For : Microsoft Windows
by : je.saist
| There are many different connection problems that can be
experienced while trying to troubleshoot a connection. This guide will
attempt to deal with more obscure, or random problems Customer is connecting by Ethernet, but Polaris Shows a USB device being recongized: One problem that might be
encountered is the customer that attempts
to run two computers at the same time. While running two computers at a
time is accomplished using a Router
or a Hub, there will be
customers that will attempt to use both the USB and Ethernet ports at
the same time. This is actually dangerous as doing so can physically short the modem out.
Sometimes
customers will also attempt to install Ethernet connections while
previously
having used USB connections. Other customers will simply run into
problems where the modem simply reports a USB device instead of an
ethernet adapter device.
Determining a USB Device in
Polaris is actually fairly easy. Compare the MAC ID of the device
listed in the computer column with MAC ID of the modem.
The Modem column will show:
Vendor: TOSHIBA
Model: PCX2200 CFG File: 100001_vm1.1_d.cfg CM IP: 10.100.1000.100000 CM MAC: 00:00:00:00:97:41 TX Level: 50 RX Level: -7.1 Modem SNR: 34 Errors In: 0 Errors Out: 0 Modem Uptime: 0:01:04 The Computer column will show
Host Type: PC
PC MAC: 00:00:00:00:97:40 NIC Vendor: Toshiba Corporation PC IP: 127.0.0.1 Lease Start: Sorry Lease End: 24 hours after Sorry If all but the final number or
letter (the last two sometimes, or most
cases, final character) match, then device on the other side of the
modem is a USB Device. This is complicated by the fact that some
modems, like the Terayon TJ715 have a bad habit of showing a USB device
on the other side when there is no device connected to the modem. The
Arris VOIP modem also shows another Device on the other side of the
modem, in this case it will always show the phone device.
If the CU states they are
connecting by Ethernet but polaris shows a USB device, ask them how
many cables are plugged into the modem. Specify that only 3 cables
should be plugged in:
1: the line to the wall. The
round TV Line
2: The Power Cord.
3: The line to the computer.
IF the cu has 4 lines plugged in,
remove the USB cord. Some customers may complain that the 4 lines is
how it's always been, why does it have to act like this now? Why did it
work fine before?
USB
Connection Shows in Polaris and no USB cable is plugged in. The
connection is Ethernet
Explantation: Presuming that something will work now just because it worked before is the Yorki Terrier rule of maintence. It's also a bad rule of maintence. Electronic parts do go bad. Electronic parts do short out. Memory chips and chace traces lose their ability to hold a charge. Such is a factor of electronic devices. Plugging 4 cables into the modem creates a logic loop inside the modem. Most modems can only physically address one device at a time, not two. Plugging two lines in means that the modem has to decide which connection to use as a default. Sometimes it picks the right one. Sometimes it does not. The risk is also run of electrically overloading the modem. Each line into the modem carries power. The Cable TV line carries power just as well as the power cord, the ethernet cord, and the USB cord. Some modems can handle the overload voltage, some cannot. That this modem did last for so long is good. But it is not good to keep pushing the modem. Eventually, it may not work at all because of the overload. So we only put 3 cords in at one time. There are some modems, such as old propietary CyberSurfers, and new modem/router combinations, that do not fall to this rule. Cybersurfers and some other propietary modems can feed up to 2 or 3 computers off of the same IP address due to to the way the connection system is handled. It is also possible on a Cybersurfer at least to have USB and Ethernet hooked up. As mentioned earlier, some modems, in this case the Terayon TJ715 may continue to display a USB device even when an ethernet connection is the active connection. Other modems may also continue to show a USB device when the customer is using Ethernet. Customer is unable to renew as no operation is permissible Sometimes there will be an error
about a non-permissible operation when attempting to renew a network
adapter. Fixing this error is rather simple, as the cause of the error
is also simple. This error is caused by the network edapter information
being set to static instead of
dynamic.
To fix this error, simply change the TCP/IP settings to Automatically Obtain DNS and DHCP servers. Customer is unable to renew as access is denied This is perhaps one of the most
annoying errors that can be encountered, as much like errors with
Outlook Express and Internet Explorer, there is no official
documentation from Microsoft on the cause or how to fix the error. When
this error is encountered, go ahead and direct the customer to either
Microsoft or Computer manufacturer.
The reasons for directing the customer to PC Tech Support are numerous, and the reccomendation is made due to the nature of what appears to cause Access is Denied errors. 1: Anti-Virus: The Norton and
Mcafee Virus security suites are known to cause this error. Short of
removing the anti-virus completely, there is no simple way to recover
from the Access is Denied
error. As Anti-Virus programs, including Authentium, fall outside the
scope of Tier I tech support, it is not a good idea to pursue a fix. A
temporary fix can be achieved by stopping the firewall or anti-virus
service in the processes tab of the Cntrl-Alt-Delete control center.
After stopping the service, it is possible to then run an ipconfig
/renew. Keep in mind that all Anti-Virus programs that run as
services, and not just applications, can cause these kinds or errors.
Firewalls that also run as services, can cause an Access is Denied error.
Again, Access is Denied
errors are generally going to be complex issues to track down. Most of
the known problems are with programs or systems that are outside the
boundries of Tier I support. Save a Truck, save some call time. If you
do feel like trying to tackle an Access
is Denied error, at least make sure the customer is explicitly
logged in as Administrator.2: Mal-Ware: A slightly scarier possibility is malware damage to the computer. Mal-Ware is typically referred to as Spyware or Adware. In short, it's the junk files unique to Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Outlook Express. Much as mal-ware software can cause a 169 registry error, mal-ware can also lock a user out of the registry. The fix for a mal-ware caused Access is Denied error is to check the permissions for registry keys. This problem is documented by Microsoft 3: Microsoft: The panic version is Microsoft Windows itself. Users who are not logged into the ADMINISTRATOR name under Windows NT systems can fall prey to this problem. Many OEM's (original equipment manufacturers. That's Dell, HP, Gateway, and other brand names) only setup Windows NT users with an Owner login and a user name. However, it is possible to deny the Owner of all administrative access tools. This is a known documented issue by Microsoft. If the customer experiences an Access is Denied error, immediatly check the login name. If the customer is not explicitly logged in with the name ADMINISTRATOR refer the customer to PC manufacturer or Microsoft to obtain the Administrator login. This might cause some confusing
as it is possible to assign full administrator rights to any username.
However, under Windows NT systems, only the ADMINISTRATOR log-in has absolute
control. Short of checking all the permissions for each username and
ensuring that the Owner or username have total Admin access,
there is no way to guarantee that the customer actually has
adminstrative access to the computer. Instead of wasting time time
trying to track down the state of the login, go ahead and get the
customer to someone who is better equipped and licensed to handle the
problem.
There is no Ip information after attempting an ipconfig or an ipconfig /renew under Windows NT Sometimes the problem will be
encountered under Windows NT systems where no device or ethernet
adapter information will result from an Ipconfig or Ipconfig /renew command. In
this case, there is a driver
problem, or the driver is not enabled. Check the device manager for
disabled network adapters or to see if a network adapter is installed.
To access the Device manager to
check driver settings:
1: Click on Start
2: Go to Control Panel 3: SWITCH TO CLASSIC VIEW 4: Click on System 5: Click on Hardware 6: Click on Device manager 7: Ask if there are any red X's or yellow question marks or exclamation marks 8: Double click on the network device under Network Adapters 9: Verify that it does state The Device is Working Properly 10: Close out of the device manager 11: Close out of the system box 12: Double click on Network Connections 13: Verify that Device is enabled 14: Right click on the network adapter under Network Connections and choose properties 15: Verify that the device under Network Connections is identical to that in the Device Manager If the information is identical, the adapter is enabled, and it is not showing up under an Ipconfig refer the customer to the PC Manufacturer or Microsoft. It may be possible to also resolve this error by rebuilding the TCP/IP stack. Explanation: Under the Microsoft Windows Operating System there are several components that are required to work in order to access the internet through a pure tcp/ip system. In this case, as the drivers appear to be correct and all settings appear to be set according to specifcations set by Cox Communications, there is nothing else that Cox Communications can do to address this issue. Microsoft Windows is not recognizing that the network adapter is present in the TCP/IP stack itself. If the adapter does not show up when we do an Ipconfig command, then there is something severely wrong with the Microsoft Windows Operating System that falls outside of the abilities of Cox Communications to troubleshoot. This is a Code Level issue with Microsoft Windows that needs to be addressed by Microsoft or a certified Microsoft representative, which can be your computer manufacturer. Why switch to Classic view? I like catagory view better It's called control. Like it or
not, under classic view, some control panel options may not be
available unless explicitly under the Administrator
login name. Switching to classic view also makes it simpler to navigate
around if one is trying to check the device
manger with the network
connections, then verify that the internet options are correct. Or a
simpler explanation is this, it's for consistancy. Windows Classic View
remains pretty much the same across all versions of Windows. It's
easier to memorize a standard set of locations, then try to remember
all the different variations of control panel views that the different
versions of Windows can give out. And this is not even thinking about
the additional icons and services rendered into Xp64.
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