Net Troubles

If you can read this, print this out so you will have it when you need it.

This post will cover some simple things to try out if your net connection isn't working quite right, or at all. The good thing about this is that you can probably fix the problem most of the time, but the bad news is, if this doesn't work, you face the very likely chance that you will do it all again when you call tech support, because they will ask you to do the same things.

Start with the basics. The two most common net connections these days are DSL or Cable, and that's what I'm going to focus on. If you have something else, there may be some things useful here to try out, but overall, this isn't for you.

1. Reset your modem. If you're unsure what that is, for DSL users, it has a phone cable, power cable, and a network cable(which looks like a thicker phone cable) plugged into it. For Cable users, it looks the same, but instead of a phone line, there is a COAX cable. Take a look at it closely once you've found it. If it has a reset button, go ahead and push it(and hold it in for about 10 seconds). If that didn't do anything, or you can't find a reset button, just unplug the power cord and plug it back in. Wait about 5 minutes, and check to see if your net is working again. You'd be surprised how often this works.

2. If it's still not working and you've got a router or switch, do the same thing to that. If you aren't sure what this is, look at the network cable coming from your modem. If this connects the modem to anything between itself and your computer, you've got one of these. Do the same as you tried in step one, and check if that did the trick. Again, this work pretty often.

3. See what you're computer has to say about it. Now, there's a lot of information that can be had in this way, but we're going to keep things pretty simple here. For Windows users, take a look at your System Tray(The box your clock shows up in). You should see a little icon that looks like a pair of computer screens. Move your mouse over this, but don't click on it. It will give you a little message along the lines of, "A network cable is unplugged" "Local access only" or something else. If you see the latter, it's time to call your Internet Service Provider(ISP). If you see the former, start by making sure that you have a network cable connecting your computer to either the modem or router/switch. I know that many of you may have wireless routers, which means that you may not have a network cable here. If that's the case, this error message means that the problem probably lies with your router. Try step 2 again if this is the case. If that doesn't work, give your ISP a call.