oubleshoot network connection problems

Applies to Windows Vista

To troubleshoot a network connection problem, try these steps first:

1. Open Network Diagnostics by right-clicking the network icon in the notification

area, and then clicking Diagnose and repair.
2. Make sure that all cables are properly connected.
3. If you're trying to connect to another computer, make sure that computer is on and
that you have enabled file and printer sharing on your network. For more
information, see Networking home computers running different versions of
Windows.
4. If the problem began after you installed new software, check your connection
settings to see if they have been changed.

To check connection settings

If these steps don't solve the problem, look for a specific problem in the following table.

Problem Possible solutions

• Make sure network discovery is turned on.

To turn on network discovery

1. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the

Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking
Can’t connect to other Network and Internet, and then clicking Network
computers or share and Sharing Center.
files and printers on a 2. If network discovery is off, click the arrow button
home network to expand the section, click Turn on network
discovery, and then click Apply. If you are
prompted for an administrator password or
confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.

Note

o Network discovery is off by default for Public

 networks. Changing a network location type to
Private is another way to turn on network
discovery. To learn how to change a network
location type, see Choosing a network location.
• Make sure you have shared the files or printers.

To share files and printers

To share files: Click the arrow button to expand the File

sharing section, click Turn on file sharing, and then click
Apply. If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.

To share files using the Public folder: Click the arrow

button to expand the Public folder sharing section, click
either Turn on sharing so anyone with network access can
open files or Turn on sharing so anyone with network
access can open, change, and create files, and then click
Apply. If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.

To share a printer: Click the arrow button to expand the

Printer sharing section, click Turn on printer sharing, and
then click Apply. If you are prompted for an
administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.

Do these steps on your computer and on any network

computer running Windows Vista that you want to
connect to.

• If password protected sharing is enabled, you have two

options.

More information

If password protected sharing is enabled, you can create

identical user accounts on all computers in the workgroup
(recommended). For more information, see Create a user
 account. Or, you can turn off password protected sharing.

To turn off password protected sharing

0. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the

Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking
Network and Internet, and then clicking Network
and Sharing Center.
1. Under Sharing and Discovery, click the arrow
button next to Password protected sharing.
2. Click Turn off password protected sharing, and
then click Apply. If you are prompted for an
administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.
• Make sure the computer that you want to connect to has at
least one shared folder.
• Make sure all computers are in the same workgroup. See
Join or create a workgroup.
• In addition to enabling file sharing, make sure you set
sharing properties on the folder or printer you want to
share.

More information

File and printer sharing is a two-part process: first you

need to enable sharing as described above, and then you
need to set sharing properties on the item itself or move it
to the Public folder so that other people can access it. For
more information, go to File and Printer Sharing in
Windows Vista on the Microsoft website.

• Go to the website of your router manufacturer to

download and install the latest firmware for your router.

• Make sure the router and modem are turned on.

• If you're using a laptop, make sure the wireless switch on
the front, side, or back edge of the laptop is turned on.
Can't connect to a • If Windows doesn’t detect a network that you think is in
home network range of your computer, open Help and Support and
(wireless connection) search for "Troubleshoot problems finding wireless
networks."
• Make sure the network adapter is working correctly.
 To verify that a network adapter is working correctly

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform

these steps.

1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button

, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and
Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.
If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or
provide confirmation.
2. Expand the Network Adapters section, right-click
your adapter, and then click Properties.
3. Under Device status, check to see that the device
is working properly.
• Download and install the latest version of the network
adapter driver from the manufacturer's website.
• Clear the DNS resolver cache. For more information, see
DNS (Domain Name System): frequently asked questions.

• Make sure the router and modem are turned on.

• Make sure that the Ethernet cable is inserted into the
network adapter in your computer.

Ethernet cable

• Make sure the Ethernet cable is not defective. Test this by

Can't connect to a using a different cable that you know works properly.
home network (wired • Make sure the Ethernet cable is connected to the correct
connection) port on the router.

More information

The Ethernet cable from your computer to the router

should not be connected to a port marked "uplink,"
"WAN," or "Internet." Some routers disable the port next
to the uplink port, so try using a different one.
 • There might be problems with your network adapter.
Check your local area network (LAN)connection.

To check your LAN connection

Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button

, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet,
clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking
Manage network connections.

The network icon changes depending on the status of

the LAN connection, and there is information if the
adapter isn't working correctly. Also, if a LAN cable is
unplugged, a status icon is displayed in the notification
area.

• Make sure the network adapter is working correctly.

To verify that a network adapter is working correctly

You must be logged on as an administrator to perform

these steps.

1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button

, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and
Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.
If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or
provide confirmation.
2. Expand the Network Adapters section, right-click
your adapter, and then click Properties.
3. Under Device status, check to see that the device
is working properly.
• Download and install the latest version of the network
adapter driver from the manufacturer's website.
• Clear the DNS resolver cache. For more information, see
DNS (Domain Name System): frequently asked questions.

If you've forgotten your network key, and there is no one else

Can't remember
who knows it, you'll need to set up your wireless router again.
network key
See Set up a wireless router.
Network connection is • Turn off the power-saving option in the network adapter's
intermittent properties.
(periodically
disconnects)

To turn off the power-saving option

1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start

button , clicking Control Panel, clicking
Network and Internet, clicking Network and
Sharing Center, and then clicking Manage network
connections.
2. Right-click the connection, and then click
Properties. If you are prompted for an
administrator password or confirmation, type the
password or provide confirmation.
3. On the Networking tab, click Configure.
4. On the Power Management tab, clear the Allow
the computer to turn off this device to save power
check box, and then click OK.

• Go to the manufacturer's website to check for more recent

drivers for your network adapter.
• Make sure you have the latest Windows Vista service
packs installed.
• Try turning off autotuning.

To turn off autotuning

1. Click the Start button .

2. In the Search box, type command prompt.
Network connection is 3. In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt,
too slow and then click Run as administrator. If you are
prompted for an administrator password or
confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.
4. Type netsh interface tcp set global
autotuninglevel=disabled, and then press ENTER.
5. Restart your computer.

(To turn autotuning back on, type the command netsh

interface tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal, and then
press ENTER.)

• Make sure the capacities of the router and the network

 adapter are compatible.

More information

For example, if the router is 10/100, but the network

adapter is gigabit Ethernet, the network will transmit at
the lower speed. You will need to replace the slower
device to get the higher speed.

• If you’re using a wired connection, try modifying the flow

control setting.

To modify the flow control setting

1. Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button

, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and
Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.
If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or
provide confirmation.
2. Right-click the network adapter, and then click
Properties.
3. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Flow
Control.
4. Under Value, select Rx and Tx Enabled (in some
cases, this might be called Auto or Rx/Tx Pause),
and then click OK.

• Make sure you typed the virtual private network (VPN)

server name exactly as provided by your network
administrator.
• Make sure you have an active Internet connection.
• If your modem is external, make sure that the modem
Can’t connect to a
power is turned on.
workplace network
• Check your encryption settings.
from home (or another
location) using a VPN
connection
More information

If you receive the message “The local computer does not

support encryption” (error 741), it’s possible that the
 encryption that your computer uses doesn’t match the
encryption used by the VPN server. Change the
encryption settings so that your computer uses the
recommended setting of 3DES.

To change encryption settings

1. Open Network and Sharing Center by clicking the

Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking
Network and Internet, and then clicking Network
and Sharing Center.
2. Click Connect to a network.
3. Right-click the VPN connection, and then click
Properties.
4. Click the Security tab, click Advanced (custom
settings), and then click Settings.
5. In the Advanced Security Settings dialog box,
under Data encryption, select Maximum strength
encryption (disconnect if server declines), and
then click OK twice.
6. Click Connect to try connecting again.
• Contact your network administrator for assistance.

More information

There are a number of other possible problems, including

insufficient connection and domain permissions,
certificate problems, Winsock proxy client problems,
Domain Name System (DNS) resolution problems, server
problems, and problems related to software provided by
your workplace. Contact your network administrator for
assistance with these problems.

To set up an incoming connection

1. Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button

Can't set up an
, clicking Control Panel, clicking Network and Internet,
incoming connection
clicking Network and Sharing Center, and then clicking
Manage network connections.
2. If you don't see the File menu, press ALT.
3. Click File, and then click New Incoming Connection.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or
 confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

To share the root of a drive

1. Open Computer by clicking the Start button , and then

clicking Computer.
2. Right-click the drive, and then click Share.
3. In the drive properties dialog box, click Advanced
Sharing. If you are prompted for an administrator
password or confirmation, type the password or provide
confirmation.
Can't share the root of 4. In the Advanced Sharing dialog box, select the Share this
a drive folder check box, type a share name, and then click OK.

Notes

• You cannot share the root of a drive with a dollar sign

following the drive letter as in previous versions of
Windows. For example, you cannot share the root of your
C drive as "C$," but you can share it as "C" or any other
name.
• For security reasons, we recommend that you share only
selected folders, rather than the entire drive.

• If you’re receiving messages about a duplicate IP address

There's a duplicate IP on the network, see Resolving Duplicate IP Address
address on the network Conflicts on a DHCP Network.

I need advanced
information about See A Support Guide for Wireless Diagnostics and
network Troubleshooting
troubleshooting

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See also

• Troubleshoot Internet connection problems

• Troubleshoot file and printer sharing problems
• Advanced network adapter troubleshooting for Windows workstations
• Network connection problems in Windows