Networking weird /problem/fix - rabbit fur
I had to post this fix -- it drove me wacky until I figured it out.
I'm a full-time self-employed tech with over 250 clients (over 1200 PCs/Users and a fast-growing number of Mac clients).
I recently had a client with 4 networked XP Pro PCs, a networked color laser printer, and DSL access through a router.
Two XP stations showed partial (and therefore bad) LAN connection status icons (triangular yellow with black exclamation point) in their systrays. These XP stations couldn't network (print, file share or surf the net).
I replaced the old router because it had a bad jack, and this entailed unplugging all the network cables then plugging them into the new router.
Everything worked but 4 days later they called me and told me the same networking problem returned.
This time, I replaced all the cables, a different hub, removed/restored TCP on each problem XP workstation (used MS KB article, since reg editing is needed) but the problem wouldn't go away! The odds that two workstations had bad ethernet cards were too slim considering the PCs were purchased years apart and no power surges had occurred.
BUT, this client keeps a rabbit in her office. I'm not kidding. It's not an Angora rabbit but it's not a generic rabbit either -- it has fur in between the fineness of an Angora and a generic rabbit. This rabbit had already chewed up a couple of cables, but I ruled this problem out by using 2 new 50' cables as a test and testing the existing cables with a cable tester (all OK).
What the heck was going on?!
I asked for a vacuum, unplugged each cat5 cable from the problem PCs and (while keeping the vacuum's motor away from the hard drive) vacuumed each Ethernet (RJ-45) female jack in the PC. While doing this I noted an almost gossemar layer of rabbit fur covering the entire back of the PC. This layer was practically translucent and unnoticable unless you had your head a few feet from it. I vacuumed the cat5 cable ends themselves. I vacuumed every oriface of every PC and node (net printer's jack and cable).
THIS FIXED IT!
My client is now moving their beloved rabbit to a downstairs room.
I must say, I've never seen cat or dog hair cause this problem. This means the extremely fine rabbit fur was sucked into the PC due to its fans creating an internal vacuum drawing air through every little opening, such as around and through the Ethernet jack, even though cables were plugged in making a disrupted connection seem unlikely due to the protection of the jack by the cable itself.
This type of rabbit fur is amazing stuff, it's so much finer than cat and dog hair, and I can see how rabbits can live in the snow comfortably.
I'm a full-time self-employed tech with over 250 clients (over 1200 PCs/Users and a fast-growing number of Mac clients).
I recently had a client with 4 networked XP Pro PCs, a networked color laser printer, and DSL access through a router.
Two XP stations showed partial (and therefore bad) LAN connection status icons (triangular yellow with black exclamation point) in their systrays. These XP stations couldn't network (print, file share or surf the net).
I replaced the old router because it had a bad jack, and this entailed unplugging all the network cables then plugging them into the new router.
Everything worked but 4 days later they called me and told me the same networking problem returned.
This time, I replaced all the cables, a different hub, removed/restored TCP on each problem XP workstation (used MS KB article, since reg editing is needed) but the problem wouldn't go away! The odds that two workstations had bad ethernet cards were too slim considering the PCs were purchased years apart and no power surges had occurred.
BUT, this client keeps a rabbit in her office. I'm not kidding. It's not an Angora rabbit but it's not a generic rabbit either -- it has fur in between the fineness of an Angora and a generic rabbit. This rabbit had already chewed up a couple of cables, but I ruled this problem out by using 2 new 50' cables as a test and testing the existing cables with a cable tester (all OK).
What the heck was going on?!
I asked for a vacuum, unplugged each cat5 cable from the problem PCs and (while keeping the vacuum's motor away from the hard drive) vacuumed each Ethernet (RJ-45) female jack in the PC. While doing this I noted an almost gossemar layer of rabbit fur covering the entire back of the PC. This layer was practically translucent and unnoticable unless you had your head a few feet from it. I vacuumed the cat5 cable ends themselves. I vacuumed every oriface of every PC and node (net printer's jack and cable).
THIS FIXED IT!My client is now moving their beloved rabbit to a downstairs room.
I must say, I've never seen cat or dog hair cause this problem. This means the extremely fine rabbit fur was sucked into the PC due to its fans creating an internal vacuum drawing air through every little opening, such as around and through the Ethernet jack, even though cables were plugged in making a disrupted connection seem unlikely due to the protection of the jack by the cable itself.
This type of rabbit fur is amazing stuff, it's so much finer than cat and dog hair, and I can see how rabbits can live in the snow comfortably.
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