After upgrading MS-Instant Messenger, I was not been able to reconnect to the internet. I uninstalled Messenger, and everything seemed to work for a few days. However, a few days later and the same problem has returned. Specifically, I am able to release/renew an IP with the DHCP Server (built into the DSL Gateway) but I cannot ping the gateway! I have another computer with similiar specs which is able to connect without any issues. Hardware Specs: Actiontec DSL-Gateway 3Com Fast EtherLink XL 10/100Bm TX Ethernet NIC (3C905B-TX) Things I've tried: * Verified that there weren't any conflicts showing up in the System / Device Manager. * Switched CAT IV cables between working and non-working computer (made no difference) * Switched ports going into the DSL gateway between working and non-working computer (made no difference) * Cycled the power on the DSL Gateway * Released and Renewed IP with DHCP Server (works - also made sure it failed when the cable was disconnected to make sure it was actually retrieving a new IP, when connected) * Assigned a static IP within the correct range, and triple checked the subnet mask/gateway. * Removed all TCP/IP settings, rebooted, reinstalled the drivers, and tested all of above again. * Executed 3Con NIC Diagnostics (FIFO Loopback, Ethernet Core Loopback, Encoder/Decoder Loopback, and Interrupt tests all passed). Any other ideas? Thanks in advance! -Jason

Hi Jason, Compliments you on a thorough, well written post. Did you have to upgrade MS Messenger on the other PC as well? What message did you receive when you tried the failed ping? Try running tracert to the DSL Gateway and/or another pc on the network. Also, try nbtstat with the appropriate switch(s). Post the result of each. Can you ping this pc from another pc? Do other PC nodes appear in Network Neighborhood on this PC? Can you see this PC in Net Neighb from another PC? "* Assigned a static IP within the correct range, and triple checked the subnet mask/gateway." What was the result of doing this? "* Removed all TCP/IP settings, rebooted, reinstalled the drivers, and tested all of above again." Did you try removing the protocol entirely and reinstalling?

Moose, Thank you for the quick reply! Please see my comments below: "Did you have to upgrade MS Messenger on the other PC as well?" Jason -> No, this upgrade was only applied to the "problem" computer. "What message did you receive when you tried the failed ping?" Jason -> Request timed out... 4 packets sent, 0 received, 4 lost. "Try running tracert to the DSL Gateway and/or another pc on the network. Also, try nbtstat with the appropriate switch(s). Post the result of each." Jason -> Nothing but "* * * Request timed out" for the tracert. nbtstat -n had the following entries: Name:Type:Status FAMILY: UNIQUE:Registered HOME: GROUP:Registered FAMILY: UNIQUE:Registered FAMILY: UNIQUE:Registered HOME: GROUP:Registered SIAM: UNIQUE:Registered HOME: UNIQUE:Registered ..__MSBROWSE__.: GROUP:Registered I tried purging (-R) and releasing/refreshing (-RR), but no change. "Can you ping this pc from another pc?" Jason -> I forgot to mention that in my original list; I did try this, but no, I am not able to ping from or to the "problem" computer (using the other computer, which works fine). "Do other PC nodes appear in Network Neighborhood on this PC? Can you see this PC in Net Neighb from another PC?" Jason -> "No", to both questions. "* Assigned a static IP within the correct range, and triple checked the subnet mask/gateway." What was the result of doing this? Jason -> No change; I was not able to ping the DSL gateway. "* Removed all TCP/IP settings, rebooted, reinstalled the drivers, and tested all of above again." Did you try removing the protocol entirely and reinstalling? Jason -> Yes, I went into the network settings and removed the adapter & TCP-IP protocol. Upon reboot, the "add new hardware" wizard detected the card, of which I used the 3Com configuration disks as the source of the drivers. I should also mention that the light on the NIC, as well as the port it is plugged into on the gateway are lit. Thanks again for your help! -Jason

The problem has been solved, it turns out that a previous disable of Zone Alarm went sour... While debugging the original MS-Messenger problem, I had temporarily removed Zone Alarm from the "Startup" folder, and had disabled two of its registry entries (TrueVector & MiniLog). As soon as I replaced these two Registry Entries (and rebooted), the internet connection was re-established. Thanks for the help - sorry that I didn't remember this configuration change when creating the original post...