You may receive a "Limited or no connectivity" message on a computer that is connected to the Internet by a DSL modem or a cable modem after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (892896)

SYMPTOMS

After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 on a computer that is connected to the Internet by a digital subscriber line (DSL) modem or by a cable modem, you may receive a message that is similar to the following message when you try to connect to the Internet:

Limited or no connectivity: The connection has limited or no connectivity. You might not be able to access the Internet or some network resources.

You may also receive error message 678 or error message 769.

CAUSE

When a Point-to-Point over Ethernet (PPPoE) connection is created in Windows XP, Windows XP creates both a local connection and a broadband connection. Because Windows XP creates the two connections by design, and because the Automatic Private Internet Protocol Addressing (APIPA) address is expected, Windows XP should not indicate that the local connection has limited connectivity.

However, if your computer is not configured as a PPPoE client computer and the computer obtains an APIPA address, that is a situation where limited connectivity exists. Therefore, Windows XP should indicate that the local connection has limited connectivity. For example, this might occur if a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is not available on your network.

You may also receive this message when one or more of the following conditions are true:

Your DHCP server is down on a hardwired network. On a home network, this server could be your Internet service provider's server, your personal router, or your DHCP provider.
Your DHCP server is down on a wireless network. On a home network, this server could be your ISP's server, your personal router, or your DHCP provider.
On a wireless network, this message may appear when you use an incorrect Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) key or if you do not have a WEP key.
You may not have an IP address, or your TCP/IP settings may be corrupted.
You may be experiencing other issues that are related to your Internet connection.

WORKAROUND

Sometimes, you may receive this message even if your computer is currently connected to the Internet. To disable the message, follow these steps:

Click Start, click Run, type ncpa.cpl, and then click OK.
Double-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, click to clear the Notify me when this connection has limited or no connectivity check box, click OK, and then click Close.

Note This does not resolve an issue. It just turns the message off.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about troubleshooting Internet connectivity in Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

892889 You may receive error 678 or error 769 when you try to connect to the Internet or when you try to browse the Internet after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2