we have a server 2003 box that is getting a destination host unreachable when trying to ping anything inside the lan. I can ping the loopback with no issues and i know that the network cable and network port and nics are all functioning (verified by hooking up laptop to cable and was able to access network fine). We installed windows updates today around 1230pm and after the reboot the network connection was not able to ping anything inside the lan. Firewall is turned off and ive tried everything i know to do. Any help is appreciated!!!!

This sounds like a hardware issue. What do you see in Device Management and system event log? Regards, Dave Patrick .... Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft MVP [Windows]

You should verify the IP configuration on this server (make sure the IP, subnet mask, and default gateway settings are still correct. In addition, check the routing table by opening a command prompt and type ROUTE PRINT. "Destination Host Unreachable" is an indication that the computer doesn not have enough information in the routing table to deliver the packets. If you are trying to reach a host on a remote subnet (accross a router), you may have lost your default gateway settings. It should be clear enough to see in your IPCONFIG and ROUTE results. some resources that may be of use to you: Using the Windows Route Command http://www.anitkb.com/2010/03/using-windows-route-command.html Ping and ICMP Error Messages http://www.anitkb.com/2010/06/ping-and-icmp-error-messages.html Using PING to Test for Network Connectivity http://www.anitkb.com/2010/06/using-ping-to-test-for-network.html If everything looks good in the config, you can try uninstalling the device from device manager, and rescanning, install it, and make sure the latest driver is installed (supplied by the vendor). Is it possible that you installed an update to the network driver from Windows Update? Usually its not a problem, but for most hardware, I prefer to get them from the vendor's site directly. Visit: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.

All of the gateway/ network configuration was correct on the server. Turns out that the server had installed a windows update and somewhere in the middle of that lost a vital ipsec registry key. Reregistered the registry key and restarted the ipsec service and the server was back online. Lots of google searching found the answer for me. Thanks for the responses guys.