I am having the same problem as many other Vista users. I am running a Home Premium 64 version and had never a problem with my internet. Anyway, since yesterday I can't get connected to the internet anymore for what ever reason! I didn't change any settings on my router or my computer. Ide-installedNorton 2007 because people mentioned that this might be the problem on other boards. Idownloadedthe latest driver for my Foxconn motherboard SLI590 AMD chipset. NOTHING I am getting so frustrated does anybody have a clue what I am doing wrong!? Please let me know if there is anything I am missing. Thank you in advance. Cheers dekofit

Any comments or ideas aregreatlyappreciated. There must be a solution. Please help. Thanks

Hello dekofit. I have been working on this exact problem for a friend. I've read Internet posts until my eyes crossed and so far have very little helpful information. I can't guarantee you any magic fix, but this is what I found out in my battle. The problem is not limited to any specific version of Vista. The problem is not limited to wired or wireless nor is it limited to a particular Internet router. Turning off all of the available file sharing options did not help. Adding Microsoft's registry fixfor the DHCP toggle did nothing. Resetting the network adapter did not work. Upon further inspection, the network adapter (both wired and wireless) were receiving a valid IP address, but were not getting any DNS or gateway address. Both of these are absolutely necessary for Internet access. The "unidentified network" is just a side-effect due to the lack of DNS address. The simple fact that it doesn't recognize the network doesn't necessarily mean that it can't get to the Internet, but the lack of DNS and Gateway addresses will definitely keep you from accessing much of anything. This laptop had Norton Internet Security 7.3 installed (the very latest "Vista ready" version as far as I know). I uninstalled it and everything worked perfectly. I then reinstalled hoping that it was just a minor installation failure, but the problem returned immediately after Norton updated itself. Personally I believe that is significant; it worked with Norton installed until it updated. I then uninstalled Norton again and it worked again. At this point I'm convinced that it is the Norton software. I disabled nearly every part of the Norton software trying to locate the problem piece of the puzzle, but even with Norton completely disabled, I could not pull a complete set of addresses. Oddly, even manually entering the DNS and Gateway addresses, I still had "local only" access. Whatever is causing the problem is also causing the laptop to not receive a complete set of addresses. If the problem was simply a DHCP thing, manually entering an address would work. So logic says that the lack of DNS and Gateway addresses is a symptom, not a cause. Your post said that you uninstalled Norton without success. However, I know from experience that Symantec's uninstall routine often leaves part of the program behind. Go to Symantec's site and get the uninstall utility for your version http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039. See if that helps. If you still have issues, go into your network settings and uncheck IP version 6, sometimes this causes issues. I know I threw a lot out here, but maybe the extra info will help somebody.

A Solution: Windows Vista - Unidentified Network - Access Local onlyThis morning, the very same issue occured on my laptop in our network. This machine never leaves the house. It connects to our network via wireless. Today we just couldn't connect to the internet. We have ATT DSL with a krapy 2wire gateway router, which offers router services, wireless services. Also in my home network is a couple of servers, one of them being a Windows 2003 Domain Controller, and a machine running Exchange 2008 and DHCP was running on that Exch Server.I noticed that the wireless nic on the laptop was getting it's IP from the DHCP running on the Windows domain controller and it was not getting a configured Default Gateway IP, so the laptop couldn't find a route to the internet. Running NSLOOKUP indicated it was able to resolve a domain name to an IP. My solution is to turn off DHCP on my Windows machine, thus forcing the laptop to get DHCP services from the 2wire router. In my case I don't need two DHCP servers in my network. I realize there is another issue out there but I would rather stick a hot fire poker in my eye than spend 3 hours on the phone with ATT DSL Support.-Tom

I found that when using wpa2 or wpa I got the no internet access: local only. When I switched to WEP the problem was resolved. Now it's just a matter of figuring out why.

I had the sme problem. I uninstalled Norton and everything is OK now.

Same problem here. when I first installed Vista on my laptop, wireless worked fine in my home office. Then for no reason whatsoever, it stopped. Could not get DNS from DHCP either. Put in static IP and connected fine via wired connection...wireless still dead. I can connect to all my client's wireless networks though. Reset my router countless times, tried other fixes, nothing works to get me connected wirelessly at home office.Now, as of yesterday, my wired connection with a Static IP is having the same issue: local access only. I am not running Norton at all, so that is not an issue. I find it hard to believe with all the posts here, and the countless ones on other forums (so many that your eyes do cross reading them), that M$ has not come up with a viable solution to this issue.

My issue was that my laptop was picking up its config from a rogue DHCP server, and the gateway was incorrect for my laptop.l Microsoft has a tool called DHCP locator, you might try this and see if it gives you any more info about what might be going on. dhcploc.exe

I reformat and OSRI mysystem then checked right away the LAN still says unidentified networkWTF is this its a NVIDIA integrated NIC.

Solution for Vista no DNS and local only internet connection issue: My new Vista Home Premium notebook connected thru a router to the internet without any problem, bothwired and wireless. After installing some apps I shut down the system and the next day I couldn't connect to the internet, not wireless and not wired. A XP notebook and pc had no trouble at all to connect wireless to the router and the internet. Vista diplayed Only local on the network and in network controll I found that the pc connected with the router and got a IP Gateway and DNS number. Pinging to gateway/dns did not work. I readmany forums anddeleted some apps, disabled IPv6 et cetera but nothing worked. In Ipconfig I saw the tunnel adapters but they were not in device center... Then I ran into a topic on chicagotech and tha was the solution for me. (many many thanx for that :-) Here is the topic. I used solution 1 and it worked for me. Hopefully it will work for u2 ******************************************************************************************************************************************** Unlike Windows XP, IPv6 in Windows Vista cannot be uninstalled. However, you can disable IPv6 in Windows Vista by doing one of the following: I. 1. Run regedit. 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip6\Parameters\DisabledComponents. If you don't see DisabledComponents, create it by adding the following registry value (DWORD type). 3. Change one or some values: 1 = Disable tunnel interfaces 2 = Disable 6to4 3 = Disable ISATAP 8 = Disable Teredo 16 = Disable LAN and PPP interfaces 32 = Set preference of IPv4 over IPv6 255 = Disable IPv6 completely Note: 1) You must restart the computer for the changes to the DisabledComponents registry value to take effect. 2) This method disables IPv6 on all your LAN interfaces, connections, and tunnel interfaces but does not disable the IPv6 loopback interface. You must restart the computer for this registry value to take effect. II. 1. Open the properties of the LAN. 2. Clear the check box next to the Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6) component in the list under This connection uses the following items. This method disables IPv6 on your LAN interfaces and connections, but does not disable IPv6 on tunnel interfaces or the IPv6 loopback interface.

Im not getting this part, help... 3. Change one or some values: 1 = Disable tunnel interfaces 2 = Disable 6to4 3 = Disable ISATAP 8 = Disable Teredo 16 = Disable LAN and PPP interfaces 32 = Set preference of IPv4 over IPv6 255 = Disable IPv6 completely

Goedemorgen Nico, When I used this solution I didn't see the key DisabledComponents either. What you have to do is: 1. Run regedit. 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip6\Parameters\ 3. Rightclick on Parameters 4. Choose New > DWORD Value 5. Replace <New value #1> with DisabledComponents 6. Doubleclick on DisabledComponents 7. Enter value 255 (This will Disable IPv6 completely) 8. Close Regedit and restart your system It worked for me... Good luck. Andr

ok what??? I don't get what you are supposed to do. Can you help me. Pleae!!!I have been having this same problem for months now and it would be awesome if I could get it fixed. Thnak you!! Angie

Hello Angie, I don't understand what you mean with < ok what??? > Can you please try to explain the problem that you have as detailed as possible. Then I can try to help you. Andr

I was haveing the same problem "Access Local Only". I tried this and it worked Click "Start" Type "cmd" in the search box press "ctrl" + "shift" + "enter" at the DOS Prompt type "netsh winsock reset" and hit enter once completed after 30 seconds or so my "red X" on the internet connection was gone, I once again had Local and Internet Connection I found the solution at http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/06/18/repair-and-reset-windows-vista-tcpip-winsock-catalog-corruption/

This worked perfectly for me this morning. I spent ages on this . my laptop worked. i had had intermittent internet problems. had been through everything with my provider and then last night just started searching. I did th netsh winsock reset with no idea why and now thank goodness i have my network back.I have now joined here and will know where to start looking in future

hi people,i had this problem and it drove me mad for hours..... but i have to say i tried all the fixes etc,messed around with ips etc,everything,but its all down to your firewall settings in your settings,im using ESET NOD SMART SECURITY,after hours of torment and seriously considering a re-install,i uninstalled ESET,THEN!..cleaned out the registry,and flushed the cache also....it seems that some AVS,smart security,like mcafee,norton,etc,leave the firewall settings in place....not good.......my wireless connected fine after this,i re-installed my ESET,but keep a close eye on the what the firewall is up to manually...........NOT AUTO!!!...havnt had a problem since..... Theres nothing wrong with your hubs,wireless cards,your router,no conflicts, no update probs,it realy is down to firewall settings in your AVS............

Well in the end my fix had not worked. i was away for a couple of weeks and called in the heavy guns. my tech who lives miles away checked my hard drive and no problems. i got the local tech to come here and see if he could sort it. he did all the things i had tried and then we decided to use another modem. chucked out the dynalink (which was still giving me wireless access to my laptop.) sold me a DLInk and we set it up. I am now working perfectly again . just cost me around $200 oZ of course the dynaling was 14 months old and the warranty was 12 months.

I have an HP Pavilion DV6000 and Windows Vista Home Premiun, I tried the following at this link http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/928233and that didnt work, after that I uninstall Symantec Windows Update and Norton Antivirus and as soon as I did the internet was working and I was connecting to the right Network. Its amazing, I mean I wonder what exacly Norton Antivirus was doing that it was causing that issue. Worst thing is, that everything was fine one day and the next day when I turned on my laptop this issue began. I hope this helps others out there.

I have an HP Pavilion DV6000 and Windows Vista Home Premiun, I tried the following at this link http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/928233and that didnt work, after that I uninstall Symantec Windows Update and Norton Antivirus and as soon as I did the internet was working and I was connecting to the right Network. Its amazing, I mean I wonder what exacly Norton Antivirus was doing that it was causing that issue. Worst thing is, that everything was fine one day and the next day when I turned on my laptop this issue began. I hope this helps others out there. HAVE BEEN SAYING IT FOR AGES.....ALWAYS A THIRD PARTY FIREWALL ISSUE...........

I have an HP Pavilion DV6000 and Windows Vista Home Premiun, I tried the following at this link http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/928233 and that didnt work, after that I uninstall Symantec Windows Update and Norton Antivirus and as soon as I did the internet was working and I was connecting to the right Network. Its amazing, I mean I wonder what exacly Norton Antivirus was doing that it was causing that issue. Worst thing is, that everything was fine one day and the next day when I turned on my laptop this issue began. I hope this helps others out there. HAVE BEEN SAYING IT FOR AGES.....ALWAYS A THIRD PARTY FIREWALL ISSUE........... I am having the same issue trying to help a friend out. The HP Pavilion dv6809us laptop will only join my wireless as "Local only". With this laptop I cannot access the ineternet at all. I have tried everything. The laptop used to have Symantec but I removed it and I still cannot get to the internet. Even if I hard wire with a NIC cable, I still get "Local only". Any help would be appreciated.

had the exact same problem, "unidentified network" "local access" "identifying network". I had norton 360 installed on my laptop. fully uninstalled it (using the norton uninstall program, not just deleting it in the add/remove program application) and everythings fine now. (i had tried using few other ideas suggested as to what might be wrong but nothing worked untill i did this, so presuming norton is the cause and solution to this problem!)

I too had the Unidentified Network with local access error, I spent 2 nights trying every online solution without any success. I ended up taking my laptop to a local computer shop and he fixed the problem in 5 minutes and didn't even charge me. When I asked him what he did, he told me that he knew the problem well and all you have to do is reset the winsock. He did that and it has worked ever since. If you do not know how to reset the winsock, here are instructions that I found online: http://www.hotcomm.com/faq/FAQ_ResetWinsock.asp I hope this helps others as it has helped me.

I Think vista was given to us to teach us .... :O) .......did you try my fix out of interest?.....

Make sure your router firmware is up-to-date. We upgrade all the drivers in our PC for Windows 7 but forget to upgrade the router firmware. I upgraded my router firmware and all those unidentified network problems went away. It is much easier than forcing windows 7 to work with an out-dated router firmware. I wish this forgotten upgrade of the router is promulgated by Microsoft. Consequently many of us wasted a lot of time on this one.

netsh winsock reset from the command prompt ...bada bing

I tried to reset the winsock several times, I get this : The requested operation requires elevation. anyone??

You need to run cmd as administrator

Thank you soo much i had had this problem for a few weeks now and had no idea what to do but i installed the updates and now it works :)

you are awesome!!!!! thanks for the fix! This helped me fix my shitty Vista! Only after spending about about 2.5 hrs troubleshooting with my internet provider. reserring the winsock works!!!

Thanks--This worked for me too. I spent ~2 days trying and untrying various suggested fixes without sucess, until I found your post. My problem seemed to happend after installing some scheduled VISTA updates on December 15, 2010....

Well, surprisingly I solved my problem but it took so many days to fix. I tried every possible step given here but none of them worked for me. I uninstalled Norton anti virus, reset netsh IP etc, tried many times to repair and reset network adapter, after making sure that my router and cable working fine but it something wrong on computer. Now here what I did, I wanted to change my ram to upgrade speed on this computer and I don’t know when and why I was logged in as guest, by mistake I removed ram without turning off computer and I seen screen was fuzzy, there was nothing on screen so immediate I removed power cable from behind the machine to turn off. Then I installed new 4 GB ram on this computer. (I had 1 GB ram installed and that’s why I wanted to make 4 GB). Fortunately, I noticed that after installing new ram my pc faster and also my this problem solved. How lucky I am… I was hoping this solution like this way. Isn't it crazy? I hope this post will be useful, thank god after so many days finally I resolved issue. When I asked my Acer manufacture they told me I have not warranty period any more so I need to pay $ 180 for help. I was socked and how can they charge so much in this economy. However, I begged them but they said I have no warranty and that’s why but I said it’s your junk giving me headache…lol.

After I replaced my older routher with a Linksys E2000 , I started having this problem; another 2 XP Pro PCs also had same problems while others worked. It turned out that the router's own subnet mask was set wrong, if should be 255.255.255.0, not the value my ISP gave me. ( I have static IP from my ISP).

Wow. That's a lot, and I tried *every single one* except the Norton Uninstaller. I didn't try it because the client uninstalled Norton before I ever saw the computer. It did the trick, and I'm pretty sure this isn't the first time I've had this problem. Normally, any number of the above solutions fixes the trouble I run into. I'll have to write down the Norton-based fix down.

I just experienced this issue after switching out our old wireless router for a new one at home. All the laptops and phones in the house were happy connecting to the new router and the Internet through it, except for one laptop running Vista Home Premium. The issue I found was related to the security on the Wireless network. Previously we'd been using WEP and everyone was happy. With the new router (Netgear N300), it defaulted to WPA2 and it appears the Vista laptop wasn't able to use that mode of security. I was able to enable a Guest network secured with WEP on the router, and the Vista laptop could then connect to that with no problems. Hope that helps - sounds like there may be multiple causes for the "Local Only" issue, but if you've just upgraded your router and see this, then WPA2 vs WEP might well be the problem. Josh

Nightmare on my street. 5 hours yesterday and 3 hours today. I had loaded McAfee Virus Protection and attempted to uninstall Norton. I tried all of the above and none worked. I finally downloaded Norton Removal Tool and uninstalled McAfee (yesterday). Norton finally did the trick. Thankyou to all sho posted info.

Solution for Vista no DNS and local only internet connection issue: My new Vista Home Premium notebook connected thru a router to the internet without any problem, both wired and wireless. After installing some apps I shut down the system and the next day I couldn't connect to the internet, not wireless and not wired. A XP notebook and pc had no trouble at all to connect wireless to the router and the internet. Vista diplayed Only local on the network and in network controll I found that the pc connected with the router and got a IP Gateway and DNS number. Pinging to gateway/dns did not work. I read many forums and deleted some apps, disabled IPv6 et cetera but nothing worked. In Ipconfig I saw the tunnel adapters but they were not in device center... Then I ran into a topic on chicagotech and tha was the solution for me. (many many thanx for that :-) Here is the topic. I used solution 1 and it worked for me. Hopefully it will work for u2 ******************************************************************************************************************************************** Unlike Windows XP, IPv6 in Windows Vista cannot be uninstalled. However, you can disable IPv6 in Windows Vista by doing one of the following: I. 1. Run regedit. 2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\tcpip6\Parameters\DisabledComponents. If you don't see DisabledComponents, create it by adding the following registry value (DWORD type). 3. Change one or some values: 1 = Disable tunnel interfaces 2 = Disable 6to4 3 = Disable ISATAP 8 = Disable Teredo 16 = Disable LAN and PPP interfaces 32 = Set preference of IPv4 over IPv6 255 = Disable IPv6 completely Note: 1) You must restart the computer for the changes to the DisabledComponents registry value to take effect. 2) This method disables IPv6 on all your LAN interfaces, connections, and tunnel interfaces but does not disable the IPv6 loopback interface. You must restart the computer for this registry value to take effect. II. 1. Open the properties of the LAN. 2. Clear the check box next to the Internet Protocol version 6 (TCP/IPv6) component in the list under This connection uses the following items. This method disables IPv6 on your LAN interfaces and connections, but does not disable IPv6 on tunnel interfaces or the IPv6 loopback interface. Thank you for this. I uninstalled Norton and applied your solution. There are several 'solutions' that I have tried that have failed. Thanks much!

Unistalling Norton (Expired) or any security software works perfectly.

Thanks John! took forever to try all these steps to get to the last one. wish microsoft would have told me that the was a newer driver available when i right clicked on it and tried to look for an update in device manager. the new driver worked perfectly

John, you're a genius! Thanks SO MUCH for posting this solution. My daughter's eMachines laptop would no longer wirelessly connect after we changed our internet provider. After WEEKS of frustration during which I must have tried every other posted solution to this problem, by using your link and updating the driver the "Local Access Only" problem has been solved and I have a happy little girl again!