DSL Questions and Troubleshooting

For a basic DSL troubleshooting steps click here.

What does DSL mean?

DSL stands for Digital Suscriber Line.

Here are some advantages of DSL:

• You can leave your Internet connection open and still use the phone line for voice calls.
• The speed is much higher than a regular modem
• DSL doesn't necessarily require new wiring; it can use the phone line you already have.
• The company that offers DSL will usually provide the modem as part of the installation.

But there are disadvantages:

• A DSL connection works better when you are closer to the provider's central office.
• The connection is faster for receiving data than it is for sending data over the Internet.
• The service is not available everywhere.

I am getting an IP address of 169.254.x.x, what does this mean?

This means you are not getting an IP address assigned. Windows assigns itself this IP if it can not get one assigned from an outside source. Possible causes for not getting an IP address assigned are:

• Defective cable, network card or port on the router. Make sure you are using all known working components.
• Your router is not configured for DHCP or does not have the proper settings.
• If you are behind a router then you should call the router manufacturer, if you are connected directly to the modem/cable box call the help desk for further assistance.

I am getting an IP address of 192.168.0.x, 192.168.1.x or 10.0.0.x, what does this mean?

This means that your computer is connected to a router. The router contains the information from your provider and is assiging your computer its own IP, this is normal. If you need assistance in configuring your router contact the router manufacturer.

My firewall told me that a program/service is trying to access 127.0.0.1, but that is not my IP, what is it?

127.0.0.1 is referred to as the Loopback IP. This is a specical IP that your computer uses to refer to itself. Some applications use network technologies to function, when they need to send network information they use this IP so that the signal never leaves the machine.

I'm being hacked, can you help me?

If your firewall displays a warning about a possible attack, read the pop up very carefully. It will contain information about the nature of the attack and the attacker. Be aware that a freshly installed firewall will bombard you with warnings until it gets accustomed to the programs that you use and how they access files, services and the internet. You need to have some idea of what a program does and its location on your hard drive, the firewall will often display this information, but you will need to confirm it. You also need to know your IP address and the loopback address of 127.0.0.1 in order to be sure that the "attack" is not coming from you, in other words a program running on your machine.

My NIC/ethernet card worked fine until today/last week, now it's not!!

• Usually, it's just a glitch in your operating system. Sometimes powering off the computer, then turning it back on will cause the NIC/ethernet card to be redetected. In Windows, you can run the "Add New Hardware Wizard" from your control panel and see if the NIC/ethernet card reappears. Sometimes this will require a driver disk to be reinstalled, Windows 95/98 will almost always ask for the disk. You should have this handy, or contact your computer or NIC/ethernet vendor to obtain one.
  
• If this problem occurs after a series of power failures, or an electrical storm, it is possible that your NIC/ethernet card may have been damaged by a power spike. The best way to avoid this is to always unplug your network cable during a storm, surge protectors don't always work and a spike can down the phone line and network cable as well. Never use the Internet during an electrical storm, doing so risks destroying your entire computer.

I have multiple computers and one can not connect, but the others can, what can you do?

This type of problem is almost always caused router misconfiguration or damage. The router is not sending signal to one port, but is sending to the others. You will need to contact you router manufacturer for assistance. The help desk can not troubleshoot this issue.