System tray icon for network connection changing
Hi I've noticed that the network icon on my system tray has been changing. Sometimes it's displayed as two monitors, and sometimes there's a globe in front of the two monitors. Could anyone let me know what the difference is please?Thanks!
February 26th, 2009 7:50pm

Heya Ohana,When there are only 2 monitors displayed you only have local access on your network. When you have a globe in front of the monitors, you have external access (to the Internet). You may notice the 2 monitors when your computer starts-up until it gets the IP address or in the first seconds when connecting to wireless networks. Victor Constantinescu - MVP Security, MCTS
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February 26th, 2009 8:58pm

Thanks a lot Victor.That makes sense. I don't have any local network, and there are times that I don't see that globe, and am not able to connect to the internet. Does that have to do with Vista settingsor is it likely to be something wrong with my PC? I already checked with my ISP and we concluded that the modem is working fine.Cheers.
February 26th, 2009 10:13pm

Hi,How is your computer connected to the internet? Directly to the modem, or does it have a router in between?Victor Constantinescu - MVP Security, MCTS
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February 27th, 2009 4:21am

Thanks Victor. My PC is connected directly into the modem. There's no router in between. Cheers.
February 27th, 2009 6:38am

Hi,Then it shouldn't be any problem. Are you noticing any patterns in which the connectivity problem appears? Victor Constantinescu - MVP Security, MCTS
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February 27th, 2009 6:46am

No I haven't noticed any pattern. The connectivity seems to drop from time to time, and when I reboot it's fine again. I started noticing the problem about 2 weeks ago. Someone had suggested that it might have to do with my network card, is there anyway to check whether my network card is functioning properly? Thanks again.
February 27th, 2009 7:46pm

Hi, Based on my research, I will suggest the following: 1. Please update your NIC driver. (If you want, please let us know the exact brand and model of the device, and we may help you check the manufacturers website.) 2. If it is possible, you can connect the computer to another network to check the NIC status or connect another computer to the modem and check the connection. Let us know the results. Thanks.Nicholas Li - MSFT
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March 2nd, 2009 10:57am

Thanks Nicholas,My network card is listed as "Realtek - Network - Realtek RTL8101 Family PCI-E Fast Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0)" under my Device Manager. On my windows updates, I do see a driver for this, but it's listed as "Realtek - Network - Realtek RTL8101E Family PCI-E Fast Ethernet NIC (NDIS 6.0)". I am not sure if RTL8101 and RTL8101E are compatible (they don't say it on realtek's website) so I have been hesitant to apply the update. Are they compatible?Thanks for your suggestion. I tried connecting another computer to the modem and it seems to work fine, although the problem (connection dropping) only occurs from time to time. I should also mention that I've been seeing the network connection window (the one that asks you whether your connection is "Home", "Work", or "Public") coming up all by itself from time to time, when I am not doing anything, not sure if that's related.Thank you!
March 2nd, 2009 7:51pm

Hi, Thank you for updating. After searching, I get the RTL8101 driver from Realteks site. Please try it. Please Note: Since the website is not hosted by Microsoft, the link may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this information. I know that you have tested the connection with other computers and it works fine. This time, I would like to double confirm if the connection is dropping from time to time on both computers. If so, it may be a modem or ISP issue and you may need to contact your ISP regarding this. Thanks. Nicholas Li - MSFT
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March 3rd, 2009 5:45am

Thanks again Nicholas!I will install the driver tonight and see if the problem still comes up again.Actually I only borrowed a computer to tried the connection last time. I will see if I can borrow it for a longer period of time so I can verify whether the modem is working or not.Thanks for your help.
March 4th, 2009 1:10am

Just an update. I haven't had the problem again since I updated my driver (the problem used to happen once to twice a week). I did have a disconnection once, but I saw the lights of my modem refreshing (which I didn't see in previous occasions) so I think it's an isolated incidence.Thanks again!
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March 13th, 2009 6:52pm

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