Help with Router

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Elite Baiter Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 1731

I have two computers networked wirelessly. They both had internet access. The one computer stopped connecting to the internet. The signal strenghth between the computers is good.

Did some setting get accidentally changed? The company website is of no help. Is there anyone who can offer some suggestions about what to do?

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:03 am

Try the "repair connection" on your wireless icon on your computer. I think you double click it and it should be in the options somewhere.

Can you describe the problem further? Does it kind of connect with your computer yet not allow internet access? Also you could try unplugging the router for 5 minutes and then plugging it back in (kind of a reboot method that has worked for me).

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 2:44 am

What router? What operating system? What happened before you noticed this? What wireless connection? Using WEP, WPA or none? Are you using DNS? (Probably, but I want to ask) If one computer connects and one doesn't it doesn't seem to be the router connection. Can you ping between the two computers? If not what is the error message? Can you ping the router from each computer separately? Are the computers connection mode point-to-point or managed?

I can't even make a quick guess as there are too many options.

It is hard diagnose a problem in the dark.

Elite Baiter Joined: 28 Feb 2007 Posts: 1731

for Dr. Who

The computer that can connect is using windows 98. It is the computer that the router is connected to. The other computer uses windows XP. There is no error message. It just cannot connect to the internet.

I don't know how to ping or what that is. DNS? WEP? WPA? The router is netgear. Practically everything you said is Greek to me. Just ask the lads I am hopelessly computer illiterate. My ineptness with the computer has caused more than one to twig on me. Although, some of them have been very patient and taught me much.

for full auto

Yes, the computers connect but the second one will not connect with the internet. The repair connection option does not work. I'll try the unplugging the router method. Thanks to you both.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:49 am

I have netgear, WPA and WEP are like passwords so strangers can't connect to your wireless.

Sometimes my router overheats, thanks to the crappy technician, I just do the unplug method, works fine.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:03 am

Can you connect to the internet using a cable running directly from your modem to the computer (an Ethernet cable that looks like a phone cable)? IF you can do so, it is a problem with the wireless connection.

I have no idea, but something that worked for me recently was logging into the modem's internal settings and turning off/turning on the network encryption.

Connect using the cable, go to the manufacturer's website and look for the address - look in the troubleshooting/customer service section for your router model. IT will be just numbers and look something like 192.282.1.2. Type this into your browser and hit return. You should come to a page that enables you to change lots of internal settings on your modem.

There should be a link to the encryption settings. Turn off all the passwords/encryption, and try to connect wirelessly to your network. If it works, good stuff! (Don't go browsing about on an unencrypted connection though.) Now set up a new password/encryption and try connecting wirelessly using the new password.

If that doesn't help please post the modem model number, call your ISP, or call the modem manufacturer.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 6:40 am

I'm right with the previous posters. When a computer can connect to the WLAN but not to the 'net it's usually a problem with the encryption.

Can you try this:

On the XP machine, click Start --> Run, type "cmd" (without the quotes) and click OK or hit Enter. A console window will appear. There type "ipconfig /all" and hit Enter.

On the Win98 machine, type Start --> Run, type "winipcfg" and click OK. A window with network info should appear.

What value does each computer print next to the text "IP address"?

If the XP machine (the one with the problem, right?) gives you an IP address of "0.0.0.0" or one starting with "169.254.", type "ipconfig /renew" and hit Enter. What does the computer say?

Also, try what Miss Behaving suggested:

Quote:

Can you connect to the internet using a cable running directly from your modem to the computer (an Ethernet cable that looks like a phone cable)? IF you can do so, it is a problem with the wireless connection.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

You said that the two computers are connected together wirelessly. It would be more usual for the wireless computer to connect to the router, and this is what everyone is assuming. However it is possible to do it the other way and that would lead to different problems.

Can you just confirm the model number of the router (or just if it has an antenna), and which computers have wireless interfaces. Also do you ever have the two computers talking to each other, to share files or to print for example, and if so is that still working?

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 577

check the IP. DCHP sometimes gives you a 169.254.XXX which won't work

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 7:55 pm

^^^ that happened to us, two laptops, one wouldn't connect with a similar IP. It's a default address.
try winsockxpfix - http://news.swzone.it/swznews-9826.php (something to do with adware or Norton?) Don't quote me on that, it was a google search

In our case it was two Macs and eventually after several reboots (of the router) it righted itself.

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:28 pm

I, too, have two computers connected wirelessly to a router, but it's a Linksys. Both computers use XP. Ever since installing Service Pack 2 on XP, it's been necessary to do a "repair" following reboot, or there's no internet connection (little yellow triangle and an exclamation point and a warning that the connection isn't really any good).

To "repair", find the little monitor icon at the lower right corner of your computer screen. Right-click on it, revealing a dialog box. In that box, click on "repair". Give it a minute or two to do it's thing. I think while it's doing it's thing, the little monitor icon is "X"d out with a red "X". When the X disappears and the monitor icon is solid again, you'll get a little dialog box with the signal strength (excellent through very poor). Then you'll get a second dialog box on the screen as the computer does some more things. After a few moments it will tell you it's done. Then you should be able to access the internet.

Edit: Don't be lulled into complacency by the fact that you may see a good signal strength as received by the computer from the router. Good signal strength DOES NOT EQUAL internet access.

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:39 am

Since you don't know what WEP or WPA is I assume you aren't using them. I would suggest that you go to the network section of the setup. I think "start" -> "network connections" and delete the wireless connection shown. Then run the setup wizard. You can manually set the connection but it sounds as though you would need to be talked through it.

As a sidebar, I hope you have at least changed your default router name and password. You are entirely open to access from the local world through your router. I would also suggest you read up on WEP and how to set it up. It is very easy and worth the protection. Then you can amaze your friends with your new geek quotient. Smile

I once drove the freeways around me with a wireless sniffer running and was amazed at how many routers I could log in to, if I wanted to, because they all had the default settings with no protection.

Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:53 pm

Reboot the router. and the computer that won't connect.... 67.3425155% of all computer problems can be fixed by a reboot of the offending system.

Also 82.1232984585% of all statistics are made up.

/seriously try a reboot.