Microsoft Windows XP Unleashed

IN THIS CHAPTER

• The First Step: Rerun the

Network Connection Wizard

• Checking Connection Status

• Checking Network Utilization

• Repairing a Network

Connection

• Working with Network

Diagnostics

• Some Group Policy

“Problems”

• Troubleshooting General

Network Nuisances

• Cable Conundrums

• Troubleshooting Adapter

Afflictions

• More Sophisticated Tools

CHAPTER 24

Troubleshooting

Network Problems

The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.

—Cicero

As you’ve seen in the two previous chapters, networking

is a complex, arcane topic that taxes the patience of all but

the most dedicated wireheads (an affectionate pet name

often applied to network hackers and gurus). There are so

many hardware components to deal with (from the

network adapter to the cable to the router to the hub) and

so many layers of software (from the device drivers to

the protocols to the redirectors to the network providers)

that networks often seem like accidents looking for a place

to happen.

If your network has become a notwork (some wags also

refer to a downed network as a nyetwork), this chapter

offers a few solutions that might help. I don’t make any

claim to completeness here, however. Most network ills are

a combination of several factors and are therefore relatively

obscure and difficult to reproduce. Instead, I’ll go through

a few general strategies for tracking down problems as well

as offer solutions for some of the most common network

afflictions.

The First Step: Rerun the Network

Connection Wizard

I mentioned in Chapter 22, “Setting Up and Accessing a

Small Network,” that the easiest and most reliable way to

set up a network in Windows XP is to launch the Network