Network issues are already irritating and frustrating to handle, but they can spell out disaster when they happen on a business network. While your IT department should be able to fix most network issues, you can save a lot of time by handling the issues yourself. Here are some of the most common network issues that people encounter along with their solutions: 

1.Computer Viruses

The Problem: Help! I think I have a virus on my network!

Network viruses can completely disable a computer network, so this is the first issue we’re going to tackle. There can be a number of causes of computer viruses. Viruses can come from a wide range of sources, such as e-mail attachments, malicious software, online advertisements, and yes, even social media. 

What are some signs of computer viruses? While remediating an infection on a single computer can be daunting, removing a virus from an infected network is a real challenge since it can hide on any computer. So, here’s how you can fix it:

The Solution:

Step 1: Check the severity of the infection by running a complete network scan to find malicious files or programs. Make sure that your antivirus and anti-malware programs are up to date and able to scan hidden files, the root directory, and all running programs. Also, try to have your antivirus/anti-malware software scan your e-mail inbox for any malicious materials.

Step 2: Back up all of your system files using the necessary tools. Running a complete system backup will ensure that your data isn’t lost and that the network will remain stable. The Windows’ “System Restore” option will allow you to set up a restoration that can often be useful in an emergency.

 Step 3: Confine all suspicious, irregular files. Isolating them will prevent their exchanging with other files or your network system. Then, disinfect or completely wipe all quarantined files.  Manually delete any emails that were identified by your antivirus software.

2. Unable to Connect to the Internet

The Problem: The wireless network shows a signal, but my device won’t connect

Using a wireless network is great for mobility, but can hinder your productivity when it decides to malfunction. There are a few different reasons why your wireless network is having connectivity issues, such as the wireless router or the network card itself. This issue will require a bit of network troubleshooting to find a solution, so let’s get to work:

The Solution:

Step 1: If your router won't connect to the internet, try putting your computer or device right next to the router. If this causes your equipment to connect, then the system hardware may have been the issue. If this didn’t fix the problem, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Update the network card. Sometimes, your network card will receive a strong signal, but won’t be able to transmit it quickly and effectively resulting in the need for network troubleshooting. Updating the driver might solve the problem entirely, but if it doesn’t, you might need to contact your IT department or provider and consider replacing the hardware altogether.

3.Duplicated IP Address

The Problem: I got an error message that says that the IP address is already in use.

A small error window just popped up on your screen saying that your IP address is already in use. How is this even possible and what causes this IP address conflict? Well, there are a few reasons why this can happen:

• Your system administrator could have assigned two computers on a local area network (LAN) the same static IP address.
  
•  Your internet service provider accidentally assigned two people the same IP address.
• The network’s Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server has allowed the same dynamic address to be assigned to multiple computers automatically.
• Your system administrator has assigned a static IP address to a computer within the local network’s DHCP range, and the same address is automatically given by the local DHCP server

These are just a few of the plethora of reasons why IP address conflicts take place. Here are some ways to fix this issue:

The Solution:

Windows - If you have a dynamic IP address:

Step 1: Click the “Start” button and click “Run”. Enter “cmd” into the text box and click “OK”. The Windows command prompt will open.

Step 2: Type “ipconfig/renew” into the command prompt and press “Enter”. This will refresh your dynamic IP address.

Step 3: Check your network connection. Your computer will receive an available IP address that isn’t already taken.

Windows – if you have a static IP address:

Step 1: Right click “Network Neighborhood” on your desktop. On Windows 7 or Windows Vista, this will be labeled “Network”. Next, click “Properties”.

Step 2: Rick click onto your network card and click “Properties”. In most cases, your network card will be labeled “Local area LAN Connection.”

Step 3: Select “TCP/IP” in the list and then, click the “Properties” button under the list of options. Enter in a new IP address in the opened window. Click “OK” to confirm the changes you’ve made.

Mac

Step 1: Click on “System Preferences” in your dock. Then, click on “Network”.

Step 2: Select “Wi-Fi” on the left side of the window. Then, click “Advanced”, which is located on the bottom right.

Step 3: On the next page, select the “TCP/IP” tab and then click “Renew DHCP Lease” on the right side of the window.

4. Slow Performance

Problem: My applications are responding very slowly.

Why is my computer so slow? Slow-running applications can put a damper on your productivity in the workplace. One of the most common network issues that business networks fight with is slow applications. This happens especially when a computer first turns on or connects to a network. In most cases, this is caused by heavy bandwidth usage. In other instances, it can be caused by lack of hard drive space, running too many applications at once, having too many browser tabs open at one time, or even just a dusty room! The solution for this issue depends on the root of the problem.

Once you’ve gotten rid of some of your browser’s extensions, eliminated applications you aren’t using, or identified the application that’s eating up all of your processing power, you should be able to see a huge difference in your computer’s processing speed. (You can do this by using the Task Manager for Windows or the Activity Monitor for Mac to see which applications are slowing you down).

If this solution didn’t work for you, here’s what you can do:

The Solution:

Note: Be sure to enforce proper network use by making sure that users aren’t viewing too much digital content via streaming or continuously downloading large files. Doing so will help you keep your bandwidth use under control. However, if you find that your employees are utilizing the network correctly, it might be time to upgrade your network to meet your business needs.

If you feel that the sluggishness of your applications is due to another issue, proceed to Step 1.

Step 1: Try restarting your PC. Sometimes, a quick reset will fix any and all issues right away. Doing so will clear your system memory (RAM). If this works, remember to shut down your PC when it’s not in use. If this doesn’t help, proceed to Step 2. 

Step 2: Now, it’s time to check on your hard drive and make sure that it’s not approaching the end of its lifespan. So, let’s run a hard drive check:

Windows

Right click on “Drive”. Then, click “Properties” and then click “Tools”. Click “Check Now”. Select “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”. Doing this will stop your computer from tapping into any malfunctioning areas of the hard drive.

Mac

Click “Applications” from the “Finder”, then “Utilities”, and then “Disk Utility”. Highlight the hard drive that’s giving you trouble and then select “First Aid”.

If your hard drive is healthy, but you think it’s becoming too full with data, proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Get rid of unnecessary files from programs that have gone unused. System backups and restore points can eat up a lot of space, so don’t hang onto more versions of this software than you need. You might also consider uploading your data onto the cloud to save your hard drive.

Step 4: If you’ve completely deep-cleaned your computer and checked all of the possible issues above, but your computer is still running slowly, it might be time to upgrade your RAM so that your computer has more memory. Certain programs take more RAM to run properly than others and if you don’t have enough RAM ready, your computer will not be able to handle it. Look into RAM upgrade options.

5. IP Address Exhaustion

The Problem: I can’t get an IP address.

So, your network seems to have gone down. Your operating system has sent you an alert stating that the address was not received from the DHCP server. You’ve just checked the network adapter status and noticed that there’s actually no IP address to be found. What now?

There are a few different reasons why this could happen. It could be that the DHCP server is out of addresses, the device might be set to use a static address rather than a DHCP address, or maybe the DHCP request from the device never made it to the server. Either way, here’s what we need to do:

The Solution:

Step 1: Check the network interface card (NIC). You can find this by opening the control panel, then the device manager. Then, select “Hardware and Sound” and then select “Device Manager”. Expand the Network Adapters item to view all network adapters, although you will most likely only have one. Verify that your system is configured to utilize DHCP.

 Step 2: Check the switch to see which virtual LAN (VLAN) the port is set as a member. Verify that other devices on this particular VLAN are able to get an IP address. If they can’t, the issue is that the network is not sending DHCP requests to the server.

 If this issue is taking place with more than one device, then the issue is likely the server itself.

6. VPN Errors

The Problem: I got an error message saying that my device was “unable to establish the VPN connection” or error 800.

Your virtual private network (VPN) works to provide a safe connection between a local client and a remote server. When you can’t connect to a VPN, you’ll receive an error message that usually states something along the lines of “VPN error 800 – Unable to establish the VPN connection”. This can happen if the client device disconnected from the local network, the network’s firewall is blocking the VPN traffic, or if the name/address specified for the VPN server was incorrect.

 Here’s how you can fix this issue:

The Solution:

Step 1: Check the connection between the client and server. Attempt to connect to the server from a different client device to verify whether the network issue is a widespread issue or if it is affecting only one client.

Step 2: Verify that the name entered on the client side matches the server name given by the VPN administrator. In some instances, users can specify an IP address rather than a name, while it’s more typical for users to mistype the address than the name. VPN servers can also change their IP addresses in some instances, especially DHCP networks.

Step 3: If the first two steps didn’t clear up the issue, now it’s time to make sure that the firewall isn’t blocking your connection with the VPN. Do so by temporarily disabling it to retry the connection. If this solves the problem, you need to update the firewall settings specific to the port numbers that the VPN on the network is using to prevent this issue from happening again.

If none of this troubleshooting solved the issue, it could be possible that the server is overloaded with clients or that it is offline. Check with your IT department to see what can be done.

7.Connection Errors and Network Connectivity 

The Problem: My network has limited connectivity or no connectivity at all.

Connection issues are some of the most annoying, frustrating network issues of all. These issues can be a result of all types of glitches and issues within the computer and/or the network itself. So, if your computer has handed you a lovely “Limited or no connectivity” error message, here’s what you can do to fix it:

The Solution:

Step 1: Restart your computer. A quick reboot can often be a life-saver. If you’ve already tried this or restarting the computer didn’t fix anything, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Restart your router or modem. DO NOT reset the router or modem or restore its settings back to factory default. Simply turn the router or modem off and back on. If this doesn’t work or only works for a moment, keep going to Step 3.

Step 3: If you are connected to your network via Ethernet cable, unplug the cable and then reattach it. If needed, replace your network cable with a new or different cable to see if this was the cause of the issue.

Step 4: If you’re connected via Wi-Fi when you see this error, it’s a possibility that the network adapter is attempting to conserve power. Stop this by finding the Network and Sharing Center in the Control Panel. Right click “Wi-Fi Connection”, select “Properties”, click “Configure” and find the “Power Management” tab. Click and uncheck the option that allows your computer to turn off device to conserve power.

Step 5: If you’ve tried all of this and there’s still no connection, unplug your router and connect your computer directly to your modem. If this solves the issue, then your router is likely to be malfunctioning. If not, contact the router manufacturer for support.

If the error remains and the network is still down, reach out to your internet service provider for help.

These common network issues can plague anyone. Fortunately, most of these network issues have very simple resolutions. By handling these issues, you’ll allow your IT team to address more complex issues, thus streamlining your business' workflow. Great work! For more information, download our e-book today!

 Do you have a question or a concern that isn’t addressed here? Here at Advanced Business Systems, we offer Managed IT Services that allow you to focus on your work while we focus on making sure your network is helping your business - not hindering it. Contact us today to see what we can do for you!