually needs to get reset to restore functionality is somehow incidentally connected to the network driver, but is not the network driver. What that might be, I have no idea.

Yes I've tried running the troubleshooter about a dozen times and no, it doesn't work. I've also tried the uninstalling-the-driver thing several more times, mixing and matching different combinations of cold boots and ordinary restarts to see if that made a difference. It didn't.

This is pissing me off to no end. I've essentially been cut off from my work and my recreation for the better part of a month, now.

 

[Mitchell_A]

So it only occurs when you install updates? Any other time (after fixing it from the last updates) it just works?
That's extremely weird.

But I'm flat out of ideas for right now.
No fear, I'm referring someone else to your thread.

 

[patcooke]

Can you go to command mode and enter the command:

ipconfig /all

and post the output here please?

 

[fjgold]

Hi MLG, a question, are you running a software firewall like Zone Alarm?
I ask this because a Google search of your issue turned up a few solutions involving turning off Zone Alarm or modifying it's settings.
I'm sure you are aware that using a NAT router precludes the need for a software firewall.
I personally don't use any software firewall, that includes the built-in Win 7 app.

 

[Celestra]

Perhaps there is a IP Address-DNS Server Problem.....Maybe he should debug his wired connection. Is he using his router as a DNS Server ? Is it with a DSL Modem ?

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

Can you go to command mode and enter the command:
ipconfig /all
and post the output here please?

How do you go to command mode?

Hi MLG, a question, are you running a software firewall like Zone Alarm?

I'm not running anything of the sort, My windows 7 system is about as clean as systems come. I built if from the ground up and kept it pristine. It has no superfluous software on it what-so-ever.

Perhaps there is a IP Address-DNS Server Problem.....Maybe he should debug his wired connection. Is he using his router as a DNS Server ? Is it with a DSL Modem ?

We already ruled this out. The router is your standard linksys fare, and several other systems that are wired to it (and through it, to the cable modem) maintained full connectivity even DURING the loss of connectivity on my main system. The problem can only be something internal to Windows 7.

 

[Celestra]

I think maybe the new updates disabled something, trick is to find out what. If you roll those updates back, does the computer go back to normal ? If it does, I'd "Hide Them" until "Windows" can revise their updates. This happened before with a series of updates. If you're that determined, maybe "Windows" can run a diagnostic on their forum.

 

[fjgold]

How do you go to command mode?

Click start and type cmd in the search field.
Click cmd.exe this will open the command prompt, type ipconfig /all and post the results.

If you want can also find a shortcut to the command prompt at Start>All Programs>accessories.
If the ipconfig command requires admin privileges then right click the cmd.exe shortcut above and choose "Run as administrator".

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

Alright, well I don't have any way to get the output from that computer onto this one so I'll have to type it manually.

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name : Algalon
Primary DNS Suffix:
Node Type: Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled: No
WINS Proxy Enabled: No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller
Physical Address: 00-22-19-1B-8F-61
DHCP Enabled: No
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes
IPv4 Address: 192.168.1.25<Preferred>
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers: 68.87.76.178
68.87.66.196
NetBIOS over Tcpip: Enabled.

Tunnel adapter isatap.<DA7EC7DF-A4F1-436B-9895-FB22C8ADFBE0>:

Media State: Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address: 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled: No
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Media State: Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix:
Description: Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address: 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled: No
Autoconfiguration Enabled: Yes

 

[patcooke]

Thanks for the ipconfig output. (btw, you can always save any screen output under DOS to a file by using the following syntax:

ipconfig /all >> filename

eg:

ipconfig /all >> D:\temp\ipconfig.txt

would have saved all the output to a file called ipconfig.txt in a folder called temp on drive D - would save you all that typing!

Back to the problem - I suggest you now examine the ipconfig output from one of the working pc's on your system and compare it with this one. In particular, compare the DNS server addresses and look for any differences.

 

[Saltgrass]

Well, the first thing I would do is to set the Windows to not automatically install optional updates. Then when you see a network adapter update, hide it.

Do you have IPv6 turned off?

You might check your registry to see what shows when you use regedit to search for DA7EC7DF-A4F1-436B-9895-FB22C8ADFBE0. My install says Tunnel adapter isatap.Belkin for my router.

If it says unrecognized network, changing the driver probably resets the network your system sees as an allowed network. When you open the Network Sharing center, does your network show as a House? If it shows park bench (public network) it is treated differently. To change that if necessary, click on the link next to the bench/house/building and then select Home Network.

Your IP config listing shows you are getting an IP address from your router, so you seem to access to it. You might do something like open an administrative command prompt and type:

ping yahoo.com

To see if you can get past your router. Pings may not always work if a firewall blocks them.

If you have a firewall or anti-virus, there is also the possibility that changing the driver has messed up the recognized local network for those also.

 

[MachinimatorMLG]

Well, the first thing I would do is to set the Windows to not automatically install optional updates. Then when you see a network adapter update, hide it.

I have ALL updates on automatic download / manual install and none of them have ever had anything to do with the network adapter.

Do you have IPv6 turned off?

Of course.

You might check your registry to see what shows when you use regedit to search for DA7EC7DF-A4F1-436B-9895-FB22C8ADFBE0. My install says Tunnel adapter isatap.Belkin for my router.

How?

If it says unrecognized network, changing the driver probably resets the network your system sees as an allowed network. When you open the Network Sharing center, does your network show as a House? If it shows park bench (public network) it is treated differently. To change that if necessary, click on the link next to the bench/house/building and then select Home Network.

Could you elaborate? (My Network and Sharing center at the moment shows <Computer> -- <Bench> - <Red X> - <Gray Globe> )

Your IP config listing shows you are getting an IP address from your router, so you seem to access to it.

No, it doesn't. It shows that I've manually entered that information because my household doesn't use DHCP. In any case, I cannot access the router from the windows 7 system.

there is also the possibility that changing the driver has messed up the recognized local network for those also.

This seems unlikely since uninstalling the driver (and letting it reinstall itself upon a reboot) fixed the problem the first two times this happened, but if this the case, how would I check?

Back to the problem - I suggest you now examine the ipconfig output from one of the working pc's on your system and compare it with this one. In particular, compare the DNS server addresses and look for any differences.

I don't have any other systems running windows 7.

 

[Mitchell_A]

Try letting the DHCP server automatically assign your computer the IP address. It could be for whatever reason the router isn't accepting your entered values.

 

[patcooke]

They don't have to be running Windows 7 - you just need to be able to compare the IP configuration settings on this pc with those of another which is successfully connecting to see if there is any differences which would help explain the problem.