Bad modem? Cannot access internet in any way

We just recovered from an icky trojan on a 7 year old Dell Dimension that broke our internet link. I fixed it with the repair function in super antispyware and all was well. Decided to get a new firewall, since we had Sygate (unloaded it when all this happened thinking it might "help"). Downloaded Outpost which just would not work (error messages about drivers) and I couldn't figure out how to use it either.

Unloaded that. Ever since, we have been unable to access the internet, email, nothing. A call to our ISP confirmed we no longer have an IP address. I've tried to reset in control panel>network connections to no avail.

Is it possible the internal modem is bad? We use an external for our DSL, but it has to connect to something. Bad plug? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

I think the Sygate firewall might be blocking your access.
I've searched for a removal tool but so far have come up empty.
I think Sygate is now owned by Symantec (who also owns Norton) and the best I can find is Norton removal tools not anything to do with Sygate.

What you can try and do is install Sygate again. Then use Revo Uninstaller to get rid of all the registry entries.

http://majorgeeks.com/Revo_Uninstaller_d5706.html

Use the Revo default setting for removal which is set at moderate. Use this instead of add/remove because Revo does use the programs own uninstaller first then goes on to pick through the registry. If you are told you must reboot, cancel that request. Let Revo finishes step 4 before you do any rebooting.
Caution: when Revo shows you all the registry items there might be hundreds of them, do not select mark all. Go through, look at the entries and only chose items in bold type because they belong to Sygate. There will be other items that are general windows folders which you do not want to delete. You just want to remove the Sygate items inside the windows directories.

 

Thanks, but I can no longer get on the internet to download ANYTHING. I unloaded Sygate and have been just using the Windows sieve firewall and have even shut that off to see if I can connect. Nothing.

I'll see if my husband can download it to a disc at work with your link for Revo. But I'm at the point I'm just going to pay (again) for someone to get this thing working again. I've been without a computer for 2 weeks and losing patience with the whole thing

 

Did they advise you to turn your router/modem off for a few minutes to reset your connection? I thought IP addresses were set between the modem and the phone line not from the PC.

 

We have cycled power on and off and still nothing.

 

I'm re-reading your first post again
1. the computer still connected after you removed Sygate because you were able to download Outpost
2. Outpost would not install - do you remember what error(s) the computer was spitting out?
3. Maybe Outpost, rather than Sygate created the problem
or
as you suspect, it might be a NIC gone bad.

Do you see any lights near the NIC port? Usually when a NIC is working, you will see a green light when the computer is turned on .

If the green light is on, another easy troubleshooter is to change the CAT cable. Sometimes they do go bad.

 

I will try that when I get home. Not to be daft, but what does NIC stand for? Are you talking about the NIC port on the computer or the external modem? Where can I get a new one if that is the problem? There is a Radio Shack in town.

Yeah, after we unloaded Sygate, I was using the windows firewall and downloaded Outpost (still connected to the net). The error message said something about a "driver missing" or a "driver error" and that Outpost didn't install, but it was there. At that point, I went to the internet and only had a "snapshot" of my homepage. Could not navigate anywhere else. It was a snapshot, because no matter what I did, the timestamp on the page said 10:06 on 1/17, even though it was about noon at that point. Sorry I didn't pay closer attention.

When I tried to make adjustments to Outpost to allow FF to access the web, I couldn't seem to make any changes to it to allow programs access. So I removed the program about 10-15 minutes after downloading. Ever since then, no internet connection at all.

 

OK Plodr, I hooked up the cable to a laptop and I can get internet access so it's not the cable, the modem, or anything in the DSL/phone line. When I plug the same cable back into my CPU, it has an orange light, not a green one. There is still no internet connection.

So, is it the Intenet connection software?

I'm not sure what the cable is actually "plugging into" so is there a hardware component inside the tower that is bad? Both?

Thanks for your time.

 

Addendum: Ok. Just tried to plug this same cable back into the functioning laptop and it took 6 tries before the darn thing gave a green light and connected. So, off to Radio Shack I go to get a new cable before I start messing with anything else. I'll let you know if that still doesn't work. Thanks!!!

 

NIC stands for ethernet card. Depending on the computer, it can be a chip on the board or a physical card. All you see if the phone-like connector plug on the computer that you plug the ethernet/cat cable into.
Yes the NIC can go bad. I have a laptop here that I'm troubleshooting and the light changes from green to orange so when I figure out what that means, I'll post back. None of my computers have a problem so all I see on mine are green lights. The orange light might mean that the port has gone to sleep or it could indicate something else.

 

Have you found anything yet plodr? I'm at wits end and about to wipe the hard drive and reinstall Windows. I ran xpnetdiag.exe and it says the NIC is bad, but when I try to update drivers, none of those will finish updating. They all say the file is not found (yet the driver is right there on the system restore disc).

 

Well, I have a Dell laptop here I'm troubleshooting. The NIC light is green, I plug in the cable the light turns orange and the computer connects to the internet without a problem. Apparently an orange light works the same as a green light on this Dell.
If your non-connecting computer is a desktop, buy another card, install the software and plug the cable into the port on the new card.

If your non-connecting computer is a laptop, there are USB to ethernet dongles. I used one on a micron notebook because it had no ethernet port.

Before you wipe and reinstall windows,

 

it looks like the NIC is integrated into the motherboard, not a card. Is it possible to do what you suggested? Where can I get a NIC card? Probably could get one from the guy in town who built the external drive for me?

 

If you have a PCI slot, buy something that looks like this
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3910289

The card will have a software CD. Read the instructions. I suspect you put the card in an empty slot, install the software and plug the cable into the new port.
It has been so long since I installed a card, so you might have to install the software first. I don't remember but the instructions will tell you what to do first.

 

Finally got to the Dell site and they said something about troubleshooting the NIC with the light configuration on the back. According to the site it is all working fine. Orange light means the connection speed, not anything to do with a function problem.

I've decided to wipe the drive. If it still doesn't work, I may start drinking whiskey. For the same price though, I'll go get a NIC card and try again thanks!

 

Whiskey sounds good and more enjoyable than installing a NIC (Network Interface Card). :-D

 

Ended up wiping the drive. The reinstall has taken a lot of time and we still don't have everything the way we had it, but the reinstall fixed the issue immediately. Now trying to run the "protect yourself from malware stuff". Lots of things I THOUGHT I had done, but had not. But, we are back on line! And no whiskey either

 

Whiskey to celebrate your victory?
Wiping and a fresh install is a last ditch effort but sometimes it is the only solution after spending so much time trying to fix something.

I'm dealing with a Dell notebook that is being contrary. I know I can do a factory restore but I'm trying to learn what is going wrong. The owner bought a new laptop and is in the process of moving, so she really doesn't need this laptop for awhile. I take one step forward, then the computer acts up and I'm five steps behind where I was.