Hello everyone,
I've blown about 4-5 hours in the last 3 days trying to figure this problem out but I'm completely stumped. Here's the short story:
COMODO firewall told me there was an update which I downloaded. Unfortunately if you happen to be a 64-bit Vista owner the update would brick your computer (no non-64-bit programs would work after the reboot). This included Firefox/IE and any other program that was not natively 64-bit which is pretty much all of them....
So I booted into safe mode and uninstalled COMODO firewall. They currently still do not have a fix for this issue btw. When I restarted the computer everything was back to normal but I obviously didn't have a firewall. I turned on Windows Firewall for the time being. I have thought this problem was Windows Firewall related but have turned the firewall off and still this problem is present.
While trying to figure out what the problem was before I uninstalled the firewall I had found out that in my mobo bios under the power saving feature there was a "timing" setting that was default on 32-bit. I read my bios manual and it said it should be 64-bit if I have a 64-bit operating system. I set this to 64-bit and booted the computer.
Sometime after setting that timing setting to 64-bit and probably using the network help I have lost connection with my router (Dlink DI-604 or something). This is an older router that is no longer supported by Linksys and possibly does not have native Vista support, BUT it worked fine for the last 2 months so I know it's an issue with my computer and not the router.
Also during this time I updated my router firmware to the last released version before support expired (still only updated to 2006 or something).
So basically I broke the golden rule and changed way to many settings at one time. I've tried setting everything possible back to where it was (firmware was the LAST thing I changed so I know this is not the cause), but still no luck.
Here's what I can say for sure:
-I can't view any web pages (obviously)
-When I open a browser and type in my router address 192.168.0.1 I do not get my router page. There is no connection.
-When I use the CMD and try to ping the router it fails 100% of the time
-I've tried all the Vista help stuff by resetting settings, disabling and renabling the device, unplugging and plugging back in the modem/router/computer.
-I tried the ipconfig /reset function and it DOES NOT properly reset things
-When I look at the little diagram in the network settings it's showing I'm "local" or something and clearly not in contact with my router.
-I used system restore to go back to a previous restore point but this did not fix the issue. I am not completely sure whether this restore point was before the problem arised as I don't have automatic restore points set. This is my biggest frustration because I should have been smart enough to think to set a restore point before updating my firewall.
My current thought is that the MAC address the computer is using to try to connect to the router has been reset to some wrong value and it cannot connect but I can't find anyway to set this on the computer.
My one saving grace is that my wife's computer (running 32-bit XP) is also connected to this router and is working (I did temporarily mess that computer up while trying to fix the Vista computer but it's been since fixed).
I'm at work now but when I get home I can use her computer to check this thread and reply back with specifics (if any particular wording doesn't make sense it's probably because I'm trying to remember stuff as opposed to sitting in front of the computer).
So with all that said do you folks have any ideas? I know there is a communication issue between Vista and the router, I just don't know how to fix this problem and all of the web searching and techniques I've tried have not worked. I'm thinking there are some command-line things I need to do but I don't know where to start.
Help please!
EDIT: This is what I think I need to deal with (how do you do this in Vista-64bit?)
Change a MAC Address through Cloning
Some people contact their ISP to request they update the MAC address associated with their subscription. This process works but takes time, and Internet service will be unavailable while waiting for the provider to take action.
A better way to quickly workaround this problem is to change the MAC address on the new device so that it matches the address of the original device. While an actual physical MAC address cannot be changed in hardware, the address can be emulated in software. This process is called cloning.
Many broadband routers today support MAC address cloning as an advanced configuration option. The emulated MAC address appears to the service provider identical to the original hardware address. The specific procedure of cloning varies depending on the type of router; consult product documentation for details.
MAC Addresses and Cable Modems
In addition to MAC addresses tracked by the ISP, some broadband modems also track the MAC address of the host computer's network adapter within the home network. If you swap the computer connected to the broadband modem, or change its network adapter, your cable Internet connection may not function afterward.
In this case, MAC address cloning is not required. Resetting (including recycling power) on both the cable modem and the host computer will automatically change the MAC address stored inside the modem.
Changing MAC Addresses through the Operating System
Starting with Windows 2000, users can sometimes change their MAC address through the Windows My Network Places interface. This procedure does not work for all network cards as it depends on a certain level of software support built into the adapter driver.
In Linux and versions of Unix, the "ifconfig" also supports changing MAC addresses if the necessary network card and driver support exists.
Summary - Change a MAC Address
The MAC address is an important element of computer networking. MAC addresses uniquely identify a computer on the LAN. MAC is an essential component required for network protocols like TCP/IP to function.
Computer operating systems and broadband routers support viewing and sometimes changing MAC addresses. Some ISPs track their customers by MAC address. Changing a MAC address can be necessary in some cases to keep an Internet connection working. Some broadband modems also monitor the MAC address of their host computer.
Although MAC addresses do not reveal any geographic location information like IP addresses do, changing MAC addresses may improve your Internet privacy in some situations.
I've blown about 4-5 hours in the last 3 days trying to figure this problem out but I'm completely stumped. Here's the short story:
COMODO firewall told me there was an update which I downloaded. Unfortunately if you happen to be a 64-bit Vista owner the update would brick your computer (no non-64-bit programs would work after the reboot). This included Firefox/IE and any other program that was not natively 64-bit which is pretty much all of them....
So I booted into safe mode and uninstalled COMODO firewall. They currently still do not have a fix for this issue btw. When I restarted the computer everything was back to normal but I obviously didn't have a firewall. I turned on Windows Firewall for the time being. I have thought this problem was Windows Firewall related but have turned the firewall off and still this problem is present.
While trying to figure out what the problem was before I uninstalled the firewall I had found out that in my mobo bios under the power saving feature there was a "timing" setting that was default on 32-bit. I read my bios manual and it said it should be 64-bit if I have a 64-bit operating system. I set this to 64-bit and booted the computer.
Sometime after setting that timing setting to 64-bit and probably using the network help I have lost connection with my router (Dlink DI-604 or something). This is an older router that is no longer supported by Linksys and possibly does not have native Vista support, BUT it worked fine for the last 2 months so I know it's an issue with my computer and not the router.
Also during this time I updated my router firmware to the last released version before support expired (still only updated to 2006 or something).
So basically I broke the golden rule and changed way to many settings at one time. I've tried setting everything possible back to where it was (firmware was the LAST thing I changed so I know this is not the cause), but still no luck.
Here's what I can say for sure:
-I can't view any web pages (obviously)
-When I open a browser and type in my router address 192.168.0.1 I do not get my router page. There is no connection.
-When I use the CMD and try to ping the router it fails 100% of the time
-I've tried all the Vista help stuff by resetting settings, disabling and renabling the device, unplugging and plugging back in the modem/router/computer.
-I tried the ipconfig /reset function and it DOES NOT properly reset things
-When I look at the little diagram in the network settings it's showing I'm "local" or something and clearly not in contact with my router.
-I used system restore to go back to a previous restore point but this did not fix the issue. I am not completely sure whether this restore point was before the problem arised as I don't have automatic restore points set. This is my biggest frustration because I should have been smart enough to think to set a restore point before updating my firewall.
My current thought is that the MAC address the computer is using to try to connect to the router has been reset to some wrong value and it cannot connect but I can't find anyway to set this on the computer.
My one saving grace is that my wife's computer (running 32-bit XP) is also connected to this router and is working (I did temporarily mess that computer up while trying to fix the Vista computer but it's been since fixed).
I'm at work now but when I get home I can use her computer to check this thread and reply back with specifics (if any particular wording doesn't make sense it's probably because I'm trying to remember stuff as opposed to sitting in front of the computer).
So with all that said do you folks have any ideas? I know there is a communication issue between Vista and the router, I just don't know how to fix this problem and all of the web searching and techniques I've tried have not worked. I'm thinking there are some command-line things I need to do but I don't know where to start.
Help please!
EDIT: This is what I think I need to deal with (how do you do this in Vista-64bit?)
Change a MAC Address through Cloning
Some people contact their ISP to request they update the MAC address associated with their subscription. This process works but takes time, and Internet service will be unavailable while waiting for the provider to take action.
A better way to quickly workaround this problem is to change the MAC address on the new device so that it matches the address of the original device. While an actual physical MAC address cannot be changed in hardware, the address can be emulated in software. This process is called cloning.
Many broadband routers today support MAC address cloning as an advanced configuration option. The emulated MAC address appears to the service provider identical to the original hardware address. The specific procedure of cloning varies depending on the type of router; consult product documentation for details.
MAC Addresses and Cable Modems
In addition to MAC addresses tracked by the ISP, some broadband modems also track the MAC address of the host computer's network adapter within the home network. If you swap the computer connected to the broadband modem, or change its network adapter, your cable Internet connection may not function afterward.
In this case, MAC address cloning is not required. Resetting (including recycling power) on both the cable modem and the host computer will automatically change the MAC address stored inside the modem.
Changing MAC Addresses through the Operating System
Starting with Windows 2000, users can sometimes change their MAC address through the Windows My Network Places interface. This procedure does not work for all network cards as it depends on a certain level of software support built into the adapter driver.
In Linux and versions of Unix, the "ifconfig" also supports changing MAC addresses if the necessary network card and driver support exists.
Summary - Change a MAC Address
The MAC address is an important element of computer networking. MAC addresses uniquely identify a computer on the LAN. MAC is an essential component required for network protocols like TCP/IP to function.
Computer operating systems and broadband routers support viewing and sometimes changing MAC addresses. Some ISPs track their customers by MAC address. Changing a MAC address can be necessary in some cases to keep an Internet connection working. Some broadband modems also monitor the MAC address of their host computer.
Although MAC addresses do not reveal any geographic location information like IP addresses do, changing MAC addresses may improve your Internet privacy in some situations.
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