Unraveling the Mysteries of Internet Connectivity Issues: A 10-Year IT Veteran Seeks Help
As a seasoned IT professional with a decade of experience, I’ve encountered my fair share of technical challenges. However, a recent incident with a long-time client has thrown me for a loop, and I’m reaching out to the community for insights and assistance.
A Brief Background
I have been the go-to IT partner for this client for several years, troubleshooting a variety of tech-related issues as they arise. So when they called me recently complaining about internet connectivity problems, I initially thought it would be a straightforward fix. After all, it usually takes no more than 25 minutes to resolve such issues. But here I am, two days later, still grappling with the same problem, and even my ISP hasn’t been able to provide a solution.
The Connectivity Conundrum
The client’s computers have started redirecting all internet traffic to a URL, specifically http://msftconnecttest.com, with Windows indicating “no internet access.” This situation typically signifies a loss of connection, leading the operating system to prompt users to connect with a network. The first step I took was to reset the modem (a Frontier/Verizon unit), but this did not remedy the issue. Following that, I attempted to reset the network settings and drivers on all computers. Notably, both Mac and PC systems were unable to connect, yet only the PCs experienced the annoying redirect.
In what feels like a relentless game of troubleshooting, I even disabled the msftconnecttest registry entry. Curiously, whenever I tried accessing a website, the page appeared to load, only to end up redirecting me to the msftconnecttest site instead.
The situation became even more perplexing when I performed ping tests to Google, which returned an unexpected IP address of 172.19.1.254—definitely not Google’s—typically with response times of less than 1 millisecond. Shockingly, ping tests to any website led to the same IP. Compounding the frustration, devices on the network, both wired and wireless, were unable to ping the modem.
In a moment of disbelief, I contacted Frontier’s support. To my astonishment, the technician claimed dramatically, “The modem has been hacked by Russia.” Although amusing in hindsight, this statement didn’t provide the clarity I needed
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