The Number One Computer Problem
What is the most common computer problem?
OMG….
The Internet is Down.
This is the most frequent service call I get.
And according to PEW research 46 percent of the time the technology that is most likely to fail is the Internet connection.
The most interesting part of PEW’s technology failure survey is what the technology user did to fix the problem.
Only 28 percent of those who had any kind of technology problem be it with their computer, cell phone, Blackberry, etc were actually able to fix the problem themselves.
And, get this… 15 percent were not able to get the problem fix at all.
I guess those folks just go out and buy a new computer or device every time they have a failure which I imagine gets quite costly.
I always laugh when I get the panicked call that that the Internet is down. I tell my customers that I hate going to the big switch and turning it on.
Because there is always a risk that I can get a big shock and I have to wear those big rubber gloves. 
But seriously, most of the time you do not need to call customer support to resolve the problem of no connection to the Internet.
I will address the solution to this problem by assuming that you have a high speed Internet connection using either a cable modem or a DSL modem provided by your Internet Service Provider.
It really does not matter what model brand or type of modem you have as this first troubleshooting step and solution is the same.
Internet Connection Troubleshooting Step:
Open the Internet browser on your computer and attempt to go to a couple different websites.
If the pages do not appear and you have another computer connected to your router/modem try the same test.
If that computer doesn’t open web pages then go to the solution.
For those that have only one computer connection also go to the solution.
Solution to Internet Connection Problem:
Before you call customer support at your ISP, the first step you need to take is to unplug the power cord from the back of your modem and wait about 60 seconds.
Then, plug the power cord back in and you will start to see lights begin to flash on the front of your modem.
Once plugged in you should see the DSL light or Cable Light go solid green. This indicates that you have a connection to your ISP service.
Then you should see your Internet connection light go green and flicker indicating that you now have a connection to the Internet. Test this by opening a web page on your computer.
If the Internet, DSL or Cable lights remain amber you should contact your ISP customer support.
Maybe you forgot to pay the bill.