Limited or No Connectivity error

S

st3ve

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2004
Messages
964
Reaction score
0
Location
Parkview, JHB
Just wondering if anyone else has this issue because when I told Telkom about this they told me to phone Mweb and when I told Mweb about this they told me to call Telkom... See what happens when when this type of collaboration is allowed?

When I boot up my XP SP2 machine my adsl usb pots modem connects and I get a little connection window in my task bar. After about a minute of "aquiring network address" I get a little yellow exclamation mark over the connection icon.

The status of connection is reported as "limited or no connectivity" when I click more information I am told that this problem occurred because the network did not assign a network address to the computer.

When I click on details I get the following:

Physical Address: 00-02-96-40-E6-89
IP Address: 169.254.39.97
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway:
DNS Server:
WINS Server:

There's a repair option which doesn't work.

There are nearly a million google hits for my issue. Many others seem to have the same problem, they can browse fine, they can check their email fine, but they have that annoying little yellow exclamation mark in their task bar. And many of us can't help but wonder if somehow this error might not be slowing down our connecion...

Now there is a way to switch off this notice. Under the properties box there is a check box for "notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity" Obviously mine is checked and obviously I don't want to uncheck it just yet because there might really be a problem.

This is apparently a known bug with XP SP2 so in that light I have already tried downloading and running the XP SP2 patch from the windows knowledge base, as well as running a registry fix. It made no difference so I downloaded and ran the WinsockXPfix.

That didn't work either.

I've removed and reinstalled my USB pots marconi software, I've also tried their latest driver for XP (which connected me at 2mbps)

Now I'm back to the original driver software that came with the CD. Does anyone else have any ideas?

Cheers
 
Open up a DOS prompt- Run "IPConfig /Renew".
If your default gateway is still blank, moan at Teklom and tell them that their stuupid DHCP server is not setting the default gateway, and so doing point them in the right direction.
 
st3ve said:
...boot up my XP SP2 machine my adsl usb pots modem connects and I get a little connection window in my task bar...little yellow exclamation mark over the connection icon...the network did not assign a network address to the computer...IP Address: 169.254.39.97...This is apparently a known bug with XP SP2
Click to expand...
Don't flame me here, but I had a weird problem with a friend's PC (WXP-H-SP2) and his USB ADSL (think it was Marconi) modem, it happened just after disabling the XP firewall in Security Centre - as far as I can remember. After a reboot, similar problem you're describing, although it refused to connect at all (it might've said something about limited connectivity - I don't remember).

I eventually found that something adsl/wan miniport/marconi had "disabled itself" in Device Manager, after enabling all worked perfectly again :)
 
tried that

Thanks ic and Stoke

Actually I have tried both of those in recent days, but when I was having no connectivity at all. ic your suggestion did work perfectly for me before, I noticed it too, when the little dsl logo is black invariably winxp has dis-enabled it under start/control panel/system/hardware/device manager/network adaptors/your modem or ndis wan miniport or whatever the modem is called on your machine.

I have realised that my first post was not beneficial to the forum for other users who may be experiencing similar probs so here is a link for what I tried before that did not work for me, but may work for you (lucky reader)

http://www.pchell.com/support/limitedconnectivity.shtml

This site runs you through a few suggesions and will link you to the MS knowledge base XP SP2 patch as well as the winsockfix thingie.

I hope it works.

Stoke thanks for your advice I'll get back on the the phone to the teltards and post back.

Cheers
 
Ag ya well no fine this is South Africa after all ikhona

Okay so I spoke to a pleasant enough chap at Telkom. He told me that I should delete all Telkom software off my system... okaaaaay I said, delete all the software, all the stuff that Telkom gave me when they installed my line and gave me the marconi/telkom modem.

Yes he said that software isn't designed for XP. don't run the setup programme on that software, only use the driver on the disk

Gasp!?? I ask you.

The driver on the disk is not logo'd and the only way to get the puter to see the modem is to run the setup software on the telkom disk. So it's not a case of "just using the driver"

Then I got clever and found a beta XP driver on the marconisa.co.za site and used that (18mb - Now that is not a driver!!) halfway through install it wanted afrikans.hlp file (note Afrikans) which of course I could not browse for it should have been in the 18mb BETA file I dl'd but wasn't....

I have now reloaded the "gasp" Telkom cd setup got my original "limited connection" back can connect to the net, can get my mail, but still have limited connection error.

Hey I say to myself this is SA, I should be privileged I have THE MONEY to be able to afford DSL in the first place.

Internet for the African masses, ha ha. If Telkom and Mweb can't help me with this... a pretty complicated issue, how the heck is your average illiterate, let alone computer illeterate person every going to be able to get connected to this global village we're all so positive about.

Shame on you Telkom and shame on you Mweb.
 
Well, the only thing left, is to try making it Marconi SA's problem- tell them their software doesn't work on WXPSP2, the install fails...when can you return their modem to them & get a full refund...?

If it were just Afrikans.hlp that was missing, I would suggest copying any legit .hlp file already on your PC, into the install folder/whatever, and renaming it to Afrikans.hlp, but if its missing one file, it will probably be missing others as well.

If Marconi SA give you backchat, confuse the hell out of them by saying something like: it was also looking for the Renaisance.chm file, and it overwrote the SizwesMillions.kaboom file... :)
 
The Solution?

Okay so in XP SP2 I went
start/control panel/network connections under Lan or High peed Internet I located the connection (mine is called Local area connection 3) right click then click properties. Under the general tab select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) then click properties. Uncheck obtain an IP address automatically. Check use the following IP address. For the IP address enter: 192.168.1.10
For subnet mask enter: 255.255.255.0

Now I no longer have a taskbar connection icon showing that there is limited or no connectivity.

Just a question the above IP address was found on a US website and said to be a harmless IP address. Now I'm not being xenophobic or anything but would a harmless South African IP address be any better?
 
Mkay - seems I misunderstood what you were asking originally.

It seems that the connection that you are talking about (Local area connection 3) is the second/only network card on your machine, to which you have attached the modem/router.

Then you also have a dial-up connection that does the PPOE thing through that network connection 3.

If what i've said is correct, then your network connection 3 does not require TCPIP and you should just remove TCPIP from it. As long as the dial-up connection gets an ip address and a default gateway, then everything is kewl. PPOE simply routes through your Network connection 3, and it does not require TCPIP to be installed on Network connection 3 to do this.

Side:
The IP address 192.168.1.* is kewl for internal use. If you try to use it on the internet, nobody will route to you, as all the routers know that that range is for internal use only. Well - supposed to know.

Good luck St3ve.
 
In the "properties" of the particular network connection there is a new option, just uncheck "Notify me of No or Limited Connectivity" its there to assist wireless network users. Just seems to be buggy when it comes to PPPoE loopbacks.
 
St3ve: Undo what you did...

St3ve, please confirm: the only cable running between your PC and the marconi modem is a USB cable, yes? Assuming:
  1. You are only using USB; and
  2. Local area connection 3 has not ever been renamed (i.e. it is not a dial-up connection in disguise?).
Then, I conclude that Local area connection 3, represents a Network Interface Card(NIC), and it has nothing at all to do with your ADSL connection, or your marconi modem etc.

St3ve, you should undo what you did, and just uncheck the Notify me of No or Limited Connectivity. You don't need to worry about this on a NIC, this is normal in Windows, what is unecessary is WindowsXP telling you that it is a problem. Just ignore it completely, it has no effect on your ADSL connection etc.

PS: Stoke- AFAIK, PPPoE is layered on top of TCP/IP, and will fail to work if you remove the TCP/IP protocol from a network adapter :)
 
but I got a little network running

Thanks for all the advice. The thing is I've moved on to grander things. It took me two infuriating days but I finally networked my wife's laptop to this PC so now we can both browse. Hundreds of thousands of infinite possibilities were checked, unchecked, deleted, added, changed, tweaked, twisted and beaten into submission.

Now I'm too scared to go back and fiddle with anything.

But thanks for the advice I will refer to it when I'm feeling a little braver, I guess I can't carry on forever not understanding why something is just working when I can't remember how I fixed it in the first place.
 
st3ve said:
... I guess I can't carry on forever not understanding why something is just working when I can't remember how I fixed it in the first place.
Click to expand...
Moral of the story and something that is any IT person's pet hate but a necessary evil - documentation, documentation, and again documentation X [size=+1]∞[/size] ... :D
 
st3ve said:
...I finally networked my wife's laptop to this PC so now we can both browse...
Click to expand...
Ok, well done, I'm assuming that you now know all about Iternet Connection Sharing (ICS) in WindowsXP, if not, ask & we shall tell. There are a few things you might need to know about- like MTU for one.
 
MTU No printers YES

Hmm MTU wasn't plagued by that particular new acronym... Getting the laptop to see the shared printer, hmm we could discuss that.

Server: Name BigDaddy running XPSP2
Client: Name (various coz my wife's company's IT guys went mad with all sorts of different accesses) running 2Kpro

Printer: HP Photosmart P1000

Can be seen by client, can't print to it... can be seen by big daddy can print... sorry very vague

can anyone reccommend a basic step by step network printer setup guide?
 
Create a new thread for the printer issue...

Ok, I have the same problem with Win2KP PC's- HPLJ1000 shared, but can only be seen & printed to by the local machine.

I suspect the cause to be:
Restrict Anonymous == 2, and
Strengthen default permissions of global system objects (e.g. Symbolic Links) == Enabled
in Local Security Policy (editor), but just have not had enough time to try all the different permutations. It was working once upon a time, then after a few hotfixes, bam- it was suddenly inaccessible from the LAN...

Not that this is relevant here- I'm also suspicious of the HP software running on the local machine- I don't see why HP need no less than 7 processes always running to talk to a simple USB printer!

Anyways, all this is no longer an ADSL problem, so it might be better to start a new thread in the Off Topic section...
 
Hey st3ve...

I have just started experiencing the same problem as you, and was also a bit worried as to whether that error would slow down my ADSL for whatever reason. What really brought this issue to my attention was the way that the events unfolded...

1. When my ADSL was connected, i did not have my ISP account set up yet... I therefore had the limited or no connectivity error. I disregarded this as my logic was that no ISP had assigned me an IP yet...

2. About a week or so later, I hooked up my ISP account, and voila, the error went away... That lasted until I uninstalled my Norton Internet Security, which then prompted the error message again... (it was either that or the huge thunderstorm that started knocking out my ADSL)

That leaves me with a few possible explanations to this prob:

1. The windows firewall or anything samiliar (norton etc.) can affect it if you mess aorund with it.

2. Telkom internet, or whichever your service provider you have, have decided to stop whatever they do to make that error message go away.

3. A usb modem is not a good idea... Go for ethereal (Most likely solution)

4. The Telkom USB pots modem is CRAP, and has CRAP drivers (also most likely) and are not compatible with winxpsp2. So in other words, go out and buy a decent ethereal router adsl modem, which will prob speed up ur connection anyway.

Right now im gonna try and reinstall norton internet security AND dl the new Marconi "bridge" drivers, and see if any of them solve the prob.

Will post back results :P
 
Some please help

I have 3 XP Pro SP 2 computers on a network with a Marconi Router using DHCP to supply the ip addresses.

After a while of full connectivity all of a sudden all the computers has no or limited connectivity. I have to restart the router to restore the connectivity. There is no specific time it takes for this to happen. It will happen after an hour or even longer sometimes.

I have connected the router to a different network and it didn't cause a problem. I have replaced the network cards on all of the machines and it still happens. I have replaced the cables to all the machine but no success.

Has anyone experienced a problem like this before. I would really appreciate any help as I don't have a clue anymore!!!
 
I had the exact same problem! First restart your pc but leave your modem on.
I did it and worked for me. So give it a try!
 
limited or no conn.

You guys should learn not to blame everything that goes wrong on somebody else!!!
Limited or no connectivity is a LAN error, has nothing to do with ur Mweb, Telkom, IS, or whoever. You can be mad as much as you want but the fact is idoubt if ur ISP will come and sort out your LAN issues.

Problem lies between your Router and PC.....in most cases if you go to dos and do your ipconfig, and get 169.254.x.x , instead of getting the automatically assigned ip address by your ROUTER not DHCP from ISP , that indicates a LAN error.
Do a renew command, if that does not help simply uninstall your drivers for your NIC and RESTART, re install the drivers, and that will sort out up to 90% of the LAN errors in this regard.

If you manually assign IP's it will remove that error and show you that you are connected but it doens not neccessarily mean that the problem is sorted out! it will show that you are connected and it will give you the ip's on dos but will it ping or connect you?

Simple uninstall drivers, restart, reinstall :p will connect you back to the internet without putting much effort on calling those stupid isp numbers and wait for a long time and be told "its not our fault".

.........Hacker#1:eek:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X