Prev: Lost connection to Internet
Next: Network slow after Domain join
From: JClark on 29 Nov 2008 11:42
>try booting to Safe Mode with Networking and see if the problem
>still exists.

Yes, the same internet connection timeout occurs in safe mode with
networking. I'm not sure what the significance of this is. I suspect
it's something basic in the windows or the TCP/IP area. Where should I
go from here? Perhaps I'll try LSPfix. I'm uncomfortable since I'm
obviously doing a "shotgun" approach to my problem without a lot of
basic understanding of what may be going on.
Thanks again.

Jack
From: John Wunderlich on 29 Nov 2008 14:05
JClark <jclark(a)nomail.invalid> wrote in
news:ovr2j451iee5kmd39a4ctckiqa0vdqdle1(a)4ax.com:

>> try booting to Safe Mode with Networking and see if the problem
>> still exists.
>
> Yes, the same internet connection timeout occurs in safe mode with
> networking. I'm not sure what the significance of this is. I
> suspect it's something basic in the windows or the TCP/IP area.
> Where should I go from here? Perhaps I'll try LSPfix. I'm
> uncomfortable since I'm obviously doing a "shotgun" approach to my
> problem without a lot of basic understanding of what may be going
> on.
>

A failure at this level points to either a low-level Windows (or
Windows network driver) problem or it could possibly be a hardware
failure.

I checked the Sony website for your machine and there is a Network
Driver update available, version 8.61.2.3, dated 5/11/2007. You
might try downloading/installing/re-installing this updated driver.

<http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNBX760&SelectOS=7>

To help eliminate a hardware problem, try booting your laptop from a
(free) Live Linux CD such as Knoppix. If the problem still exists,
then it has totally eliminated Windows as the problem and you may be
looking at a hardware problem.

<http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html>

A last resort, of course, is to re-install Windows on the machine.

Good Luck & HTH,
John


From: JClark on 29 Nov 2008 19:49
On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:05:05 -0800, John Wunderlich
<jwunderlich(a)lycos.com> wrote:

>JClark <jclark(a)nomail.invalid> wrote in
>news:ovr2j451iee5kmd39a4ctckiqa0vdqdle1(a)4ax.com:
>
>>> try booting to Safe Mode with Networking and see if the problem
>>> still exists.
>>
>> Yes, the same internet connection timeout occurs in safe mode with
>> networking. I'm not sure what the significance of this is. I
>> suspect it's something basic in the windows or the TCP/IP area.
>> Where should I go from here? Perhaps I'll try LSPfix. I'm
>> uncomfortable since I'm obviously doing a "shotgun" approach to my
>> problem without a lot of basic understanding of what may be going
>> on.
>>
>
>A failure at this level points to either a low-level Windows (or
>Windows network driver) problem or it could possibly be a hardware
>failure.
>
>I checked the Sony website for your machine and there is a Network
>Driver update available, version 8.61.2.3, dated 5/11/2007. You
>might try downloading/installing/re-installing this updated driver.
>
><http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNBX760&SelectOS=7>
>
>To help eliminate a hardware problem, try booting your laptop from a
>(free) Live Linux CD such as Knoppix. If the problem still exists,
>then it has totally eliminated Windows as the problem and you may be
>looking at a hardware problem.
>
> <http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html>
>
>A last resort, of course, is to re-install Windows on the machine.
>
>Good Luck & HTH,
> John
>
John,
I installed the new driver and a few others. It was difficult because
of the short time I'm allowed on line before the connection times out.
It didn't help, unfortunately.
I booted with Knoppix, but I couldn't even get on line with their
browser, after trying to configure the network adapter in Linux. So
without getting on line, I couldn't really evaluate whether the
connection times out, as it does in windows. This may reflect my Linux
ignorance rather than a proof that it is a hardware problem.

I suppose I'll have to do a windows reinstall, but I have a problem
there as well, since the Sony came without a Windows XP CD. I've
ordered one, belatedly. I don't suppose there is any way I can install
winXP from another CD (I have a lot of them) and put in the product
key for the Sony. I'm sure MS wouldn't like that.

Many thanks again for your help.

Jack
From: John Wunderlich on 29 Nov 2008 21:34
JClark <jclark(a)nomail.invalid> wrote in
news:bfo3j4dkar9i9q1ngt1q648emdoeq84q2q(a)4ax.com:

> I suppose I'll have to do a windows reinstall, but I have a
> problem there as well, since the Sony came without a Windows XP
> CD. I've ordered one, belatedly. I don't suppose there is any way
> I can install winXP from another CD (I have a lot of them) and put
> in the product key for the Sony. I'm sure MS wouldn't like that.
>
>

Many times, manufacturers place everything you need to reinstall
Windows on a separate recovery partition. According to your manual,
you might be able to recover as follows:

VAIO Recovery Guide -- RPovides information about restoring
individual software programs, seftword drivers, and drive partition
(s) or your entire hard disk drive to the original factory installed
settings. To access this on-screen guide:
1. Clice Start, point to All Programs, and click VAIO Support Central
2. Click VAIO Documentation
3. Click VAIO Recovery Guide.

Good Luck,
John

From: JClark on 30 Nov 2008 14:00
On Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:34:18 -0800, John Wunderlich
<jwunderlich(a)lycos.com> wrote:

>JClark <jclark(a)nomail.invalid> wrote in
>news:bfo3j4dkar9i9q1ngt1q648emdoeq84q2q(a)4ax.com:
>
>> I suppose I'll have to do a windows reinstall, but I have a
>> problem there as well, since the Sony came without a Windows XP
>> CD. I've ordered one, belatedly. I don't suppose there is any way
>> I can install winXP from another CD (I have a lot of them) and put
>> in the product key for the Sony. I'm sure MS wouldn't like that.
>>
>>
>
>Many times, manufacturers place everything you need to reinstall
>Windows on a separate recovery partition. According to your manual,
>you might be able to recover as follows:
>
>VAIO Recovery Guide -- RPovides information about restoring
>individual software programs, seftword drivers, and drive partition
>(s) or your entire hard disk drive to the original factory installed
>settings. To access this on-screen guide:
>1. Clice Start, point to All Programs, and click VAIO Support Central
>2. Click VAIO Documentation
>3. Click VAIO Recovery Guide.
>
>Good Luck,
> John
John,
Thanks again for your excellent suggestions. I was able to get online
long enough to download the pdf files for the recovery and the general
user's documentation for that notebook. I'm still working on the Linux
idea, since that would be a very good test of hardware VS software
problems. But so far I can't get on line with either of the browser
programs which come with Knoppix. I downloaded and burned the latest
DVD version, but that won't boot at all. Perhaps the BIOS only allows
CD booting, not DVD.
Lots of issues!
I also posted my internet dropout question to "Experts Exchange". But
so far no responses.
Again, much appreciation.

Jack
First  |  Prev  |  Next  |  Last
Pages: 1 2 3
Prev: Lost connection to Internet
Next: Network slow after Domain join