Article ID: 892896
Article Last Modified on 12/13/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
INTRODUCTION
After you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer that is connected to the Internet by a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem or by a cable modem, you may receive a message about limited connectivity. This article describes why you receive the message. This article also contains a step-by-step workaround that you can use to disable this error message. This article contains links to other articles that contain information about similar problems and solutions.
Symptoms of the problem
After you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer, you may receive a message that resembles the following message when you try to connect to the Internet:
You may also receive error message 678 or error message 769.
Steps to work around the problem
When a Point-to-Point over Ethernet (PPPoE) connection is created in Windows XP, Windows XP creates both a local connection and a broadband connection. Because Windows XP creates the two connections by design, and because the Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing (APIPA) address is expected, Windows XP should not indicate that the local connection has limited connectivity. Sometimes, you may receive the "Limited or no connectivity" message even when the computer is currently connected to the Internet. In this case, you can safely ignore this message. If you want to disable the message, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Run, type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK.
- Double-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, click to clear the Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity check box, click OK, and then click Close.
More information
A PPPoE connection is a way to connect computers to the Internet through broadband connections (DSL or modem). Unlike standard broadband connections, PPPoE connections require a username and a password. If you are unsure if you have a PPPoE connection, please contact your Internet service provider (ISP).
If your computer is not configured as a PPPoE client computer, and the computer obtains an APIPA address, limited connectivity is an issue. Therefore, Windows XP should indicate that the local connection has limited connectivity. For example, this situation can occur if a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is not available on the network.
You may also receive this message when one or more of the following conditions are true:
- Your DHCP server is down on a hardwired network. On a home network, this server could be your ISP server, your personal router, or your DHCP provider.
- Your DHCP server is down on a wireless network. On a home network, this server could be your ISP server, your personal router, or your DHCP provider.
- On a wireless network, this message may appear when you use an incorrect Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key or if you do not have a WEP key.
- You may not have an IP address, or your TCP/IP settings may be corrupted.
- You may be experiencing other issues that are related to your Internet connection.
Similar problems and solutions
For more information about how to troubleshoot Internet connectivity in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
892889 You may receive error 678 or error 769 when you try to connect to the Internet or when you try to browse the Internet after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2
You may also find the following Web site helpful when you troubleshoot network connectivity problems:
Keywords: kbresolve kberrmsg kbprb KB892896
