Question Cannot ping computer on local network

[tonicboy]

Hi guys,

So at some point a few months ago - I can't narrow it down to specific installs or configuration changes - my Plex media server stopped working on a local network. To be specific, other devices think that it's remote, not local. After some research, I'm pretty sure the problem has to do with the fact that other devices cannot ping my server at all. I have 2 Windows machines (the server in question and a laptop), 1 Mac and several Android devices. Each one has no problem pinging others - except for the server - but the server cannot ping anyone else. I can do nslookups on the various devices and get correct results.

Things I have tried:

• Rebooting in safe mode with networking - ping works fine
• Turned off anti-virus (just basic Windows Defender) as well as Firewall
• Switched from my wifi card to Ethernet
• Disabled IPv6
• Deleted network config with "netcfg -d"
• Restarted Function Discovery Provider and Function Discovery Host services

I'm all out of ideas, anyone got a clue?

 

[kanewolf]

If you can't ping you have some kind of IP problem. Do you have a second router being used for WIFI? Do you have an IP conflict? Could you have changed DHCP ranges?

Something basic is wrong.

 

[tonicboy]

If you can't ping you have some kind of IP problem. Do you have a second router being used for WIFI? Do you have an IP conflict? Could you have changed DHCP ranges?

Something basic is wrong.

We have just one combined modem/router from the ISP. I don't think we have an IP conflict, as every device that I know of has a different IP. Also, we are using DHCP so shouldn't that prevent IP conflicts? We haven't changed DHCP range and in fact, I don't even have the admin password for the modem/router which was setup by the ISP. Been meaning to follow up with them to get that but regardless, I had the same problem at our last apartment which had shared wifi - we just moved here a month ago and now have our own wifi.

Due to the fact that the computer is visible/pingable when booted in safe mode makes me think it's a local software issue and not a network setup/router issue. The most logical culprits would be anti-virus or firewall but turning off both doesn't help. I've also turned off all Startup Apps to see if one of them is doing something naughty but that doesn't help either.

 

[kanewolf]

But can the Plex host ping anybody else? If not, then again something basic is wrong. If it is pingable in safe mode, I would look at things like have you ever had it on a VPN or proxy ?

 

[tonicboy]

But can the Plex host ping anybody else? If not, then again something basic is wrong. If it is pingable in safe mode, I would look at things like have you ever had it on a VPN or proxy ?

No, the Plex host can't ping any local devices. The idea of the VPN/proxy is interesting. In fact, I do use NordVPN but i hadn't thought to suspect it because it wasn't actually running at the times I was having a problem. But I do see that it has services running, so I stopped those and just for thoroughness, uninstalled it completely. Unfortunately, didn't help. But do you think it might have permanently made changes to some network settings. And if so, what settings?