# Need Help



## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

The wife's laptop has decided to be bad. All of a sudden three days ago it refused to connect to the Internet. I did everything I could think of...which isn't much...but nothing. It kept giving me an Error 651. It is Windows 7 if that helps. I then tried to use the USB wireless antenna from one of my computers, but I still got the same error message. It says there is a connection available but it just won't connect. Can anybody help me before I send it off to the wife's nephew? Thanks.

Nomad


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

It's a known issue with Win7. The precise culprit is a corrupt raspppoe.sys file. Some people have had luck reinstalling modem software, updating LAN drivers, and even applying Windows updates, since doing this things can result in replacing the raspppoe.sys file. But the most reliable cure is to replace the raspppoe.sys file manually. It's located in the following directory.

c:\windows\system32\drivers

This is an advanced operation in that it carries some risk if you screw it up. If you don't feel confident doing it then get help, but the procedure is simple and straightforward.

To do that, first rename the existing raspppoe.sys file to something like raspppoe.old and download the raspppoe.sys file that comes with Vista (it will work fine with Win7).

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/22059150/raspppoe.zip

Unzip the file to the c:\windows\system32\drivers directory, then reboot.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

Nevada said:


> It's a known issue with Win7. The precise culprit is a corrupt raspppoe.sys file. Some people have had luck reinstalling modem software, updating LAN drivers, and even applying Windows updates, since doing this things can result in replacing the raspppoe.sys file. But the most reliable cure is to replace the raspppoe.sys file manually. It's located in the following directory.
> 
> c:\windows\system32\drivers
> 
> ...


My daughter tried to do that, but there is something called Trusted Installer that won't allow her to do anything. She tried to change from that to Admin but it wouldn't let her. I guess we'll need to send it off to be fixed.

Nomad


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## mnn2501 (Apr 2, 2008)

Do a System Restore back to a date that it was working.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

mnn2501 said:


> Do a System Restore back to a date that it was working.


I tried that but there was nothing saved to restore. I am not too computer savvy, so I normally make things worse.

Nomad


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

Nomad said:


> I tried that but there was nothing saved to restore. I am not too computer savvy, so I normally make things worse.
> 
> Nomad


All that does is put the machines memory back in time. Really has nothing to do if anything was saved or not. All you have to do is remember when this started acting up , and go Further Back in time then that to do make sure.
One day three days, one week, 2 weeks one month etc. Just choose the date further back then when it was acting up that is all.
System Restore has saved me quite a few times over the past 15 years.~


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

arabian knight said:


> All that does is put the machines memory back in time. Really has nothing to do if anything was saved or not. All you have to do is remember when this started acting up , and go Further Back in time then that to do make sure.
> One day three days, one week, 2 weeks one month etc. Just choose the date further back then when it was acting up that is all.
> System Restore has saved me quite a few times over the past 15 years.~


Replacing the raspppoe.sys file provides a good file if the existing file is corrupt. I don't hold-out a lot of hope that reverting to a previous restore point will fix the problem, since restore points don't save all .sys file data.

Reverting to a restore point can certainly save you, but that's mostly for application installs and operating system updates that created problems. It's not a great way to recover from a corrupt file, which I believe is the culprit in this case.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

Nevada said:


> Replacing the raspppoe.sys file provides a good file if the existing file is corrupt. I don't hold-out a lot of hope that reverting to a previous restore point will fix the problem, since restore points don't save all .sys file data.
> 
> Reverting to a restore point can certainly save you, but that's mostly for application installs and operating system updates that created problems. It's not a great way to recover from a corrupt file, which I believe is the culprit in this case.


I tried a system restore with no luck. I asked my daughter and she had tried it too with the same outcome. So back it goes to the nephew. He'll either fix it or give the wife another one.

Nomad


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Nomad said:


> I tried a system restore with no luck.


Applying a previous restore point and doing a system restore are two very different things. A system restore requires a Windows install CD and would almost certainly fix the problem, but you would probably lose your user files and application installs.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

Nevada said:


> Applying a previous restore point and doing a system restore are two very different things. A system restore requires a Windows install CD and would almost certainly fix the problem, but you would probably lose your user files and application installs.


I have an old Windows XP CD somewhere. Wonder if that would work?

Nomad


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

You have a windows 7 machine you can't step backward like that.
That computer has all things set up for Windows 7 from chips to the mother board, and its chips.
You could have if it has been a XP machine to begin with and you Upgraded to Windows 7. but i seriously doubt if you can Now Make that machine use XP.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

arabian knight said:


> You have a windows 7 machine you can't step backward like that.
> That computer has all things set up for Windows 7 from chips to the mother board, and its chips.
> You could have if it has been a XP machine to begin with and you Upgraded to Windows 7. but i seriously doubt if you can Now Make that machine use XP.


Then I guess I need to stop fooling with it and box it up.

Nomad


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## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Nomad said:


> I have an old Windows XP CD somewhere. Wonder if that would work?
> 
> Nomad


Reinstalling the operating system seems like a pretty drastic way to get around a file permission problem.


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## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

Why not download and burn an Ubuntu live CD and do it with that?


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

Kung said:


> Why not download and burn an Ubuntu live CD and do it with that?


She had Ubuntu in her old laptop and hated it. My daughter finally just installed XP in that one and moved on.

I should explain that the wife's nephew has a computer business of some sort. He takes older computers in when he installs new ones. He has refurbished quite a few for us, so we all have one and we get them at no cost. The wife got out her old laptop last evening and it still works, so at least she can get online again. The nephew will fix her newer one or give her another one. So not as big of an issue as if we had to pay for repairs or buy a new computer.

Thanks for all the responses.

Nomad


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