Vista Ultimate + Wired Connection - LOCAL ONLY on network change

  • Thread starter Thread starter thedogwarrior
  • Start date Start date
T

thedogwarrior

I have a Thinkpad T61p running 64-bit Windows Vista Ultimate.
Everything works great, except I regularly transfer the notebook
between 2 locations, each with a wired Ethernet connection - my home
and work.

I usually put it to sleep to transfer, but I get this behavior on a
fresh start as well. Wake it up, or turn it on, and I almost always
get the Local Access only problem. This is with a WIRED connection.
I've found the only way I can force a good connection is to hit the
Manage Network Connections, and disable, then re-enable, the
connection, at which time I get a good connection.

I haven't seen any other Local Only threads that discuss this problem
with wired connections.

Any help would be much appreciated.
 
Have you checked if there is a new firmware for the router or driver for the
NIC? Or this troubleshooting may help.

Vista troubleshootingVista Internet access issues · Vista Local Only and No
Connectivity · Vista Limited Connectivity Issues ... Info: Step by step
troubleshooting VISTA sharing ...
www.chicagotech.net/vista/vista.htm


--
Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com
 
This "Local Only" issue with Windows Vista is pervasive and widespread. So
far, out of the hundreds of "suggestions" from so called "experts" regarding
this issue I have yet to find any definitive answers.

The symptoms are pretty well explained, the answers not so well explained.

My story? Which one of a dozen or so should I describe? I'll explain my
latest fiasco;

Clone PC, above average specs. Works fine for a good month or so. No
voluntary changes on my end (no drivers, software or settings changes). I
come home from work, machine is mysteriously not online, with the dreaded
"Local Only" connection description. The network connection initially,
inexplicably renamed itself from "Local Area Connection" to "Local Area
Connection 2". Hmmm, not a good sign.

Network unable to "identify itself", which I've come to learn from this BS
OS means "I don't have an IP address". Numerous attempts at solving the
problem lead to nothing but repeating, useless time-wasting "wizards" and
other such nonsense. My ire increases.

I roll back drivers, try different cables, numerous netsh winsock reset and
INT IP RESET under an elevated Command Prompt...all leaving me exactly where
i started; wondering why I continue to stick with Windows Vista. My Mac
works fine. My Windows XP machines work fine. Same gateway, same DHCP
server (a quaint $4800 Dell PowerEdge running a perhaps little known OS
called Windows 2003 Server). All machines running happily with this
configuration while Windows Vista fails over and over. This Local Only thing
has happened before, only not on this machine and thankfully, not on any
non-Windows Vista machines (are you sensing a pattern here?).

On an interesting note; I plug in a cheap LinkSys router uplinked to the
same cable that at one time happily supplied this same machine with an IP
address, and Viola...I now can surf. Hmmm, must be that crappy Windows 2003
DHCP server that until now worked fine.

I'm running short on patience, and my desire for an OS that helps me get
things done increases with each passing second. I paid what for Vista
Ultimate? It was my understanding that using this OS would actually HELP me
get work done, not create work to be done.

I'm tempted to call Microsoft, pay for a fix but I know the entity I'll talk
to won't be anymore related to Microsoft than I am, nor anywhere near as
experienced or knowledgeable as I am. I might not be a Microsoft MVP, but
I've fixed more than my fair share of issues in my lifetime. Maybe I should
call Apple and ask them? At least they seem like human beings over there.

Long story short; Can anyone on the planet address this issue for once and
for all, with a straight-forward, honest answer devoid of Microsoft marketing
or relay-race hand-offs?
 
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/933872/en-us
or
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233/en-us

it would help if you posted an ipconfig /all text capture from when
the computer is in the local only state.

On an interesting note; I plug in a cheap LinkSys router uplinked to the
same cable that at one time happily supplied this same machine with an IP
address, and Viola...I now can surf. Hmmm, must be that crappy Windows 2003
DHCP server that until now worked fine.
Click to expand...
--

Barb Bowman
MS-MVP
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/
 
Neither machine is resuming from any power management mode, but I appreciate
the links. At least it's something no-one else has offered.

I've tried the registry "hack" on another machine, with zero results (other
than wasting 10 minutes).

This issue (among others) has gotten so bad I refuse to recommend Vista to
any new clients buying new PCs. I'd rather err on the side of caution than
risk wasting time and\or looking like a fool to my end users. XP had it's
issues, but it eventually matured into a OS I can troubleshoot.

Anyone listening, Microsoft?
 
You may want to check if there is a new driver for NIC. Or this search
result may help.

Vista Local Only and Limited or Not ConnectivityVista Local Only and Limited
or No Connectivity. Limited connectivity with Vista notebook · Vista Limited
connectivity · Vista: Local only - no Internet ...
www.chicagotech.net/vista/vistalocalonly.htm


--
Bob Lin, Microsoft-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on
http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on
http://www.HowToNetworking.com
 
Back
Top