Help! Help! Network Problem...

[Erik]

I'm posting this from the neighbor's house because:

All of a sudden (actually, right after installing Mafia...) I no longer get the Microsoft network login when I reboot windows (98se). If I delete the .pwl files, I can get it to cough up the regular windows login, but not the network login. Without it, I can't get onto the internet evidently.

Here are things I've already checked:

-Client for Microsoft Networks is set as the Primary Network Login
-There is no "AutoLogon" key in my registry.
-I tried removing the tcp/ip protocol, rebooting, and re-adding it. No luck.

Anyone have any ideas?

[wumpus]

Jeez, it's been a year since I had ME installed; I can't even remember the steps.

I do remember switching the "primary login" field to disable the network login prompt.

Actually, now that I think about it, this should have nothing to do with the network login whatsoever. You aren't actually logging in to anything! As long as TCP/IP is installed and configured, it should work!

So let's troubleshoot TCP/IP. Try doing start, run, "winipcfg" and see if your TCP/IP settings are set to "auto detect". For most cable/broadband providers this is what you want.

If that works, go to a command prompt and try

"ping 127.0.0.1"

which does a loopback ping to yourself. That should work. Then branch out from there and try pinging stuff on your network-- try pinging your "gateway" first (see the winipcfg page for more IPs to try), then try the DNS servers. All by IP address.

If that works try pinging stuff by name instead of IP address.

You don't have a router, right? Just one PC hooked up directly to the cable modem?

[Erik]

No, I have a router. Plus, it seems like a big coincidence that the problem starting and the network login screen disappearing happened at exactly the same time.

[Erik]

Allright, I pulled the nic out, rebooted in safe mode, uninstalled the drivers, put the nic back in, and reinstalled the drivers. That seemed to work. I honestly blame Mafia for this.

[Murph]

The only time I've seen that happen is when the NIC flaked out. Not to say that it couldn't have been software, but it usually isn't.

Anyway, it's fixed now. That's what's important.

[Jason McCullough]

Switching to a Real Operating System fixes these problems.

Well, actually, it gets you an entirely new set of problems, but they're easier to solve.

[Aszurom]

First a game blows up your monitor... now your NIC. Man, you've got some karmic issues to work out - probably resulting from hanging out with Chet too much.