Problem connecting to Internet and Getting Updates

[netsurfer802]

I'm having a problem with a computer that was working before connecting to the Internet. There are other computers that I was able to use with the same Ethernet cable and down load from....but all of the sudden this computer decided not to work connect to the Internet...this computer I'm trying to prepare at work to be sold...I remember in the past I had a problem computer that couldn't connect and was slow and had other problems in the past that had a failing hard drive....I checked the hard drive with the test from the manufacture and and passed. I actually get to the Microsoft update part in IE but then it gives an error about having Active X enabled...so I went through IE to make sure it was enabled at that both the browser and the network connection was set to Obtain IP address automatically. I preformed a ping to 127.0.0.1 and 0 packets were lost. I then did a ping to www.microsoft.com and the connection timed out. I'm using Windows XP if that matters. This is really frustrating since I've gotten very close to finishing it. Thanks in advanced for any helpful advice.

[sc302 Veteran]

where to start....

definition of a loopback. a loopback is a term that is exactly as it sounds a loop back to yourself. Take a wire, hold one end in one hand and take the other end and hold that other end in the same hand, in essence you have created a loop that points back to yourself. It starts and ends at you.

127.0.0.1 is a computers loopback. if you have pinged it, you have pinged yourself. congradulations, you have tested nothing other than tcpip works on the computer at a very basic level.

next, what ip address is your computer getting. at a command prompt type in ipconfig. Anything other that 0.0.0.0 or 169.x.x.x is good, if you get either of those two you have not received a dhcp address from the server and you have network issues going on. Could be with the client or it could be with the dhcp server. You can try running a repair on the client, but before you do that make sure that the network and dhcp is working properly with another computer at the same location right now.

If you get an ipaddress, start by pinging the gateway address that appears in ipconfig. If you can ping that, try pinging 4.2.2.2 (this is a internet dns server).