OT: PC network problem

[Kay]

I was wondering if someone here could help me out with a PC problem. I work as a network assistant at the student village where I live, which basically means that I help people connect to the Internet facilities. Unfortunately, I've encountered a problem which I so far have been unable to solve. I've asked several people for suggestions, but so far, no luck. Since I know that a lot of you have more knowledge of Windows-platforms than me, I was hoping maybe someone here could help. To the problem:
At my student village, we are using an Ethernet network to connect to the outside world. A DHCP server is managing things, so connecting is usually just a matter of installing a NIC and drivers, then installing a TCP/IP stack, and setting it to use DHCP. This is all done correctly on the computer I'm having problems with. However, instead of connecting and staying online, it is periodically being connected and disconnected. The periods are seemingly irregular. I have measured the connection port in the apartment while the computer is disconnected, and it seems to be fine (there's a regular flurry of packets arriving). The computer is a relatively fast AMD, with WindowsME installed. When it is disconnected, it reports "Cable not connected", but I doubt that is very accurate. I have encountered the exact same symptoms previously. Back then I tried changing both the cable and the NIC, but to no avail. Other stuff I have tried includes locking the link speed (as some NIC's are known to have problems negotiating the speed between themselves and the switches when set to autosense) and turning off power management for the card (a longshot, I know).

I'm all out of ideas here. I would be grateful if anybody has any suggestions.

Kay

[Herewegoagain]

Well, next I would try a different port on the hub or switch that is known to work ok with other sytems.  Try a sniffer on the network if you have access to one.

[mikeymike]

What DHCP server are you using? Have you checked the logs on it?

Also, what is the DHCP lease time set to?

Is WinME patched up to date?  Do you have any other machines running WinME without problems?

What other operating systems are running, connected to the LAN?

On the LAN, do you have NIC speeds set manually or automatically, as well as duplex settings?  You should try manually as some cards can go berserk in some situations with autosense on.  Laptop integrated NICs have a knack for this.

[Kay]

> Well, next I would try a different port on the hub or switch that is known to work ok with other sytems.

Thanks, that's a good suggestion. I'm not overly optimistic about my chances though, as I know the port currently used worked fine with the previous tenant's computer (so I know it worked fine with another system less than three weeks ago). Still, it's worth a shot. I'll try connecting it to another port, and I'll also try connecting a currently working system to the port.

> Try a sniffer on the network if you have access to one.

Sniffer? I'm not familiar with that term...could you explain?

Kay

[Kay]

> What DHCP server are you using? Have you checked the logs on it?

I don't know what DHCP server is running. This is a large network, and I am not really involved in running it. Still, I can ask my boss if that information would be useful.

> Also, what is the DHCP lease time set to?

Ohh, can't rightly remember, I think it is usually about one month.

> Is WinME patched up to date? Do you have any other machines running WinME without problems?

I don't know how up to date it is. Thanks for mentioning it, I'll check that tomorrow. As for other machines running ME connecting successfully, I'm pretty sure that the answer is yes. There are hundreds of people connected to the network in this student village alone, and I can recall fairly clearly setting up at least two ME machines before myself, without getting any reports of problems later.

> What other operating systems are running, connected to the LAN?

All kinds, I think. Even a few Amigas. :-)

> On the LAN, do you have NIC speeds set manually or automatically, as well as duplex settings?

Most are set automatically. A few are set manually, because of autosense problems.

> You should try manually as some cards can go berserk in some situations with autosense on.

Yup, I know. Usually the first thing I try.

> Laptop integrated NICs have a knack for this.

That I didn't know. Thanks for the info :-).

Kay

[Hammer]

I know that a lot of you have more knowledge of Windows-platforms than me,

That's dependant on specific information you give and specific Windows version. Some are fixed in Service packs releases(e.g Q317288).

Check Microsoft’s knowledge base website for any issue which deals with DHCP and shared internet access.

However, instead of connecting and staying online, it is periodically being connected and disconnected. The periods are seemingly irregular.

Without further information, one could only guess at the problem.

[Kay]

> That's dependant on specific information you give and specific Windows version. Some are fixed
> in Service packs releases(e.g Q317288).

I'll try upgrading his installation of WinME later today.

> Check Microsoft's knowledge base website for any issue which deals with DHCP and shared internet access.

Okay I'll do that, thanks for the tip.

> Without further information, one could only guess at the problem.

Yup: Observe the symptoms, guess the cause, change something. That's usually the way I work...:-)

Kay