Specifications

Simple Network Diagnostics
Don’t you just hate it when this happens ? I know I do. When I connect to the
internet to check my eBay stuff or Gmail I don’t want to see this window on
my screen. I want to see Google.com.
When this happens to you don’t be afraid to click on
the Network Diagnostics button to check your net-
work status. When you do this your Mac will run a
quick check and then open a window with fi ve cat-
egories of concern with red or green indicator but-
tons that tell you where the breakdown between you
and the internet has occurred. The last time this hap-
pened to me I checked the network status and this is
what I found: total failure. All fi ve lights were red.
This looks bad but is actually one of the best possible
scenarios.
What it means is that my internet connection never had a chance because I’m
not even connected to the internet. There are two possible reasons this might
happen. Its possible but very unlikely that there is a hardware problem with the
ethernet port. Unlikely in the extreme. The most common cause of this type
of failure is a loose, damaged or unplugged ethernet cable. With this in mind
I verifi ed that the ethernet connection from the DSL modem to computer was
OK by checking that the cables were properly plugged
in. That did not help. Then I replaced the ethernet ca-
ble with another one I happened to have with me.
Once the new cable was in place the red lights turned
yellow... and then green.
The most valuable use of this utility occurs when you
suspect that there is nothing wrong with your Macin-
tosh and nothing wrong with your settings or cables.
Sometimes you may suspect that the problem is with
your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Your ISP may go
down and be temporarily unable to provide you with service. When this hap-
pens it is very important that you do not try to fi x their problem on their end by
making random changes to your confi guration on your end. If you make changes
to your network in an effort to get your service back you may screw it up to the
point where even when and if they solve their ISP problems your internet ser-
vice still wont work ! The thing to do when your internet suddenly dies is reset
your modem and if
that fails you can
call your ISP on
the telephone and
ask them to verify
that a good signal
is reaching your
computer. Often
resetting your mo-
dem is all that is re-
quired. The on / off
power switch on
your modem will
reset it and make it
try to re-connect to
the ISP.