How to Access the Network Connections Control Panel with Windows XP

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How to Access the Network Connections Control Panel with Windows XP

Click on Start Menu
Click on 'Control Panel'
If the background with the icons is blue, in the left pane, click 'Switch to Classic View.' If the icons have a white background, skip this step.
Double click on Network Connections
To get more information, click on the connection that best describes your setup.
- If you have a wire running from your computer to the modem/router, than you want to select 'Local Area Connection.'
- If you do not have a wire connecting your computer to a network device, you are likely on a 'Wireless Connection.'

When you open up the connection status, you should see the following:

Status: This indicates the overall status of the connection. It can say one of three things.
- Connected: This means that your computer has made a connection to your router/modem. This may not mean full internet connectivity. If there is an indication that you have a connection, but you aren't online, unplug the power to your modem/router, plug it back in, then restart your computer.
- Limited or No Connectivity: This means that your computer sees that it's connected to something, but that what it's connected to is not giving out the appropriate addressing information, which is what allows your computer to be online. This may mean that your router has lost it's settings, or it could just mean that your computer has a 'Static IP Address.'
- Network Cable Unplugged: This is pretty straightforward. Check to make sure that both the computer and the device it's connected to are powered, and that the wire connecting them is firmly attached. When you plug an ethernet cable in, you should hear a click noise, confirming that it is locked in place.
Speed: This is just the amount of bandwidth the cable you have connected to your computer can handle.
Duration: The length of time since the connection was initiated.
Activity
- Packets sent: The amount of data that has been sent from your location. This number will rarely not be increasing, even if you're not online.
- Packets received: This is an important value. It steadily increases as your computer is receiving information from your router and/or the internet. If the number keeps increasing, generally this means that you should have some sort of internet activity.