"Network Sharing Center" and False "No INternet Access" indication

[BonzaiDuck]

Maybe this could go under the "OS" forum, but it's still a networking issue -- albeit a minor one.

I manage my household network carefully. Some machines are allowed to configure under DHCP; others have fixed IP addresses outside the DHCP assignment range.

As much as I try to tweak my systems to total perfection with "blue" event logs, I discover occasionally that -- long after boot-time, the little network "TV" icon in the system tray shows the triangular "!" warning with "No internet access."

But -- it's "wrong!" I have internet and LAN access, despite the icon.

At boot time, this warning sign initially may appear for a minute or so until connection is established. But there are occasions when the system boots to show "Internet access" on the icon. Then -- some time later -- I find the icon shows the opposite.

Sometimes, opening the network troubleshooter suddenly resolves the icon display -- before selecting any options or allowing the troubleshooter to do anything more.

Maybe someone knows something that I don't . . . .

THE PLOT THICKENS . . . Every so often, I have troubles with my HDHomeRun Prime TV signal, and usually find that power-cycling the unit sets everything back to "wonderful." the SillyDust is set up as a network device. Earlier in the month, I'd discovered that my Kaspersky 2014 had put HomeRun components under "Low-Restricted" status, and we changed that.

This time, just after finishing the first part of this post, Media Center pops up with its error message, and a halt to the broadcast for this or that station.

I shut down Media Center, then discover that the network icon has returned to "normal" __ "Internet access." RAising up Media Center again -- no problem. All this without rebooting the system.

Hmmmm . . . 😕 😵

 

[azazel1024]

Generally that connectivity icon appears for one of a couple of reasons.

Windows cannot talk to a specific Microsoft server URL that it looks for to determine connectivity. A DHCP servicing error occurs (IE a machine with a dynamic IP address attemps to renew or gets a reservation with the DHCP server and it fails). Windows actually can't talk to the gateway at all. Lastly a DNS lookup error occurs.

Those are basically the 4 reasons why Windows will pop a warning triangle telling you limited connectivity.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Generally that connectivity icon appears for one of a couple of reasons.

Windows cannot talk to a specific Microsoft server URL that it looks for to determine connectivity. A DHCP servicing error occurs (IE a machine with a dynamic IP address attemps to renew or gets a reservation with the DHCP server and it fails). Windows actually can't talk to the gateway at all. Lastly a DNS lookup error occurs.

Those are basically the 4 reasons why Windows will pop a warning triangle telling you limited connectivity.

There are two devices -- my AVR and my HDHomeRun tuner -- on my network for which I so far cannot figure out how to set a fixed IP, although I could create a reservation for them with my router which acts as DHCP server. The workstation that shows the warning triangle on the network icon has a fixed IP address that is simply outside the DHCP's address range. I have another workstation which I've just finished troubleshooting, tuning and tweaking, and a reinstallation of the OS defaulted to the "automatic" DHCP IP assignment.

This all started when I woke up that machine from a sleep-state. The other workstation then went from "INternet access" to "No internet access;" shortly thereafter, Media Center reported a "problem with files" and unable to continue showing the broadcast. MC advises to "restart MC" or reboot the system.

Once I had stopped and then restarted MC, the icon "No access" warning disappeared and everything was copacetic.