No Internet Access icon/msg when on vpn, but works

[Krynn72]

I was looking a win 7 Latitude E5520 thats got the yellow alert on the network tray icon and the message "No Internet Access" when I mouse over. It only happens when connected to our VPN (usually switches from the normal "all good" icon to the alert in ~30 seconds) and despite the message all functionality is working. I've checked all the DNS settings, ipconfig /release /renew and /flushdns, reinstalled network adapters, reinstalled the VPN software.

Just wondering if anyone else has an idea, or if anyone know how specifically Windows checks for connectivity? Like does it try and ping something on the web, and if it doesn't get a response it shows the alert?

 

[MotzTech]

I've seen this before on a Windows 7 system with no apparent cause or symptom. That one wasn't on a VPN or proxy. I just chalked it up as a false positive and moved on.

I've heard it can be a profile issue, but it never bothered the user enough to recreate the profile.

 

[trevm999]

I've seen this before on a Windows 7 system with no apparent cause or symptom. That one wasn't on a VPN or proxy. I just chalked it up as a false positive and moved on.

same

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I was looking a win 7 Latitude E5520 thats got the yellow alert on the network tray icon and the message "No Internet Access" when I mouse over. It only happens when connected to our VPN (usually switches from the normal "all good" icon to the alert in ~30 seconds) and despite the message all functionality is working. I've checked all the DNS settings, ipconfig /release /renew and /flushdns, reinstalled network adapters, reinstalled the VPN software.

Just wondering if anyone else has an idea, or if anyone know how specifically Windows checks for connectivity? Like does it try and ping something on the web, and if it doesn't get a response it shows the alert?

Assuming the process hasnt changed since vista here is what I found:
The Active Probe Process
Every time a network configuration event occurs (meaning that something has changed in the network configuration), the NCSI process performs several tests to identify the network’s connectivity status. The first step NCSI performs is a DNS query for www.msftncsi.com. The second step is and HTTP get request for http://www.msftncsi.com/ncsi.txt. This file is a plain-text file and contains only the text “Microsoft NCSI.” Last it will perform a DNS query for dns.msftncsi.com.

Reference: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/networking/2012/12/20/the-network-connection-status-icon/

 

[GTP]

Also check to see if the network location is set to"public" "work or "home."
If it is "public" you need to set it back to "Home" or "Work."
Set Network Discovery to "Turn On Network Discovery" in Change Advanced Sharing Settings.

 

[Krynn72]

I gave up on it. Tried tons of stuff, I was able to view the ncsi.txt file in a browser and tracert to it.

Can you tracert to a dns? I tried to do tracert dns.msftncsi.com and it stopped at the router, but it was the same on my own machine. I didn't think until afterwards to try to tracert to the IP that the address is supposed to resolve to.

Thought maybe it was getting hung up on the router/ISP's DNS so I changed him over to OpenDNS and it made no difference.
In the end it wasn't worth digging any further into. Learned a lot troubleshooting it, but had spent a couple hours with him over the last two days and no real end in sight so I just told him to either live with it or I could N&P and cause him a bigger headache setting everything up again. He chose the first option.

 

[GTP]

Just one more thought... did you reset the hosts file back to default?

 

[Krynn72]

Just one more thought... did you reset the hosts file back to default?

I meant to, but forgot to actually try it. Though I didn't have much hope for that, since if it was a Hosts file issue, wouldn't it happen on both the VLAN and off?