[pitsipopaki]

URGENT- I have had my iMac (OS 9.2) on high speed internet for a year now and all of a sudden it just stopped working. I live in a dorm-type building so the net is shared between 20 other people but nobody else has this problem but me, so it's not the router. I checked my cable with a laptop and the laptop seems to work. Also I tried to connect my mac with my friend's cable (same building, different room); his computer seems to be working fine; mine does not.(my cable's light is off on the hub) I checked the IP address; it comes out correct and I have Enet extension. I 'm running out of ideas and I desperately need to get this working. Help, please?

[almaink]

Have you tried unpluging it for a reset?

[dougster]

I've had to recycle my modem also, but I've always shut down the Mac first, then unplug the modem...wait a couple minutes...power up the modem and then power up the Mac in that order and usually that will do it.

[pitsipopaki]

well I unplugged it to move it to the other room that had a different connection. It still wouldn't work when I plugged it back to its original position; but i'll try it again..

[pitsipopaki]

Would that work for built-in ethernet also?

[dougster]

It should. Try this: Quit all apps and trash the MacTCP DNR file (might have got corrupted) HD/System Folder/MacTCPDNR and Restart.

[pitsipopaki]

Ok..the only file I could find under MacTCP was the MacTCP DNR control panel; so I trashed it, restarted ..nothing happened. Then I decided to to put the file back in the control panels, I did , I restarted and then I could not find the file anymore. It disappeared..Do I need that file? not to mention I still can't connect to the net:(

[Billman]

You definitely need the control panel. When TCP/IP initiates correctly during startup, it uses the DNR file for reference. The file dougster mentioned should be loose in the System Folder, not anywhere else. Open the System Folder manually and look right there; if it's there it's pretty easy to spot, since most of the objects in view should be folders. Deleting that DNR file and then restarting (with the control panel properly installed!) causes MacTCP to create a fresh -- i.e., not corrupted -- DNR file.
Can you open the MacTCP control panel? What does it say?

[pitsipopaki]

OK..now I'm really confused.. Let' s see..what I did the first time around:
I opened the system folder and I saw a file labeled "MacTCP DNR" which actually was described as a control panel (and it was loose;not inside the control panel folder). I tried to open it and it said : "used by TCP cannot be opened". So I put it in the trash, restarted, nothing happened so I dragged it out of the trash and put it back in the system folder when a warning came up saying "control panel, put in control panel folder?" (or something like that) so I said yes, I restarted again, and checked in the CP folder to look for the panel again, and it was gone. I also had a copy of the same panel from a previous SF so I tried to install that one again and again it disappeared. IT'S NOT in my HD anymore and that's the only TCP file I could find (except TCP/IP).

[dougster]

Hi again...that MacTCP DNR is like a preference file, and can become corrupt. Its been some time since I've used this type of connection, but your Mac will create a new MacTCP DNR file. You can not open the file, but you did the right thing by placing it in the trash. You might have to restart to create the new one. Have you tried doing a Find to locate it? You should have one in your System Folder whether its the old one or new one. Let us know, and this method has bailed me out more than once.

[Billman]

I think we're on the right track. The DNR file will not come back (be recreated) unless you restart, and during the restart TCP/IP initializes properly. That message "used by TCP cannot be opened" is a good thing -- it means you found the correct file to delete. Put the TCP DNR file in the trash and empty the trash, then restart without doing anything else. You need the TCP/IP control panel (the one in the control panels folder); leave that alone.
The next thing I'd do would be to open the AppleTalk and TCP/IP control panels (one at a time, in that order) to make sure Ethernet is selected and active. Change to Ethernet if necessary. I'm guessing your original problem was a hiccup at startup where your Mac momentarily did not see the network. That can cause the selection to switch from Ethernet, which would be why your Ethernet port wasn't active. A corrupted DNR file will do that, but from my experience it's something that can happen every once in a while with OS9, and not always because anything is wrong with your system.
You may have to re-enter some settings in the TCP/IP panel depending on your particular network. If you can find another Mac on your network running OS 9 or 8 check the settings in their control panel. Otherwise you need to ask whoever owns/maintains the network.
IF Ethernet starts up, then you should have a new DNR file the next time you look. If Ethernet won't start up, you probably have some other files corrupted in the system folder and will need to reinstall the system to get fresh copies of all the little pieces that make networking work under OS 9.
(Not to be nosy, but that "best small city" wouldn't happen be Elsah, IL by any chance?)

[dougster]

Hi pitsipopaki,
I agree with Billman's explanation on the MacTCP DNR file. Let us know how its coming along, and hope you get connected.

[pitsipopaki]

Thank you Billman and Dougster; so I don't have to worry about that DNR file. That's good cause like I said it actually disappeared by itself. I indexed my HD and initiated sherlock to try find it, but nothing came up. So TCP/IP cannot make any connection, since it would have to create a new DNR file if it did ,right?
I did have to change IP settings, (it's on ethernet manual config.) and the profiler shows that the ethernet and appletalk are active (even though I don't think it matters if apple talk is active or not) and shows the correct IP/TCP settings every time I try to make a connection (and believe me I have tried to connect with different addresses and configs several times:() however the system profiler says "link:down" next to "ethernet:active".
There s a mac user on the same floor as me but she has OS X and hers runs fine with the same network settings.
I guess I will have to reinstall the system if all else fails ,;I really don't want to though. Last time it cost me like $75!!

[pitsipopaki]

BTW, best small city = Carbondale, SIU..GO SALUKIS!!!
(but I'm sure Elsah, IL is pretty nice too..:))
.... Thanks for helping me