New Virus??

[tommccann]

i have 10 different schools and in a few of them i have noticed some PCs not logging on, when i log in locally the network connection is not there!? after uninstalling and reinstalling the network card it comes back. is this a virus or am i being stupid??

 

Its happened on different site, different PC makes and models, and different LEAs.

Help please its very annoying

[chazzy2501]

Just to clarify, do you mean limited connection or no connection. I'd be inclined to look at the switch setup. We did have a spate of kids slightly unplugging the patch cables just to be a pain!

[tommccann]

No cables in fine, it just shows nothing on the network connections. even if i unplug the cable and pop it back in, just shows nothing. not even limited or no connectivity and not unplugged, just nothing at all.

[tommccann]

this morning i came in school to find all the pcs in school had an empty network connections box and not logging in!! this is very annoying anyone seen it before??

[tommccann]

sorry for the bump guys but this has really stumped me and i cannot find anything on it, even technicians with years of experience can offer me no methods of identifying the problem or even the cause. i am bricking it that this will happen again, my school were not happy to be without evey pc all day yesterday and if it happens again ill get so much grief, please help!

 

P.S i will send beer or jack daniels to anyone that can solve this!!

[Mcshammer_dj]

Do you see the machines if you search by IP address?

[tommccann]

nope, cant remote to and cannot ping any pc. the only fix iv found is unistalling the network card and reinstalling, but im wondering if this will happen again and possibly repeatativly if i dont find a prevention

[Mcshammer_dj]

maybe take a look at this route

Computers Missing from Network Neighborhood - Windows-2000-NT-General-Discussion - Windows-2000-NT

[Jamman960]

Do the machines have anything in common at all? maybe motherboard or NIC's?

 

Could it be due to a bad driver being installed via wsus?

 

I've had something similar happen to 5 different pc's over 3 years or so... never enough to look into it seriously. They all had intel D915GVWB(I think) boards in them.

Edited June 25, 2010 by Jamman960

[witch]

A quick whizz around finds this: Sudden loss of network on many different models of PCs running WIn7 - Spiceworks Community

 

could it be a power saving issue (something you have done to ALL the machines in ALL schools lately?) or something you have installed on all networks - anything, even if it looks irrelevant.

Are they Windows 7? Might be a NIC driver issue

 

Come on guys, there must be someone out there who can help

[BatchFile]

I once had this when lightning caused a power surge at the switch (hub) an took out half the network cards in the room

[tommccann]

the Pcs are one of 3 models, Acer veriton, Fujitsu something, and Lenovo something. All running Xp with not windows update or new software for over a month now. the power surge story would make sence tho, did the LAN cards still work after the power surge??

 

Thanks guys

[Mcshammer_dj]

also worth checking that you have not got a loop on the network and as such are experiencing a broadcast storm.

[BatchFile]

No, they were on board ones too. I ended up going to PC world (it was an emergency!), getting a boxful of nic's and shoving them in. We now have surgecubes on all the switches - the electricity here comes with lumps in it.

[tommccann]

Just had a phone call and this has happened at another of my schools!! i have to go and reinstall another 400 NICs this afternoon now, the only thing these networks have in common is RangerSuite but after speaking to ranger they are confindent it is not them. On the brightside it seems to be not reoccuring on the same pcs after a reinstall

 

I think im gonna get rid of ranger, and active directory and gpo it all instead. takes longer but no issues!!