Repair a Broken Internet Connection

Another common problem experienced by Windows XP users
is a malfunctioning Internet connection. There are several
reasons why this occurs—and just as many remedies.
Temporarily Disable Your Software Firewall
Sometimes a software firewall like ZoneAlarm or Norton
Personal Firewall can experience a digital “hiccup” that interferes
with the way it monitors and manages your Internet connection.
Common symptoms of this problem include a suddenly slow
Internet connection,Web pages that stall or are unresponsive, or
the complete inability to access the Internet.To determine if your
firewall is the cause of your problems, you can temporarily
disable it as follows:

1. Right-click the icon for your firewall, which is usually
located in the lower-right corner of Windows near the clock.
2. Select the Stop All Internet Activity option                             3. Try connecting to the Internet. If you are successful, then restart your firewall by right-clicking its icon near the Windows clock and selecting Enable or Restore. If the firewall’s icon is not there, then you must manually restart the program by doing the following:
a. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
b. Click All Programs.
c. Select the folder containing the name of your firewall software.
For example, if you use ZoneAlarm, then select the Zone Labs
folder.
d. Click the shortcut to launch the program.
4. If re-enabling your firewall causes your Internet connection to
malfunction again, then it is likely that your firewall is corrupted and
must be reinstalled by following the steps below. This requires its
original installation CD-ROM or its digital installer and license key.
a. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
b. Click the Control Panel. (If you don’t see this option, your Start
menu is in classic mode. In that case, click Settings, and then
select the Control Panel.)
c. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
d. A window opens. Scroll down the list until you see the name of
your firewall.
e. Click the name of your firewall, and then click the Remove
button on its right. If a message pops up and asks you if you
want to uninstall the program, click the Yes button.
f. After the firewall is successfully removed, reinstall it by using its
CD-ROM or installer program.
Reboot Your Modem, Your Router, or Both .Sometimes a malfunctioning Internet connection can be caused by an error in computer hardware such as a cable or DSL modem or a router.To correct any problems with these devices, you must reboot them as follows:
1. Shut down your computer.
2. Unplug the power cord from the back of your modem and router. An alternate method is to use the tip of a pencil to push the small resetbutton located at the rear of the modem or router.               3. The lights on the front of your modem or router go dark.Wait 30
seconds, and then plug the power cord back in. This causes the lights on the front of the modem or router to begin blinking rapidly in a particular pattern.Wait for an additional 30 seconds, and then restart your computer.
Use ipconfig
If temporarily disabling your firewall or rebooting your hardware didn’t get you back online, then there might be a problem with your IP address.To resolve this issue, you must use a program called ipconfig. Here’s how:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window will open.Type cmd in the blank, and then click the OK
button or press the Enter key.
4. A command window opens.Type ipconfig /flushdns and then press the Enter key.                                                                       5. Type ipconfig /release and press the Enter key.
6. Type ipconfig /renew and press the Enter key.
7. Close the command window by clicking the X button in the upperright corner.

Reinstall TCP/IP
On rare occasions, corruption or damage can occur to the section of Windowsthat handles your Internet connection.To fix this problem, you must reinstall the TCP/IP stack, like this:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window opens.Type cmd in the blank, then click the OK button or  press the Enter key                                                            4. A command window opens.Type netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt
and then press the Enter key.                                                  Note
If Windows XP is not installed on your C: drive, then you must replace the C: in this command with the correct drive letter followed by 0a colon.                                                                         5. If you can successfully connect to the Internet, you may discover that this fix has altered or corrupted your antivirus program, antispyware program, software firewall, or other programs that monitor your Internet activity. In that case, you must reinstall those programs by following the steps below. This requires their original installation CD-ROMs or their digital installers and license keys.
a. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
b. Click the Control Panel. (If you don’t see this option, your Start
menu is in classic mode. In that case, click Settings, and then
select the Control Panel.)
c. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
d. A window opens. Scroll down the list until you see the name of
your antivirus, antispyware, or firewall program.
e. Click the name of the program, and then click the Remove
button on its right.
f. If a message pops up and asks you if you want to uninstall the
program, click the Yes button.
g. After the software has been successfully removed, reinstall it by
using its CD-ROM or its installer program.

Repair the Winsock
Another potential cause of your inability to connect to the Internet is a winsock file that has been altered or damaged by spyware or other digital threats. Fortunately, repairing the winsock is easy to do. The appropriate method of repair depends on whether you have installed a special collection of Windows security patches known as Service Pack 2. Check for it by doing the following                       1. Right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop. If this icon is not available, then click the Start button in the lower-left corner of
Windows and right-click My Computer.

If you can’t find the My
Computer icon anywhere, do the following:
a. Right-click in the empty space on your desktop.
b. Select Properties.
c. A window opens. Click the Desktop tab.
d. Near the bottom of the window, click the Customize Desktop
button.
e. Another window opens. On the General tab, beneath Desktop
Icons, place a checkmark next to My Computer.
f. Click the OK button.
g. You are returned to the previous screen. Click the Apply button.
h. Click the OK button.
i. The My Computer icon appears on your desktop. Double-click it.
2. Select Properties.
3. A window opens. Under the tab labeled General, look for System.
Beneath it, you should see some words identifying your version of
Windows as well as any service packs that are installed.To repair the
winsock, try the fixes in the following sections that correspond to the type of service pack you have (if any).
To repair the winsock if you have no Service Packs or have Service Pack 1:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window opens.Type regedit in the blank, and then click the OK
button or press the Enter key.
4. The Windows Registry Editor opens. In the left window pane, doubleclick  the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key. If you can’t find
it, do the following:
a. In the left window pane of the Registry Editor, scroll to the top.
b. If any of the HKEY registry keys are open—as indicated by a
minus sign (-) on their left side—then close them by clicking
that minus sign. When a registry key has been properly closed, it
will have a plus sign (+) next to it.
c. Repeat this process for the remaining HKEY registry keys until
the only things visible in the left window pane are the five
HKEY keys
d. Double-click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key                 5. A new column of registry keys appears. Double-click System.
6. Another column of registry keys appears. Double-click
CurrentControlSet.
7. Double-click Services.
8. A long list of registry keys appears. Scroll down until you see Winsock
and then right-click it and select Delete                                     9. You are asked to confirm the deletion. Click the Yes button.
10. Repeat this procedure to delete the Winsock2 registry key.
11. Exit the Registry Editor by clicking the X button in the upper-right corner.
12. Shut down your computer and restart it.
13. After returning to Windows, click the Start button in the lower-left  corner.
14. Click the Control Panel. (If you don’t see this option, your Start menu  is in classic mode. In that case, click Settings, and then select the  Control Panel.)
15. If the Control Panel is in category view, click the Network and Internet  Connections category, and then click the Network Connections icon. If  the Control Panel is in classic view, simply double-click the Network Connections icon.
16. In the right window pane, right-click the name of your network
connection.
17. Select Properties.
18. A window opens. Click the Install button                             19. Another window opens. Click the Protocol icon, and then click the  Add button.
20. Under the Network Protocol heading, click Microsoft IPv6 Developer  Edition (unless your version of Windows is configured differently, in which case you might see the words Microsoft TCP/IP version 6).
21. Click the Have Disk button.
22. Another window opens. In the box below Copy Manufacturer’s Files  From, type C:\Windows\inf (unless Windows XP is installed in
another location, in which case, replace C: with a different drive letter  followed by a colon)                                                     23. Click the OK button.                                                        24. A new window opens. Under the Network Protocol heading, click
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click the OK button.
25. A moment later, you are returned to one of the previous windows.  Click the Close button.
26. Shut down your computer and restart it.
27. If you can successfully connect to the Internet, you may discover that  this fix has altered or corrupted your antivirus program, antispyware program, software firewall, or other programs that monitor your  Internet activity. In that case, you must reinstall those programs by  following the steps below. This requires their original installation  CD-ROMs or their digital installers and license keys.
a. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
b. Click the Control Panel. (If you don’t see this option, your Start
menu is in classic mode. In that case, click Settings, and then
select the Control Panel.)
c. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
d. A window opens. Scroll down the list until you see the name of
your antivirus, antispyware, or firewall program.
e. Click the name of the program, and then click the Remove
button on its right.
f. If a message pops up and asks you if you want to uninstall the
program, click the Yes button.
g. After the software has been successfully removed, reinstall it by
using its CD-ROM or its installer program.
To repair the winsock if you have Service Pack 2:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window opens.Type cmd in the blank, and then click the button
labeled OK or press the Enter key.
4. A command window opens.Type netsh winsock reset and then press the Enter key. This restores your winsock to its
original, default configuration                                                   5. Shut down your computer and restart it.
6. If you can successfully connect to the Internet, you may discover that  this fix has altered or corrupted your antivirus program, antispyware program, software firewall, or other programs that monitor your  Internet activity. In that case, you must reinstall those programs by following the steps below. This requires their original installation CD-ROMs or their digital installers and license keys. 
a. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
b. Click the Control Panel. (If you don’t see this option, your Start
menu is in classic mode. In that case, click Settings, and then
select the Control Panel.)
c. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
d. A window opens. Scroll down the list until you see the name of
your antivirus, antispyware, or firewall program.
e. Click the name of the program, and then click the button on its
right labeled Remove.
f. If a message pops up and asks you if you want to uninstall the
program, click the Yes button.
g. After the software has been successfully removed, reinstall it by
using its CD-ROM or its installer program.

To restore the Winsock layers, there are third party tools like WinSockXPFix and LSPFix
Use the System File Checker
Yet another possible cause of your Internet woes is corruption that has occurred  in Windows’ critical system files. By using a program called System File
Checker, you can search for and automatically repair any of these damaged files.
Here’s how:
1. Click the Start button in the lower-left corner of Windows.
2. Click Run.
3. A window opens.Type sfc /scanow in the blank  then  click the OK button \press the Enter key.                                                                                    4. Windows scans your computer to determine whether or not your
system files are corrupted. If any files need to be replaced, a message may pop up and ask you to insert your Windows XP CD-ROM.  Follow the on-screen instructions.
5. If repairs are made, your damaged files may be overwritten by older  versions. As a result, some recent security updates and patches may no  longer work properly. This could make your computer vulnerable to  Internet threats like worms and hackers.To restore your protection, visit the Windows Update website to re-download the patches

Category: Connectivity, Internet, Tips, Tutorial