IT Self Help

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  • Internet in Accommodation
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• Getting Connected
  • What you Need
  • Network Authorisation using Clean Access
  • - Windows PCs
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  • - Games Consoles & Others
• Getting Help
• Troubleshooting Guide
• JANET Roaming Service
• Information for Staff
• Visitor network - UoWGuest

Problem: Can't connect to the wireless network

1. Can you see any wireless networks?

2. Can you see the University Network?

3. Do you have a good signal?

4. Can you connect to the Internet?

Problem: Intermittently losing connection to the Internet

Problem: Can't pass the University's security checks

1. The Clean Access Software won't download and install

2. The Clean Access Login Box doesn't pop up

3. My computer doesn't pass the Windows Security Updates checks

4. My computer doesn't pass the Anti-Virus checks

5. I'm asked to turn on the firewall, but it's already on

6. My computer seems to pass the checks but still doesn't connect

Problem: Windows tries to dial a modem to access the Internet

Problems with wired connection in University Accommodation

Work through the following checks in order to help resolve your problem.

Note: You need to be logged on as Administrator of your computer to do most of these checks.

 

Problem: Can't connect to the wireless network

On a Windows PC, look for the wireless icon in the system tray at at the bottom right of your screen. If you’re not connected it looks like this: .

On an Apple Mac, look for the AirPort icon at the top right of your screen: .

 

1. Can you see any wireless networks?

Double click on the wireless icon , and see if any networks are listed.

NO?

• Does your Windows computer have wireless hardware?
  • To check if it has built-in wireless or an internal wireless card:
  • Right click My Computer > Properties > Hardware> Device Manager. Look under Network adapters and see if there is anything that looks like a wireless adapter, e.g.

• An Apple Mac needs an AirPort card, so look for this in your system settings.

• If it is built-in, or inside your computer, is it switched on?
  • There may be a switch, or you may need to press a combination of keys to turn it on. Consult the manual that came with the PC.
  • Some built-in wireless cards automatically turn off when the battery power is low.

• If your computer has a USB network adapter, is it properly plugged in?
  • Try removing and re-inserting it.

• Is it enabled?
  • Click Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections > Network Connections.

   

  

  • If the wireless network connection entry, says "disabled", right click on it to enable it. (If it says "connected"or "not connected", you can assume it is enabled.)
  • If it says "not connected", try disabling it, then enabling again by right clicking on it

• There may be a problem with the wireless software/drivers – refer to your hardware help documentation, or contact your supplier.

2. Can you see the University Network?

The University Student Wireless Network is called wolfradiolan. Double-click on the wireless icon in the system tray to see your network list.

 

NO?

• Are you in a wireless hotspot - check the list of locations at www.wlv.ac.uk/wireless.
  • Note: if you are in University Accommodation, the halls at Walsall have wireless only in the kitchens, and wired outlets in the bedrooms; on other sites there is both wired and wireless in all bedrooms, but neither in kitchens.

• Check the IT Services website from another computer - any known problems with the wireless networks are posted on the News page at http://www.wlv.ac.uk/its/news.

• Do you have a local firewall installed, which is blocking wireless traffic?  Some packages, such as Norton or Symantec, may block all Internet traffic, so check your firewall settings, and change them if necessary.

• Click on the wireless icon at the bottom of your screen, then choose Refresh Network List, to see if it picks up the wolfradiolan network.

• Check whether your computer is set to automatically get an IP address:
  • Start > Control Panel > Network and Internet Connections > Network Connection.
  • Right click on your wireless network adapter, and select Properties.
  • On the General tab, highlight Internet Protocol in the list, and select Properties.
  • Ensure that Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are both checked.

 

• Try resetting all your wireless network card options through the Device manager.

The network at the top of the list is usually wlvstaff, so choose 'Connect automatically' to wolfradiolan to make it easier to connect next time.

3. Do you have a good signal?

The vertical bars to the right of the wolfradiolan entry indicate signal strength. Hover over them for more details. Or hover over the wireless icon in the system tray to get a reading on signal strength.

Ideally you need at least 3 bars, but 1 will do as long as it doesn’t say limited or no connectivity. Another sign of a poor signal is that it keeps fluctuating.

NO?

• Check if other people in adjacent areas have a good signal.

• If not, report the problem to the IT Service Desk on 01902-322000, (ext. 2000)

4. Can you connect to the Internet?

NO?

• Has your computer passed the University's security checks? (see below)

• Have you changed anything on your computer? If you change your network adapter, you'll need to go through the security checks again.
  
  
• If you're in the Residences, try using the wired outlet instead of wireless.

Problem: Intermittently losing connection to the Internet

• Check the points listed under 3 above.

• Try in other areas, e.g. Learning Centre, Refectory.

• Get another student to try in same area.

• If you think there is a weak signal in the area, report the problem to the IT Service Desk on 01902-322000, (ext. 2000)

 

Problem: Can't pass the University's security checks

Before your computer can connect to the University's networks, it has to be authenticated and pass the security checks. It is registered and checked automatically the first time you try to connect to the Internet. For more details see the Network Authorisation page.

 

1. The Clean Access Software won't download and install

• are you connected to wolfradiolan?

The wireless icon in your system tray should look like this:

When you double-click on it, you should see that you are connected to wolfradiolan.

• if your IT Account password is not accepted, contact the IT Service Desk.

• check that any local firewall settings or anti-spyware products are not blocking access to it.

• you need to be logged on to your computer as local administrator. If the PC doesn't belong to you (e.g. it's a company laptop) contact the IT Service Desk.

• You get Clean Access Error 4102 when you try and install it.

You need to update Windows first via http://www.windowsupdate.com. Install Updates until it says there are no more updates to install, then you should be able to download and install the Clean Access software. You can get to this site without passing the security checks.

Or try the following:

1. Create a new user with admin rights
2. Install Clean access for the new user (Clean access is installed for all the users by default)
3. You should now be able to use clean access in the original users profile

 

2. The Clean Access Login Box doesn't pop up

• Check that it's installed OK - you should see the Clean Access icon in the system tray.

• Right click the Clean Access icon to see the Menu.

The 'Popup Login Window' should be ticked.

The 'Login' entry should not be greyed out.

If it is greyed out, (as shown), your firewall settings may be interfering with the communication with the clean access server. Turn off any firewall you have running, and disable the Windows firewall settings, (Control Panel > Security Center > Windows Firewall). When the Clean Access login box has popped up once, you should be able to restore the firewall settings.

If you are running F-Secure, check the settings on F-Secure Internet Shield:

• Turn the Firewall off by setting it to Allow All.
• F-Secure should then ask if you want to allow a connection to Clean Access - say 'Yes' and 'Don't ask me again'.
• Then change the firewall setting to Normal.

 

• If this doesn't work, try creating a new Admin account
  
  
• If you get a message to say your computer has a problem connecting to the NAC appliance server, check the date on your computer. If it is incorrect, it could cause this problem.

 

3. My computer doesn't pass the Windows Security Updates checks

• Your computer must have the latest Service Pack and Microsoft security updates installed.

• You can install them during the authorisation process by following the on-screen instructions.

• In order to do this, your computer must have a legal, licenced version of Windows. Go to this address to check your version of Windows: http://update.microsoft.com/windowsupdate/v6/default.aspx?ln=en-us
  

• There is a recurrent problem with installing updates to Microsoft's .NET Framework packages prior to 4. If Windows updates are failing,and Clean Access says there is a missing update to .NET Framework version 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5, go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923100 and follow the instructions there. Essentially this will remove all versions of .NET Framework and then install up-to-date ones.
  
  
• The problem with updating .NET Framework 4 has a different fix:
  • Click on Start and click on Control Panel.
  • Go to Program and Features.
  • Scroll down to Microsoft .NET Framework 4 Client Profile and right click it.
  • Select Uninstall/Change.
  • You will now get a choice of Uninstall or Repair. Pick Repair. It will take about 5-10 minutes to repair.
  • When completed, try Windows Update again.
    
    
• If you keep being asked to install Windows updates, but the installation fails, there are various possible causes:
  
  
  • You are using wireless, and you lost the signal while the updates were being done. Try using a wired outlet (in Residences) or moving nearer the wireless transmitter.
    
    
  • Your system date and time are incorrect, so make sure the correct time and date are set. 
    
    
  • You may have a problem with the database used by the update management software on your PC. Go to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971187 and click the button to install the fix. Now try again.

• Cisco Clean Access reports that that there are missing Windows updates, while the Windows Update says that there is no more updates available.
  • Go to Control Panel > Security > Windows Update and click on the 'Check for updates' link in the top left corner.
  • If the check returns no updates and Cisco still asks for updates, then clear the Updates cache. To do this, follow the steps below:
    • Close any Windows Update windows that are open
    • Go to the Start menu, type services.msc, and press enter
    • Find Cryptographic Service and Windows Update service in the list, right click them, go to properties, and select the stop button on each.
    • Go to C:\Windows and rename the folder SoftwareDistribution to SoftwareDistribution.old so Windows Update cannot find it and will create a new file
    • Go to C:\Windows\System32\ and rename the catroot2 folder to catroot2.old
    • Go back to services.msc and display the property windows for both services again and click start on each.
    • Open Windows Update again and check for updates.

Note: This method is also worth trying for other problems with updates.

• Security updates for Flash Player sometimes fail to install. Try the following:
  • Uninstall Flash Player
  • Download the latest version of Flash Player from www.adobe.com
  • Install it
  • Restart
  • The Update should no longer be required
    

• Try re-installing or repairing Windows using your original disks. Provided you don't re-format the hard disc, this should not lose any applications or data, but if possible back up personal data first.

 

4. My computer doesn't pass the Anti-Virus checks

Your computer must have up-to-date anti-virus and firewall software installed on it. If the University authorisation process detects that you have no anti-virus software, you should install F-Secure by following the on-screen instructions. This includes AV and firewall software, and is free to University staff and students. You should only ever have one piece of AV software on your computer, so please remove any other AV application before installing F-Secure.

• Your computer already has anti-virus software installed on it, but the authorisation process doesn't detect it so you don't pass the checks.

Our network management software is due for replacement and its age sometimes means that it will not recognise even well known anti-virus applications such as McAfee and Norton. It will always recognise F-Secure and you can get a copy of this free of charge from our download website, www.wlv.ac.uk/its/downloads. Make sure that you remove all traces of any currently installed anti-virus software before installing F-Secure

• You get an error saying the firewall is Off
  • Check the Internet Shield settings and set it to Normal.
    
    

• F-secure doesn't download when you select it as part of the CISCO clean access installation process
  • Go to a computer with Internet access, e.g. in the Learning Centre
  • Download F-Secure from www.wlv.ac.uk/its/downloads.
  • Install it on your own computer

5. I'm asked to turn on the firewall, but it's already on

Go to Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall > Advanced > Restore Defaults

Then ensure it is switched on by selecting: Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall > General

This could also be caused by a firewall which Clean Access does not properly recognise.You may need to switch the Windows firewall on in addition to or instead of the firewall in your own security application.

 

6. My computer seems to pass the checks but still doesn't connect

Typical problems:

• It passed the security test but when you rebooted it still goes to the authorisation screen and you can't continue, or goes through the check again, so you are stuck in a loop.

• The wireless address indicated by the icon in the system tray starts with 169.254

Try the following:

• restart your computer, or disable the wireless adaptor, then enable it again.

• delete the Internet Explorer cache by going to Tools > Internet Options > then Delete Files in the Temporary Internet Files section.

• check Internet options: Tools > Internet Options > Security tab - security level should be medium.

and Tools > Internet Options > Connections tab – option should be set to “Dial whenever a network connection is not present”. If you’ve set it to “Always dial my default connection” to use dialup at home, this effectively disables the wireless connection.

• check security settings for local Intranet - these should be restored to the default settings.

• check your firewall settings - don't block all Internet traffic.

• Go to http://malwarebytes.org/ to install some software that will identify and remove any malicious software on your computer.

• if none of these resolve the problem, contact the IT Service Desk for advice.

You're using Virgin Media:

• Turn off the Virgin Media wireless helper in the system tray, and if this doesn't work, try removing it.

Problem: Windows tries to dial a modem to access the Internet

You may have a conflict with using dial-up at home. To resolve this:

• Click Start > Control Panel.

• Double-click Internet or Internet Connections and choose the Connection tab.

• Under Dial-up settings, choose the "Dial whenever a network connection is not present" option, then click OK.

• You may need to change these settings back again if you do use a dial-up connection elsewhere.

 

Problems in University Accommodation

Can't connect to the Wired Network

• Check that both ends of your cable are firmly connected.

• Make sure you have the right type of cable - see What you Need.

• Borrow a cable that you know works OK from a friend.

• If you have changed your adaptor settings to 100mb/full duplex, this won't work. Change it to "auto" or "negotiate".

Clean Access Login Box keeps popping up

If you are using the wired connection in your room, make sure that wireless is turned off on your computer.