laptop can't connect over PPPoE, but is fine on regular

[esmithbda]

We have a user on our network that has a Sony Vaio PCG-GRT270P. He can connect to our interior network just fine while at work. We plug in the ethernet and it automatically recognizes it and everything is good.

But then he takes the laptop home to his home connection which is PPPoE. When he plugs into that connection, it won't work - even though all of the Windows PPPoE settings are correct.

Now the real kicker is that it worked just fine until a few days ago. Then it just stopped working.
He had his service provider send someone over and they changed the cable and tested his account through another laptop that they brought - and the connection worked fine.
I tested his laptop again today inside of our network and it is fine.

So we know the built in ethernet card works.
We know that his home connection line works.
We know that his account works.

Any ideas as to why it would work... and then not work with the same settings?

The technician that came even erased his previous connection settings and replaced them with what he knew to be right - didn't work.
He did the same thing on the laptop that he brought with him and it worked fine (same account).

I thought for sure that meant that the ethernet card in it would be broken - but after testing it today, I'm baffled.

thanks for any suggestions.

 

[bcastner]

Repair the Winsock service stack:

http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/WinsockFix.zip

 

[tlcscousin]

When they set it up does it show in Internet options connections in the dialup and VPN settings?
If so is it set to never dial a connection?

 

[esmithbda]

I will give a look at repairing the WinSock stack - how exactly does this get broken? This was an essentially brand new XP laptop.

As for the dial-up settings, I don't know - I haven't tried anything dial-up with it. The laptop isn't in front of me now, but when the user brings it in today I will look at that.

In the office, he connects to our 10/100 ethernet network, and it is fine.

Then at home, over the same jack he connects to a wireless home connection (but *not* wireless in the house - it is wireless from the service provider to the house, then a cable is run to a box - and then you may as well think of it as a DSL system from there out - it needs password authentication and a username the same way) using PPPoE.

That said, I do think the user told me that when he couldn't get his laptop to work at home using the broadband connection, he tried dial-up and that wouldn't work either (although I don't suspect that he knows how to set that up, so I imagine he just plugged the phone line into it and when that didn't result in internet access either, he presumed it broken).

I will try the Winsock repair route and see what that results - unfortunately there is a long test cycle on this - I try to edit things here, then he brings it home overnight, tries it, and so on.
The distance between the house and here is about 30mins, and working over the phone just doesn't work - we have tried that - overly painful ("okay now try this... no this - what are you doing? okay, no RIGHT click... yes, the one on the right. Yes, just once. No RIGHT click... nevermind.&quot

 

[bcastner]

WinsockFix Discussion: faq779-4625

 

[JeffersonH]

before going ape, is it possible that a recent change to group policies at work have made changes to the system that is inhibiting the 'dsl' connection from working because he's not authenticated?

things to think about there are antivirus and personal firewall changes.

tmp.Worldwide
Business Objects 5i
Systems Integrator
Pfizer Global Research and Development

 

[esmithbda]

His laptop is setup to allow him to log onto our work network with that username and password, or he can log onto just his local machine with a different username and password.

When at work, he can log in with the work domain and username and password and it lets him in, he can access all local files and mail and access outside the network as well.

When at work he an also log into the local machine and then it will get an IP address and allow him out to the network, but nothing locally is accessible of course (local network that is).

When at home, his work domain login won't work, so he uses the local machine login. That lets him in and then he needs to authenticate into his PPPoE account.
He clicks on the icon for that, which is already setup (and their technition even erased it and set it up to be sure). Then it fails to connect for him.
On the exact same cable then, the technition plugged in a different laptop, started a new connection with the same user settings and it worked.

We tried turning off the Windows software firewall on his connection, even though it had been on when it worked before, and that didn't matter.
He has no hardware firewall at home, and he has no anti-virus on this machine.

I downloaded the Winsock fix file and ran it on his machine hoping that would resolve it - he tried it last night and it still doesn't work.

I'm at a loss as to what it is. I am going to bring it into his service provider now and see if they can figure it out.