Laptop internet connectivity puzzle!

[bromleyboy21]

I have problem which I have tried to fix all morning and failed so far so wondered whether you have any bright ideas...

I work for a small company with a network of 10 machines and a server running SBS2003.

Our internet was playing up last week, we traced this to be due to the DNS servers we were using and having changed these everyone's internet now works fine - apart from the boss's laptop! Even with the same settings as everyone else it wont connect to webpages, or does so very slowly. I have tried changing settings but with no joy.

To complicate matters, if the laptop connects via WiFi to the network the internet works perfectly!

Do you have any ideas about this problem? I need to get it fixed as soon as possible. As far as I can see everything apart from the internet works fine.

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Edmund

[eyeball]

If it works from the Wlan and not the Lan then surely there is an issue with the lan drivers. Also its a long shot but check his HOSTS file, a big list can cause name resolution delays.

Other than that who is your ISP, what is your network schematic?

thanks:)

[bromleyboy21]

Eyeball thanks for your reply - I shall check the HOSTS file and report back.

I don't know whether this clarifies matters or confuses them, but I took the laptop home and plugged it into my router via the NIC and the internet worked beautifully. I checked the ipconfig and it had all new settings from my router so wasn't remembering any of the work settings - so I guess that rules out the network card being the problem?

Our network is set with our server acting as DHCP and issuing the IP addresses. Our server is the gateway and the first DNS server. We are with BT for the ADSL and use their DNS server as our second choice DNS server. The laptop has no settings as far as I can see which would be overruling the standard network settings which work fine on everyone else's machines.

Typically its the boss's machine so he wants it fixed asap! Is there any thing we can do but do a reinstall of windows?

Thanks

Edmund

[eyeball]

So you say that the internet is done via your server? If so is it ISA? and can you plug his laptop in behind the server (eg straight into the router) that will rule out the server (or more specifically an ISA rule) as the cause.

As im sure your aware BT's DNS Servers are 194.74.65.68 and 194.74.65.69 so just incase you need them to resolve stuff behind the server then thats the ones you need.

I cant think of much else off top of my head but that should give you something to try

fingers crossed!

[bromleyboy21]

Got there in the end! it was our firewall, I had told it to block a specific machine's activity to the net (not the one with the problems) and on a hunch I turned this off and it the laptop started working again straight away on the internet! Somehow the firewall seems to have confused the 2 machines.

Many thanks for all your help Eyeball.

[eyeball]

Nice one, glad to help

cheers!