Troubleshooting missing network and dial-up connections icons

This article describes troubleshooting methods that you can use to resolve missing Network and Dial-up Connections icons. The following issues may occur if you click Start, point to Settings, and then double-click Network and Dial-up Connections or if you right-click My Network Places on the desktop and then click Properties.

• The Local Area Connection icon is missing.
• The dial-up connection icons are missing.
• The Make New Connection wizard icon is missing.
• Only the Make New Connection icon appears, or one or more dial-up connections also appear.
• If you click the Advanced menu, and then click Advanced Settings, only the [Remote Access connections] entry appears in the Connections pane.
• The Network and Dial-up Connections Explorer quits responding (hangs) after you select a network connection and then click Properties.

Notwithstanding these issues, networking continues to function correctly, and the Ipconfig command still shows all connection and adapter information.

To troubleshoot these problems, follow these steps:

1. Verify the network adapter setting:
   1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
   2. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
   3. Expand Network Adapters, and then verify that the correct network card is listed.
   4. Double-click the network card, and then verify that the "This device is working properly" message appears in the Device status box on the General tab.
2. Verify that services are started:
   1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
   2. Expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
   3. In the right pane, verify that the following services are started:
      • Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
      • Network Connections (this service depends on RPC service)
      • Plug and Play
      • COM+ Event System (this service depends on RPC service)
      • Remote Access Connection Manager (this service depends on Telephony service)
      • Telephony (this service depends on RPC and PnP service)
3. Verify the logon setting:
   1. Double-click the COM+ Event System service.
   2. Click the Log On tab.
   3. Under Log on as, verify that Local System account is selected. This is the default setting.
4. Verify the desktop interaction setting:
   1. Double-click the Network Connection service.
   2. Under Local System account, verify that the service is running.
   3. Verify that the Allow service to interact with desktop option is turned on.
5. Verify the networking services setting:
   1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
   2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
   3. Under Networking Services, verify that Simple TCP/IP Services is turned on.
6. Verify that the network DLLs that are listed in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article are registered correctly: For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   269019  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/269019/ ) "Network and Dial-up Connections" folder icons missing
7. At a command prompt, type sfc /purgecache, and then press ENTER. The Windows File Checker starts. Verify that all Windows Protected Files in the System32 folder are intact.
8. Verify that the registry keys are intact and correct:
   1. Start Registry Editor.
   2. Locate and then click the following registry key:
      HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Interface
      If the key is not present, create it.
   3. Verify that the value for this key is:
      {0000010C-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
      If it is not, modify it to this value. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
      269019  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/269019/ ) "Network and Dial-up Connections" folder icons missing
9. Use Dcomcnfg.exe to reset the Default Impersonation Level setting:
   1. Click Start, click Run, type dcomcnfg, and then click OK.
   2. On the Default Properties tab, click any setting other than Anonymous in the Default Impersonation Level box. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
      273461  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/273461/ ) Network and dial-up connection icons disappear when you use Dcomcnfg.exe to set the default impersonation level to anonymous
10. If only the dial-up connection icons are missing, temporarily add a bogus standard modem, and then see if the connection icons appear.
11. Remove and then reinstall the latest Windows operating system service pack. To obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    260910  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260910/ ) How to obtain the latest Windows 2000 service pack
12. Make sure that there are no non-present, ghosted, or hidden network adapters in your computer. For additional information about how to do so, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    269155  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/269155/ ) Error message when you try to set an IP address on a network adapter
13. Remove and then reinstall the network adapter:
    1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Hardware.
    2. Remove the network adapter.
    3. Restart the computer, and then let the system automatically detect and install the drivers for the network adapter.
14. Remove any third-party network adapter management software. Temporarily remove any teaming software. The following combination is known to be incompatible:
    Dual-Port Intel Pro 100+ Server Adapter with Intel Teaming Software running an SNMP component, such as Dell Open Manage Server Agents
    If you are using this combination, remove Dell Open Manage Server Agents. For an updated version and for more information, contact the network adapter manufacturer or the third-party software vendor.
15. If the connectoid is getting deleted only as soon as a user is physically connected to the network, follow these steps:
    1. Restart the computer while it is not connected to the network to see if a Group Policy object (GPO) is being downloaded.
    2. Start GPresult to find out which GPOs are applied.
    3. Locate and open Group policy/User Configuration/Windows Settings/Internet Explorer Maintenance/Connection/Connection Settings/. Click to clear the Delete existing connection settings if present check box. For additional information about how to use GPresult, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
       321709  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/321709/ ) How to use the Group Policy results tool in windows 2000
16. At the command prompt, type winmgmt /clearadap, and then press ENTER. This command clears all WMI-related values from the service's performance registry key. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    266416  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/266416/ ) How to troubleshoot WinMgmt-based performance counter errors

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: