By Deb Shinder for WinNews.com published by GFI Vipre
Setting up a home or small business network has gotten easier with each version
of Windows, but regardless of whether you have XP, Vista or Windows 7 systems
(or a mixture), you may sometimes encounter problems connecting to the other
computers on the local network or to the Internet. Network problems can be
frustrating and difficult to track down, but with some time and patience you can
usually figure out where the problem originates. IT professionals are trained to
follow a standard troubleshooting procedure, and so should you. Performing the
steps in order ensure that you won’t forget to check this or that important
possibility.
The logical place to start is with the physical layer. Is the Ethernet cable
plugged in or the wi-fi switch on your laptop turned on? More than once I’ve had
computer users come to me, unable to “see” any wireless networks, only to find
that they had turned off wireless (usually in response to flight attendants’
instructions to turn off electronics on a plane) and forgotten to turn it back
on. Depending on your device, wireless may be disabled by a hardware switch
and/or through the software (for example, “airplane mode”). Also check your
router or switch to ensure that it’s plugged in and lights are on. Cheap
switches sometimes die suddenly, leaving your network dead in the water.
Article Continued Here
This excerpt is shared with permission from WinNews.com published by GFI Vipre.
