No Net access

Got a phone call from my Aunty, asking me to look at her friends PC.

Problem :
After downloading / installing / running AVG, they have been unable to access the net, and just get the 'no dial tone' message.

They have now deleted AVG.

System is XP home, 40GB HDD 2GB CPU

I couldn't find ANYTHING out of the ordinary.
Yet still no access.............
Put ISP CD into PC, and viola !! we are online setting up a second pay as you go account, all is fine until it finishes and asks you to click on the IE icon.

Have you guessed it yet ?

Same as before, no dial tone.
Into 'my network places' and double click the account2 option, and click on the 'dial' button, gave me a fault code [not remembered] saying that I had been refused connection, maybe due to set up conditions ?
and in admin tools, in security I saw two entries for IP Sec not gathered all services [not necessarily an exact quote]

Anybody care to point out where it is I missed 'it' ?

TIA.

[edit]
I installed AdAware SE / SpyBot S+D v1.3 / CWShredder all run with very little caught, all minor.

do they have call minder (BT's answer phone service)
when you ahve a msg waiting it gives you a different dial tone (like a bit of a tone then gap...bit of tone...gap..bit of tone...etc)

this can return a no dial turn error - did you check for it?

v_Ln

Just an update:

v_Ln
Checked the line, called the number in the settings, got to the ISP modem noise.

Decided that the original ISP [Supanet] could be the problem, as in the AOL and ONLY AOL on this PC type problem. And maybe the AVG scan that was run on its installation had found / deleted something from the config for it ?

So, got a Virgin.net CD. Into the PC, goes into its start up routine, then just stops with the two icons on the desktop.........

I've brought this PC back home to play with, so put the CD into my system : straight into the 'dial up' window, continued till I cancelled [as I'm already on Virgin]
The suspect PC is XP home SP1............ Out with the SP2 disc................it FAILED due to it being unable to confirm the integrity of some file [I've got no switch here, so have to power down each PC as and when I swap over, so file name forgotten]

I now suspect the XP install is corrupt, but I don't have XP home disc. DO have XP Pro.........

questions ]
Would you agree that the install IS corrupt ?
If so, what would you do next ?
Can I use XP Pro disk to get to recovery console and install XP home files ?

TIA

Just to bring this sorry tale to an end :

The bloody RAM was bolloxed :D

128 DDR, yet only showing 96MB.
Windows was running slow, and I never gave it a thought.

Lesson learnt : NEVER assume anything............

I fell into thinking that the last D/L MUST have done something.

Ah well : Alls well that ends well, only took a week to replace the RAM :eek:

I assume that as there was only the 96 MB available that the XP took EVERYTHING, and the modem was unable to access memory, and was therefore unable to work ?

Jeez : FIVE DAYS

Need a :drink:

Hi Foxy~

"Our "mate" Bill Gate$ tells me that Win XP will run on 64Mb, "with some loss of functionality"......I guess you just proved him right :)

128Mb is the "recommended minimum". I, personally, would not run it with less than 256MB or 512 if I wanted to use a lot of graphics and online games.

I have come across this with early P4 boxes. They typically shipped with WinME and 128Mb of RAMBUS RIMMS RDRAM. Bloody expensive, and has to be installed in matched pairs. The user upgrades to XP and starts experiencing all sorts of problems due to the lack of memory.

If you can get it, second hand memory is the cheapest solution, otherwise I replace the MoBo and go for DDRAM

:)

Quote:

---

I, personally, would not run it with less than 256MB or 512 if I wanted to use a lot of graphics and online games.

---

I agree entirely on this; however the people involved are in their 70's, and spending is just NOT an option.

The system is less than 12 months old...............
they didn't take up the 'extended' warranty option, so they have to access the £1 A MINUTE 'help' line.
So far they have spent over £40 on useless phone calls.

They have to go via the help line, and NOT to the shop where they bought it from !!!!!
The shop wants nothing to do with it [?] they say that the PC HAS to go back to the factory [100 miles away] at THEIR expense...............

They purchased the system from a store local to here, I am going to 'see' the manager tomorrow, to see if the useless turd has any Christmas spirit in him, and wring it out.........

I'll get them a 256 MB stick of RAM, to allow their grandkids to play Doom3 at a slightly faster frame rate than 'blinking' :D

Foxy on rampage :eek:
:steam:
:aaaaargh:
:****tard:
:: please could you help me with a little problem :TURD::

Hi Foxy~ what sort of RAM is it (type and clock latency) I may well have a stick or two kicking around in my workshop. If I have you are welcome to it for free.

Cheers

Johnno :)

Hi nihil :
it's128MB DDR-266MHz
PC2100U-25330.

I'm 'hoping' the shop manager will see the error of his ways, and that he will supply the required 256MB stick as a goodwill gesture - now PLEASE let go of my nuts - type of thing :eek:
Might even 'tweak' him for 512 :D

But if you DO have any spare, then that would be most appreciated.

Hi Foxy~,

How many slots does it have, and what is the make/model of MoBo? I certainly have PC2100, but will it support PC 2700?...........I might still have one left..................it was a design/graphics box...........I had to upgrade it to 1Gb RAM sticks :eek: ............I kept the "redundant ones" (as you do?)

:D

Just the two slots.
As for the Mo/Bo, it is in a TIME machine :eek:
so take it as a basic one :D

CPU is AMD 2Gig

I didn't bring the PC home, so I've got nothing but my [faulty] memory to rely on.

Hey Foxy~,

PM me with a snail mail addy for receiving packets............you can just try it out and send back that which you do not need............I ought to send you a card anyways, being the "Bah! humbug" time of year?

:D

[quote]They have to go via the help line, and NOT to the shop where they bought it from !!!!!
The shop wants nothing to do with it [?] they say that the PC HAS to go back to the factory [100 miles away] at THEIR expense...............[/qoute]

Don't let the bastards palm you off with that bollox. Under the sale of goods act, the contract is between the purchaser and the shop. Not the factory..................If it has to go back it goes at their expence, don't take know for an answere.

Stop the press :
Took Ram from my system to get them away, XP now running at full tilt.
BUT, the modem is STILL not getting a dial tone........

As an exercise I put the original ISP disc into the machine, PC WENT TO THE WEBSITE, and I re-set the original settings to the accounts. Back to the PC, click the IE icon ............ 'no dial tone'

So : Modem is good, RAM is good [256MB DDR 333MHz] I am now at square one.

[Jinxy]

Quote:

---

Don't let the bastards palm you off with that bollox. Under the sale of goods act, the contract is between the purchaser and the shop. Not the factory..................If it has to go back it goes at their expence, don't take know for an answere.

---

The couple have tried to get the shop to take responsibility for their sale. The unit is less than 12 months old.
I have asked them to call his union [free legal assistance, even when retired. we're both in the same union]
To get some details on where they stand.
As far as any warranty goes, and whether I have broken it ????
All that is different now is that the RAM is fully functioning, and has more ooomph for the games the grandkids like to play.

Extra's :
moved the modem to a different PCI slot, in case that was at fault.
tried a new modem [I carry one for just this type of thing]
swapped the modem / phone connector cable.

Have run scandisk [Yes : it is there. explore / right click C: / properties / tools]
ran PC Check : all tests passed [not the best example, as it tested the 128MB RAM as OK, it only found 96MB, but didn't query that]

The only remaining option ? is to allow the supplier to collect [at a cost of £30 / $50] to send it away for repair to the factory where it was put together]

Have asked them to call union first ..............

If anyone has any ideas ?
All thoughts considered.

I am giving serious thought to the Mo/Bo being at fault, if only because I am at a loss everywhere else :D

TIA

Used to get callers with that 'no dial tone' problem all the time - here's the steps we walked the users through. I know you're guru, but I put in the obvious steps too -

1 - check to make sure the phone line is connected both to the modem and the wall jack. double check to make sure it's in the 'line' port on the modem and not the 'phone' port.

2 - query the modem from windows - start>control panel>phone and modem options>modems tab>properties>diagnostics tab>query modem. Check all responses.

3 - check the modem string - if you'll tell me what kind of modem it is, odds are I've got a string I can send ya - I've got a notebook about an inch thick full of them for the various makes/models.

If all this fails, blow away the modem in device manager and let windows reinstall - you have the original driver disk on cd still I hope?

[edit] whups, skipped a step - check the line to the computer with a known good telephone to make sure it's active. [/edit]

|3lack|ce :
1 : done, can't put hand on heart and say it was in 'line', will check that.

2 : done, all OK

3 : As it happens, the modem I carry is an identical one. only detail on box is - CNXT V92 Data Fax Voice - manufacturer is TIME.

Did the 'rip out drivers' and re-install routine.
Did the new cable trick.

Ouch. Conexant... Never was much impressed with them, almost as bad as an old Lucent winmodem. They used to be Rockwell - and the HCF model was the one that gave us the most problem.

First, try this string - if it fails, check the websites I've listed below for further resources and things to attempt - Remember, generic Rockwell is your friend.

AT&FE0V1S0=0&C1&D2W0

Now the sites:

http://www.modemhelp.org/inits
http://www.restartoffice.com/init.htm

Hope those help. You might also look at the initialization commands and add in a couple of commas before the number its dialing to make it give pause long enough to acquire dial tone, then disable it's listening for the dial tone.

Just to end the suffering ..........

I finally got the little swine to go online, it managed to initialise the Norton NetSec I had installed, and it updated it.

On restart, it wouldn't go back online ......................

Into Safe Mode, run the Anti-Virus ..................... FULL OF SHI73 ................

Trojans / viruses you name it, and it was there.

Physically removed modem, deleted drivers [couldn't find them in add / remove programms ?]
power off / on, play about, power off, re-fit modem, power on, and it took almost an HOUR for the PC to SEE the new hardware, and load the drivers from the CD..........

Re-loaded the ISP details from the CD, and could get online ...........:cool:

But, I couldn't D/L ANYTHING from the MS update page ..........

Ran out of patience .......
Upgraded to XP Pro, as I now believe that there was some serious corruption in the OS.

Using programmes like 'word' and 'excel' no problem, no delay.

Use system files like device manager, and when you R/click to see properties, it took almost five minutes for the window to come up.

So now I've got a clean machine, that is still slow online [dial up, I've been spoiled with broadband ]

I'd like to thank all who gave advice, and hope you are all around when the sister in law's PC is up for a new HDD :eek: :D

Cheers! We'll be here - just get the jumper settings right the first time round };->