This is a weird problem that others may have too: My connection to the Internet (cable) goes dead if I leave my laptop on without using it for some time. The error message says “ARP cache will not clear” when I try to refresh the connection. I have tried it with both a wireless and Local Area Network connection, but both exhibit the same problems. My OS is Windows XP SP2 and I have all manner of security in place. Any help will be appreciated! Tried to read MS help page re:asp but is too nerded for me.
First off, a definition: the ARP (address resolution protocol) cache saves IP addresses for faster loading, ironically enough. Windows supposedly clears the ARP cache automatically every few minutes or so, but if for some reason it doesn’t, your ARP cache can fill up and you can then no longer connect. That’s what I think is happening in this situation.
Assuming that your network is set up fine – and it sounds like it! – there are a couple of things you could try to sort the problem.
First you need to check if your routing and remote services are disabled (which should be the default setting in XP Home).
To check, go to Start –> Control panel –> Performance and maintenance (skip this if you’re in classic view). Now go to: Administrative tools –> Computer management.
Click on Services and applications in the right hand column, and then Services again in the right hand column.
Scroll down the right section of the subsequent window until you find routing and remote services and click to select.
In the middle of the new window that opens select disabled from the drop down menu if it’s not selected already. Now just click all the OK buttons necessary to back out of the control panel configuration.
That should work!
If you’re still having problems, you could try the following command to tell your computer to delete your ARP cache automatically every five minutes.
First off, open a command prompt by choosing Start –> Run. Now type cmd and click OK.
After the > sign where you see the blinking cursor copy and paste the following command:
Note: this is the command for Windows XP Home edition. If you are using Windows XP Pro you might need to change the “C:\WINNT\system32\” portion of the command to “C:\windows\system32”
If Windows is installed in a drive other than default Drive C: you will need to change the “C” to the letter of the drive in which windows is installed.
Typed it in (or copied and pasted it in) correctly? Good! Now press Enter.
You will be asked for your user login password as a security measure: either enter it, or, if you don’t use a login password (which I recommend you do) then just press Enter again to skip this stage.
Hopefully it says SUCCESS after that. Now you can close the command prompt window, and that should have done the trick, at least until the next time you restart your computer.
Good luck to you!
Mr Taylor,
Are you still following this thread?
Hi, My laptop is a Windows xp. It lost internet connection and will not reconnect with the wireless modem-thing while the other two desktops work great. I’ve done all the obvious things including virus scans, checked the online/offline button, repair internet connection, and all I get is that it can’t repair my internet connection because it can’t connect to the internet. Various loops have taken me to “C:\Windows>” , but I don’t know what to do from there… Can you help me? I would be so grateful.
I am sorry, while re-reading my post I realized I had included
a reference to information that I put between “greater than and less than” symbols. I did not know this would not print!
That is why there is an apparent reference to stuff in quotes
above, which did not print.
Apologies.
I’ve tried to work through a problem where my computer, while using Easy Tether through my Devour Cell Phone with internet, fatigues and stops working. The internet will not, then, function.
I get error messages when I run Glary Utilities that indicate I have “lost” the uninstall program(s) for 26 locations in my registry, apparantly.
Sorry, but I am not very savvy computerwise and have tried your “fix” above at the top of this article….and it leaves me this:
The task will be created under current logged on-user name .
Please enter the run as password for “all the stuff inside the quotes above.”
This is very confusing to a novice, so rather than enter what I do not know should be entered, I just hit”enter” by itself and
got this:
WARNING: When the run as password is empty, the scheduled task may not run because of the security policy
ERROR: The specified task name already exists in the system.
The bottom line is my computer was not “fixed” and is of limited use due to what appears to this novice to be an ARP cache issue, where I seem to have corrupted the registry by, losing some uninstall program(s) responsible for periodic flushing of the ARPcache.
Can you help this frustrated novice, please?
I did not think it wise to enter the actual info, on a public site, that was between the symbols above. I will respond with that in response to your reply, as you need it. Thanks, in advance for any help you might be gracious enough to provide.
script to auto repair network connection in the background every 60 seconds
copy and paste the following into notepad and save as Auto Repair Network Connection.vbs
MsgBox(“This application is provided without any warranty, either expressed or implied. * You run this application at your own risk! *”)
vB = MsgBox(“You are about to run ipconfig /renew (once) & then netsh int ip reset vLog.log (every 60 second’s) in the background”,1)
Dim vS , vF
Set vS = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.Shell”)
Set vF = CreateObject(“Scripting.FileSystemObject”)
If vB 1 Then
Set vF = Nothing
Set vS = Nothing
WScript.Quit(0)
Else
vS.Run “%Comspec% /c ipconfig /renew”, 0
WScript.Sleep 3000
Do
vS.Run “%Comspec% /c netsh int ip reset vLog.log”, 0
WScript.Sleep 60000
If vF.FileExists(“vLog.log”) then
vF.DeleteFile “vLog.log”
End if
Loop
end if
i had sorta the same problem. my internett was working fine one day then it quit and when i tried to repair it, it said the arp thing. now after i did the steps above, i cant connect to my wireless connection. please help me!
yeah i have a problem with my labtop
my internet is wireless it work in my desktop
but in my labtop doesnt its stop 2 days ago
i check everything but still wont work
help me plz
Thank you Dave, I will do that…
Caslina, I would unplug it and pull out the battery (or batteries). Then wait 24 hours. Put the batteries back in. Plug it in, THEN try to restart it.
Hi!
I have a problem. I left my HP laptop on last night and this morning when I woke up its off and when I try to turn on nothing happpens. Its just dead. It was connected to a Ac Adapter and quite new (5 months) Does anyone have any idea? Has the ac adapter gone hot and just died? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
Hello your problem is easy , just enter in this site http://smart-ip.net/en/tools/speed and check your internet speed. 😉
my labtop used to have internet connection throughout my house when it was plugged in, and not plugged in. Then after a while, the interent would only work if it was plugged into an outlet.
Now, it doesn’t work at all and the internet works completely well on the other computers. What is wrong with my labtop? does it do this over a certain amount of having it. I have had it for about a year and a half.
hey it sounds great but for some reason it does not work, maybe it is the configuration of it this is the laptop of my girlfriend it is a Compaq Evo N800c with Windows XP profesional 2002, it was having the same error about deleting the arp cache, now it does not have it anymore but can not conect to internet it can recognize the internet lan (cable ) but it does not work. Anyone knows what coulb be wrong with the conection?
anyone knows if this laptop have a wireless conection? it seems that it does but it does not show it in anywhere…
run services.msc
shortcut to menu.
I had the same problem and had tried the above solution. However it didn’t solved the internet connection problem.
My own solution is to set my email account to automatically check the mail every 2 minutes and keep the internet connection busy enough so not to drop the line. And it works.
where do I type {c:\>netsh interface ip delete arpcache}???
Thanks, my live stream videos were dropping every 1 minute. After disabling the Router and Remote service. It looks like working. Thanks a lot. I hope it continues the same way. A big relief…!!!! 🙂
Trying to follow your fix to flush ARP cache every 5 minutes: The command for “schedule task” is NOT “SCHTASKS” but “SC TASKS”.
Hi,
I’m having a problem with my internet connection too.
After i load some pages in the browser all new pages give me error, the old opened pages are working….same the download in background.
if i give repair to the connection all works fine for another 10-20 internet pages.
During this time my yahoo messenger disconnect from 3 to 3 minutes and singn in automaticly.
If i ping another computer and in the same time i open many internet pages….the browser gives me error but the ping it’s ok
I dunno what to do, i scanned my laptop….it’s fine…
Teh internet settings are ok
The provider doesn’t have any filters, i asked.
PLease, can you help me with some advices?
tY
When i ping a machine with a command ping -a it gives me the old computer name of that pc as i had changed the name of the computer how do i refresh cache memory
When I follow your instructions…an error message comes up stating that it does not understand “SCHTASKS”. As I appreciate you help as it stands…do you happen to have any other suggestions that might be able to try?
When repairing a network connection the “can’t clear the ARP cache” bit comes up and … but If i ignore this I can go on working no prob..
But, would prefer to be able to repair the connection properly.. TNX … JOhn
Hi there,
I have an ARP issue and wondering if anyone could help – It comes up with the standard reply when using the network repair function i.e.
Windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following operation could not be completed:
Clearing the ARP cache
For assistance…etc etc
and when I do as suggested:
C:\>netsh interface ip delete arpcache
it comes up Ok,
However when it come to redo the network repair function it still comes up with the above and I fail to connect to get the system to config to the wireless network.
Perhaps there is something here bigger here that I am missing! ie it doesn’t recongise that there is a wireless connection. it still thinks that I’m working off line.
cheers,
Mark
I’m having a problem with windows xp. Everytime I use the start button and try to use the run or the search function under start, my machine just sits there. It won’t give me a box so I can search for something or run something. help