Hello cs743
I don't think it is malware related, it is a well known problem when XP Service Pack 2 is installed with certain network cards and /or drivers.
I did experience that issue on my laptop which has a realtek 8139 installed. I know that Marvel network cards may have similar issues. Most of the time, getting updated drivers does fix the issue.
Realtek downloads :
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/
I've originally posted about it some time ago, below is the content of the original post made at Bluetack forums. It's worth to check out the different steps below and see if they resolve your problem. Knowing the brand and model of your 2 cards would help too.
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index. ... topic=7531
"This connection has limited or no connectivity. You might not be able to access the Internet or some network resources."
It appears this is a bug in Service Pack 2 of Windows XP dealing with a loss of network connectivity for workstations that use
Microsoft’s L2TP-based virtual private networking (VPN) client to connect to servers that are connected to NAT-based networks. However, this bug seems to appear in situations that are not associated with VPN’s either.
Solutions to the problem are varied; however most of the solutions found on the web just mask the problem by simply guiding the user through turning off this notification. Now this solution may work great for systems that are showing a false positive error, but what if the system genuinely has lost its local area connection or the connection is unstable, what then?
How do I know if my system is affected by this bug?
If you have installed Windows XP Service Pack 2 and are experiencing any of the following symptoms, this bug is affecting your system.
- After installing Windows XP SP2, your network connection reports a problem with "Limited or No Connectivity"
- You have trouble connecting to the Internet or your local area network after installing Windows XP Service Pack 2.
- Your network connection gets stuck "Acquiring IP Address"
What Steps Can I Take to Fix This Problem?If you are receiving this error, you should run the
Microsoft patch (KB884020) for it. Follow the instructions below to do this.
- Download the patch from Microsoft's site
- Run the update to install it
- Run this short Registry fix to complete the update. Type the following lines in Notepad and save the file as FixReg.reg on your desktop, then double click on it to install into your registry.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\IPSec]
"AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule"=dword:00000002
OR- Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
- Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\IPSec
- On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
- In the New Value #1 box, type AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, and then press ENTER. Important This value name is case-sensitive.
- Right-click AssumeUDPEncapsulationContextOnSendRule, and then click Modify.
- In the Value data box, type the value of 2.
- Click OK, and then quit Registry Editor.
- Reboot your computer
If you experience the error message again, reboot your computer first. In most cases this will solve many connectivity issues that are not associated with this SP2 bug.
My Connection Works, Can I just disable the warning message?If your local area connection is working properly and you simply want to disable the warning message follow these steps.
- Open Control Panel
- Open Network Connections and Right Click on the Local Area Connection and click on Properties.
- Uncheck the following option on the General Tab : "Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity"
- Click OK and close the Network Connections window.
Other Causes For This Problem
If you are still experiencing this error message even after running the patch shown above, you may be experiencing one of several problems shown below:
Your Network or DSL router may have bad or missing information.
Many routers have different settings, and ways to edit them, and this is best done by someone who knows what they are looking at in router settings, and by referring to manuals or help provided with the router itself.
Also try resetting the router (Turn power off for a minute).
You can try turning off your router, and test network while it’s off, if the router is not also the network switch/hub. If the router only provides internet, it isn’t needed for LAN PCs to network. Turning it off may simply isolate the problem.
Double-check your cabling to the computer.
Make sure you have the correct type of cabling, straight-through CAT 5 or possibly a crossover cable and try another cable or test the cable to make sure its working properly. If you use the wrong cabling for your network type it will cause problems. If you are connecting 2 PCs directly without a switch, you need twisted pair (TP) cat 5 cable, and if you use a switch (aka hub) you need the more common untwisted pair (UTP) cat 5 cables, which are most often blue in colour. To see what type of cable you have is simple. Often writing on the cable wont make sense to most people or reveal if it is TP or UTP. IF you hold the cable, so both ends are side by side and facing the same way, take note of the colour sequence of the wires. If the sequence is the same, you have UTP cable, and if the sequence is reversed, you have TP.
Check your network card to make sure it’s configured correctly and working properly.
Many times setting the network card to 10Mbps/Full Duplex will solve this issue. To do this, open Control Panel, System, Device Manager. Go to the properties of the Network card, click on the Advanced tab and find the Link Speed and Duplex section. Change it from Auto Detect to 10Mbps/Full Duplex.
Your network card may be faulty, needs updated drivers, or isn’t compatible with XP SP2.
You could try going to Control Panel – System - Device Manager, and removing the network card, and then restart your PC and let Windows set it up again. This can help. Or try a new network card or another used one known to work in Windows XP.
Check and test your firewall.
Your firewall, especially if it’s a software firewall like ZoneAlarm, Black Ice, Norton Firewall or something else could be blocking the connection. Disable your firewall and test the connection. You may have to resolve the problem by even uninstalling and reinstalling the firewall.
Check your IP address assignments and workgroup settings in the computer for accuracy - IP settings and DHCP.
Also a very common cause of this connectivity error. Setting a static IP address usually cures the problem in this case.
If you have DHCP ON in your router, the PCs should have Automatic IP assignments, and if DHCP is OFF you should specify IPs for each machine. If you have one machine on the network with a set IP, they all should have one. If your router is for a network and has an IP address, best to have the LAN PCs on the same subnet and have the router’s IP as the Gateway setting on these PCs.
It really helps in some cases if you can specify your ISP’s Primary and Secondary DNS server addresses on each PC as well. This is in the same section as you set the IP and Gateway on each PC. Your ISP should be able to provide this info to you.
If your internet router is intended for a single connection and has to be shared by 1 PC to allow other PCs to use it, it probably doesn’t have DHCP capabilities.
Note: When you share an internet connection in Windows 2000 or XP, Windows sets the sharing PC’s IP to 192.168.0.1. This is for any connections like dial up modem connections and DSL connections that use a “dial-inâ€
