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WistfulWhims

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WIN XP ICS DHCP Problem - Clients are all 169.254.XX.XX

Hello my friends,

  I'm stumped.  I have a Home network that has been running ICS (dialup) among 7 Computers for over 9 years through 4 different versions of windows.  The Host is running WinXP Pro, and the clients are all XP Home or Pro at this point.  Suddenly last week, I lost the ability to share dialup on all the clients.  The ICS DHCP server is no longer assigning network adresses.  All machines except for the host have an address in the "169.254.XX.XX range.  

This all happened when I rebooted to clear my RAM as I was about to sign on to an online game.  My wife was preparing to join me on her computer in the other room, and once the reboot was finished, she had lost the ability to connect to the internet.  After checking all the other clients in the house, (2 more desktops hardwired, and 3 laptops, wireless) I realized that it must be my machine.  

Things I have Done/Checked:

Reset the Linksys wireless router and gave it a local address again (in the 192.168.9.XX range) and disabled it's DHCP function.

Eliminated the wireless router and used a regular switch/hub (thus eliminating that as a problem.

Removed/Uninstalled all adapters in all machines, and re-installed, reconfigured, to no avail.

Reset the bios on my the Host, and did system restores on my machine and my wifes.  

Installed and evenutally deleted proxy software (CC Proxy and Proxycon) I was able to get the clients internet access this way (effectively bypassing ICS) but the ports issue is a problem for me with our online game.  

4 days I've been working on this, and as most of you experts will understand, I am at a point now where the frustration level is so high that I am repeating remedies that I have already done.

I really don't want to reload the software on this system, but if I have to I will.  I was just hoping that some of you ICS/DHCP Gurus out there might have some words of wisdom for me.

Thanks in advance
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Merete
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have you simply checked that its not a faulty card?
9 years maybe some cards or something has died?
Maybe need new cables, when suddenly happens i would not go to the lengths you have if nothing has been changed and all was working must point to cabling or network card.
Interference possibly.
the main key here>>you were about to add another>My wife was preparing to join me on her computer in the other room,

I have 5 computers here all networked thru a dsl router even changing to a new router the settings stay the same, have you rebooted the router and all computers?
then logged onto the router?
192.168.1.1 enter your password and name usually admin or similar?

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WistfulWhims

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I appreciate the response Merete,

I did try another card in the host, and all the existing cards (they aren't 9 years old, I've just been running this network that long) worked with the proxy software for networking and internet sharing.  I can also force static Ip addresses and they can all connect to the host, but won't share the dialup connection that way.  If there is a way to share dialup over a network with static IP addresses without using Windows ICS or a proxy server, I am unaware of it.  I am guessing that some file or service was corrupted during the reboot, but I'm hoping one of you can point me in the right direction so I don't have to replace them all .

And you are very right, I am here begging for help because my wife hasn't been online for over 4 days now and she's starting to look at me in that scary way.
On the Host, is the ICS Service started, and set to Auto?
try this for a starting point  on the xp pro, since I'm running xp pro, home differs slightly, did you know xp pro has a great automated network diagnostic?
What is the OS of your wife's computer is it laptop or desktop? Is it wireless? if so just remover the ethernet cable.

go to start Help and support open it, then look down the list to the bottom>fixing a problem
click on that then choose Networking Problem> look over to the right>diagnose  network configuration and run automated tests
try a few of the others as well.

Have you tried system restore?

have you   looked in the events if you can provide the event and id number that would be great.
How many computers networked?
xp has a limit of 10.
I woudl like to keep it simple as possible.
have you tried any ping cmd and reset
in the cmd prompt type in ipconfig /release press enter
then ipconfig /restore press enter
How to reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299357
what is the lan speed of the client computers ?
10mbps?  100mbps speed may be too fast and  causing the connectivity failure.
if you have wired and wireless there maybe some  querying someones else's DHCP server?

Have you had any virus, spyware or trojans?
Have you recently updated zone alarm?
If you have zone alarm installed uninstall it, I had bought zone alarm for 2007 but all of sudden the updates simply prevented my network from functioning to save time I just removed it.
Thank you for your responses John and Merete,

John,  If there is a service called "Internet Connection Sharing or ICS" then I don't have it in my services list and it's not running.  if you know where it is, please tell me :)

Merete, I've disconnected all other machines from the network and eliminated the router, replacing it with simple hub/switch.  The Host and Client are now both desktop systems with  XP Pro w/SP2 and fully updated. When I force the IP address on the client machine (192.168.0.2) I can ping the host but have no internet connection.  When the client automatically configures a 169.254.XX.XX address, I cannot ping anything.  I have tried the Ipconfig /release and /renew function on both machines to no avail. I don't use Zonealarm and all my virus software is up to date and recently used.  As I say...there was no change to my system....this all happened from a simple restart procedure to clear my memory cache.  As for the system Network Diagnostics, they do not work on the host.  I get a "Cannot Display Page" Error when I try to scan the system network.  I have also reset the protocols per the MIcrosoft Knowledge Base.

The event viewer on the Host shows Errors on the following ID's:

Error - Remote Access - ID# 20169 (everytime I try to have an address auto-assigned to the client)
Error - DCOM - ID# 10005 (about 10 entries in a row of this since last night and this morning)
Error - DHCP - ID# 1007 (once from last night while I was messing with configurations I guess)

I can't get over the feeling that this is caused by a simple service not running, or a file that has been corrupted, I'm just not finding it.

Thanks again for your help with this.  
Oh, something else I noticed while checking my "services.msc" log.  

Routing and Remote Access was disabled.  I started it and set it to Auto, but it made no difference and was disabled again after reboot.  
Sorry, it is named

"Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

And double check the Windows Firewall to make sure iot is not enabled....

"If there is a way to share dialup over a network with static IP addresses without using Windows ICS or a proxy server"

I am unaware of it as well.....

The ICS service is crucial to accepting incoming connections and routing them properly, so I believe it must be done with that or the Proxy software.
John,

Ok Thanks,  The service is up and running adn set to auto.  I even stopped and restarted it to see if that would help....no luck.

Thanks for banging your head with me on this.

I can get all the systems in the house to work through a proxy server, but this gives me issues with out online gaming, as well as causing a problem for the laptops with other wireless networks outside the house.  I'd really rather avoid that.  XP ICS has worked for me for a long time, and while I've had hiccups before, I've always been able to sort them out fairly quickly.  I really hate to reload the whole system (which is working beautifully other than this) just to get ICS back.

FYI - I ran SFC just in case, and it made no difference.
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johnb6767
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Morning all, since I am in Australia I do have to sleep and you are probably on opposite times,
I am surprised to see that the run automated tests in windows help and support did not work>
 sounds  like you have some modem problem. If the modem is faulty windows cannot detect it
Look first to your modem is working. Is it onboard or a card?
WistfulWhims why did you reboot?
Since this started at the reboot.
 I've disconnected all other machines from the network and eliminated the router <<< was this a DSL/broadband?/ please explain if your using a dialup.
How can you have 7 computers using a dialup?

You see if windows cannot find a modem or some missing device then your internet connection sharing or any aspect of networking will not function.

replacing it with simple hub/switch. << how many ports does this hub switch have? And do you have the correct ethernet  cables, one has to be a modem line to phone plugin.
Have you tested your modem is working?
In control panel phone and modem.
Do you have a green light next to the ethernet cable? on the reasr of your tower.
 that is connecting your pc to the hub switch.
Do you have wired and wireless connections?< if so then the host has to configured for both.

 The Host and Client are now both desktop systems with  XP Pro w/SP
Did you create a floppy disc and run that on the client?
Modem troubleshoot
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/trouble.asp

If all else fails I would simply take the host computer plug the modem directly into the phone line then connect it alone to the internet, this will show that the modem is working okay. the phone line is good as connectors for the phone line can get dirty.

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John and Merete,

 I can't thank you enough for all the help and time you both provided on this.  I tried all your suggestions, and I'll address the results in a moment.   I finally gave in tonight, and did an XP repair installation on the HOST PC.  I still have a lot of reconfiguring to do in order to get my settings back to the way I like them, but all the clients can now connect to the internet once again.  So my problem is fixed, and I still have no idea what happened, or why.

John,

 I took your suggestions from your last post and followed your steps. (I had already tried everything you mentioned excpet for the "netsh" commands).  Upon trying to execute all the netsh commands, a error message box came up telling me that the application failed to start a file called "Framedyn.dll" and that I should reinstall it.  In the command window there was also an error message stating "The following helper file DGNET.DLL cannot be loaded.  I continued on and rebooted, and nothing had changed.  

Merete,

Everything on the host computer was working fine, modem network card, etc.  I rebooted originally to reset my RAM cache in order to play my Online game.  It is graphic intensive, and as you know, when your comp has been on for an extended period of time, you don't don't have as much free RAM as when you reboot.  I always reboot before a gaming session for this reason.  Yes, we're on dialup, and there are no other options available to me here in the woods other than satellite.  I can't use the satellite for online gaming (I have tried in the past) as the latency is just horrible.  I am lucky enough to have a dedicated dialup ISP less than 2 miles from my location, and even though I'm on dialup i have very low latency when connected (usually have pings under 200 which is phenomenal for dialup connecting at 48 kps).  Yes, my network has 7 computers on it.  4 Desktop PCs and 3 laptops.  however, usually only 2 or 3 are running at any one time, so we don't have a great issue with surfing speed.  I do tend to kick the kids off the bandwidth when I'm gaming though. :)

I use Hijack this weekly and keep my logs so I can compare them.  It was one of the first things that I did.  I honestly don't think this was spyware or virus related.  I really think it was just some darn windows glitch, and it's gonna bug me til I figure it out.   I just hope never to see it again on my own home network.  I repair computers for a living, build custom systems and set up networks both residentially and commercially, but I was just completely stumped with this one and still am.

Once again, I can't thank you both enough for your time and the thought you both put into this for me.  If you have no objections, I am going to split the points for you two.
I am glad it is finally up and running. I wish we had a better answer for you though...

Have a great day!
Hello WistfulWhims just home from work, well surprise, I am happy and relieved for you too.
what may have caused it, something running when you shutdown, maybe a little heat issue from playing, maybe even a small memory leak, so many things may have contributed especially with any online games. That may not have been released correctly someone had not logged off properly can cause a hickup.
Thank you its always a pleasure to help where we can
 best wishes.
Merete