PC lost connection to network: Solved

One of the PCs on my network lost connection to the other computers and the internet yesterday. All the other PCs were fine. After trying many options to get it reconnected (see the list at the end of this post for the things I tried that didn’t work, just in case one of them works for you), I narrowed the likely culprit down to a faulty network cable or network card. I then called my PC Guru people for help and after they listened to what I’d tried, my Guru asked me to check the network adapter settings — the ‘Ethernet’ one on that computer was disabled. He got me to re-enable it and everything worked again! No, I still don’t know why it would inexplicably lose connection.

Here’s how to re-enable it:

1. Right-click the network icon in the System Tray on the Taskbar (or go to Control Panel).
2. Click Open Network and Sharing Center.
3. Click Change adapter settings in the left panel.
4. Look for a grayed out icon — on this Windows 8.1 machine it was called ‘Ethernet’ and said it was ‘Disabled’ (Note: On my Windows 7 machine it’s called ‘Local Area Connection’, so the name may vary depending on your version of Windows).
5. Right-click the grayed out icon, then click Enable.
6. With luck, all the connections will re-establish themselves, as they did for me.

One other thing to try is:

1. Right-click the network icon in the System Tray on the Taskbar (or go to Control Panel).
2. Click Open Network and Sharing Center.
3. If you’re meant to be on a domain, but the View Your Active Networks icon has Public Network below it instead, click that Public Network link and then select Work (or Home) network.

Things I tried that DIDN’T work:

• Rebooted the PC (this often solves many problems)
• Rebooted the router (I didn’t think this would work as the other computers had internet access, but tried it anyway)
• Removed the network cable from the back of the PC and clicked it back in again
• Rebooted the network hub
• Removed the network cable from the network hub and clicked it back in again
• Checked that the network cable plugged into the PC had a flashing green light — it did
• Removed the network cable from the PC and replaced it with another cable plugged into the network hub that I knew worked (by this stage, I was thinking it was likely the network card that had stopped working); yes, the green light flashed for that one too, but still I didn’t get a connection. It was at this point that I called my PC Guru guys.

Loud hum from speakers: Solved

I had the devil of a time trying to get rid of a really bad hum in the speakers of a new mini hifi system that I’d connected up to a PC. I could hear the music faintly so I knew I had it connected properly, but that music was totally overridden by the loud hum.

I checked the manual, the manufacturer’s online support (useless) and forums, Dr Google, and tried various online advice about plugging the power cable into the same outlet as the PC, etc. Nothing changed.

Next, I checked listening via the FM radio option — no hum! That was my first clue. I pulled out the ‘audio in’ connection and the hum went away. Clue number two — it was somewhere in the connection from the PC to the unit. I crawled on the floor to the back of the PC, where the audio cable came out just a little too easily… I pushed it back in fully and restarted the hifi. It worked brilliantly — no hum!

Such a simple thing, but it caused me a lot of frustration for an hour. Hopefully this helps someone else.

Noises in manuals

I purchased a new freezer this week. One of the first things I do when I get a new appliance is read the instruction manual. Yes, I know that only about 10% of the population reads an instruction manual, but I consider it a way to learn about the product AND a professional courtesy I extend to all those fellow technical writers who write them.

What made this manual different? It has a ‘noises’ table! After reading it, I think ALL appliance manuals should have one of these, if the appliance makes various noises during its operation. I know that products like UPSs have info on the various beeps and alarms, but this table listed the normal operating noises the freezer makes. So simple, and just brilliant.