PC not going online....

HP/Compaq CQ62 laptop running Win7 64bit Home Premium (no service pack) - this laptop simply will not go online. The wifi picks up all broadcasting networks but connects with "limited access" only. The wired ethernet port does not seem to recognize when a cable is plugged in. I disabled the built in wifi and installed a DLink USB wifi adapter and got the same result: all networks are picked up, but connecting with "limited access" only. I have rebuilt/repaired TCIP/IP and Winsock, re-installed all drivers, checked and re-checked services. The PC does not have Norton or McAfee installed which have been known to block all web access for no apparent reason. In Control Panel > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings, it was set to "Use automatic configuration script" which I thought was blocking connectivity so I unchecked the box and cleared the numbers from the box . . . . still no action, no web surfing or network connectivity. I'm at a loss. I see no obvious outward signs of malware (and I'm pretty freekin' good at recognizing these things) and I didn't have time today to run any scans. The PC runs fine except for this connectivity issue.

Any suggestions, thoughts, or advice will be appreciated . . . THX!

 

If plodr's suggestion doesn't show anything, I suggest (if you aren't already) getting familiar with Wireshark (open source software) and using that on the machine to help in your troubleshooting. Honestly, I haven't played with it too much, but it is one of the most comprehensive networking tools I've seen so far.

 

Could it have had them previously and had an incomplete removal?
Tried Safe Mode with Networking? Any difference?
Any additional connection apps installed that possibly are conflicting with Windows?

 

@ plodr: Yes, "Limited Access" at all wifi spots, and the ethernet port does not recognize when a cable is plugged in. I'm not sure what you mean by "strange", but it shows what I call "generic" addresses and no 'Default Gateway'. I won't have access to the PC until tomorrow so I can't be more specific right now....

@ mcsmc: I'm not familiar with Wireshark, but I'll give it a look-see....

@ lbmest: as far as I know, Norton and/or McAfee have never been installed, but I do not have the full history of installed apps. The owner of the PC mentioned something about installing/uninstalling ZoneAlarm at some point before the problems started. No, I have not tried 'Safe Mode w/ Networking', and I should have 'cuz it's a fairly obvious route :-o rolleyes As to additional apps, there's the Virgin Mobile 3G Broadband software installed. The client didn't mention it so I'm not sure if he still uses it or not, I'll have to talk to him tomorrow for details.....

 

When you checked the LAN Settings was there anything under proxy server?

Also check ip4 & ip6 settings in wireless properties to see if he is getting ip and dns automatically.

Not sure if this is the problem because you reinstalled the drivers.
For the ethernet port, go into device manager, and under the network adapter select properties and then click change settings. Under the Advanced tab, make sure everything labeled ip4 and ip6 is enabled.

I don't know why it would change but is there a BIOS setting for onboard LAN?

 

@ tgell: initially the box for "automatic configuration script" was checked and there was a string of letters & numbers in the corresponding box, I cleared that but it made no difference. Everything else in Lan Settings was/is unchecked. There's no setting for the ethernet in BIOS, but the wifi connection is enabled. I'll jump in to the device manager here in a little while and see's there, but I did that back on Saturday and from what I remember, everything was as it should be, but I'll check again....

 

.... yup, everything in the Device Manager is normal and enabled where it should be . . . . the owner of the PC mentioned something about ZoneAlarm and I've seen similar problems when ZA is not removed correctly, so maybe I'll re-install ZoneAlarm, then remove it with Revo Uninstaller and we'll see how that goes..... fingers crossed!

 

:celebrate

Re-installing ZoneAlarm, then using Revo to remove it completely worked like a charm! I have no idea what the owner of the PC did while installing or uninstalling ZoneAlarm, but apparently something went very wrong.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!