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network idiot here again


zlim

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My desktop died and is in the shop. I've been using 1 notebook wired to the router (port 1) to surf. Two partions: ME and 2K, everything has been fine on both parts since Monday. This afternoon the 2K part lost something. Neither IE nor FF will load a page (when I see resolving host, I know there is a problem). The ME part still works - that's what I'm using to post.When I enter http://192.168.1.1 nothing comes up on either. Is this because all that information is on the dead desktop in the shop? Our power went out briefly and I thought maybe I have a different IP but even so, the ME part fires right up.1. Should I install the router software on the 2K part so I can figure out what is happening? 2. If not, where should I look in the 2K part to tweak settings?

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I think the first thing to try would be to shutdown the computer and the router and to let them sit for a minute. Then start the back up, wait another minute, and see if you are online :whistling:

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I think the first thing to try would be to shutdown the computer and the router and to let them sit for a minute
I hesitate doing this because maybe the side that is able to get on the internet will also get lost. I did pull all the plugs on the computer and ethernet connector earlier today because we had a severe thunderstorm and lost power for a short bit of time.I'll do an ipconfig/all on both partitions and look at how they compare.Thanks.
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Not sure what you look at so I'll mention highlights...if what you need isn't there, I'll repost2K side:Ethernet Adapter LANConnection specific address gives my comcastDHCP enabled YesAuto-conf. enabled YesIP address 69.136.80.83 (the ME side has 0.0.0.0)Subnet Mask 255.255.255.128 (ME 0.0.0.0)Default Gateway 69.136.80.1 (ME is blank)DHCP Server 172.30.128.37 (ME 255.255.255.255)DNS Servers 192.168.1.1 (ME doesn't have that has Primary and Secondary WINS with both blank)

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Liz, the W2K looks odd. You said it has your Comcast settings and I can see that. But you also say it is connected to the router. Which is odd because shouldn't it get a 192.168.1.x IP address from the router's DHCP server?

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router's DHCP server?
Not sure what this is? Is that my desktop that is not in the picture at the present time? I did notice that my IP from Comcast changed yesterday (I traced my listed IPs from postings at another board). This probably happened when the power and cable went off briefly twice.I don't think I had the computer on (I usually unplug the power from the wall and remove the cat 5 cable when there is a thunderstorm). I don't understand why the ME side works but the 2K doesn't - same cat cable, same ethernet controller, same computer just a different partion. I'm not complaining, I'm glad at least 1/2 of it works. I have another nb, running 98 and have a USB to ethernet connector. I'll have to see if that is still able to connect.Peachy, should I go in and manually change some settings on the 2K side? If it doesn't connect now, I really don't have to worry about losing anything. If so, refresh me on where I change the settings.
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I hooked up the other nb this morning (slot 2 on the router). It is unable to get on the internet also. The gateway IP is blank. So I'll consider myself fortunate that I'm able to get on the net via broadband with 1 partion on 1 computer. I really don't want to spend $$$ for broadband and be unable to use it.1. If all else fails, can I connect the notebooks directly to the cable modem and get on, bypassing the router? They don't have the comcast software on.2. If my desktop can't be fixed (it's completely dead - no lights, nothing) and I need to use a notebook as a desktop, do I install the router software on to it and then remove it later when I get another desktop?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Well I discovered the answer to question 1: NO.I also added some settings just in case info was missing. In the Internet Options under LAN, I put in the current address of the cable modem (just in case it was using the old address). Wouldn't connectThen I opened ZA and in the Firewall Zones, under Advance, I added the address of the cable modem. Both of these did nothing as far as I can tell.This is a 98SE nb.

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Hi zlimPossibly some good news. If your system that is not working and is in the shop,just went dead one day. No lights or anything when you tried to reboot it.And there were no previous symptoms. My daughter just had the same problem and I fixed it. It was a power supply. That could be good news because they are relatively inexpensive parts. It is my understanding that you have a external hard ware router?I would not connect (laptops) or any system directly to the modem with outfirewalling them first,as they probably would be compromised quickly.So use the router at least you will have a NAT firewall.What kind of router is it?I will try to help if it is OK with you,and Peachy,and SonicDragon. atiustira

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1. If all else fails, can I connect the notebooks directly to the cable modem and get on, bypassing the router? They don't have the comcast software on.
Yes. Just install the Comcast software. You mentionned a power outage. Hmm, maybe your router got fried. But you said the ME partition works. Strange. And, you can't get to the router's config page at 192.168.1.1. A number of things to check:1. Reset the router. It usually has some button that allows you to reset it to the factory settings.2. In Win 2K, do a repair on the NIC driver or delete it and reinstall it.3. See if both notebooks can ping each other while attached to the router. It's obviously not a hardware problem on the notebook if the ME partition can get to the Internet.
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I'll do some of this later today, Peachy.atiustira, any and all suggestions gratefully accepted. I'm sure the others here get tired of hearing about my network problems. I understand most aspects of the computer but I have a huge blind spot as far as networking is concerned.Actually, the desktop did get BSOD on Saturday and when I tracked down the error, it indicated a bad stick of RAM. I removed the last stick (I have two) and the system loaded Windows on 64megs but couldn't load my profile, too many resources, so it loaded the default. I thought just perhaps I had done something when cleaning the registry so I found the backup of the cleaning, put it back in the registry and put the stick of RAM back in. Still same BSOD. Monday I bought another stick of RAM, put it in, same error. I thought perhaps the slot was bad (I', not sure if memory slots go bad), so I started moving RAM around. BSOD on everything except the oldest 64 in slot 0. The last time I booted up, Windows started to load, rebooted, started to load then everything died.By the way, I do run AV, anti-trojan, firewall, and malware/scumware detector and I don't turn of my AV or firewall when not connected thru the router. The router, ethernet card in dead desktop and wifi card are all Linksys.

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See if any of this makes sense:1. I reset the router. The only change, as I feared, is that neither partition could get on the internet!2. I did not yet remove the NIC driver on the 2K side because it says it is working properly and every setting looks to be exactly the same as the ME side. One exception: 2k has an APM Mode wakeup that doesn't appear in the ME (I have it enabled).3. I called Comcast yesterday and told the tech that when I tried to install the software on two notebooks (98SE and 2K) it could find the NICs but it couldn't connect. He told me that the software isn't necessary, it only adds a desktop icon and IE support. I said I use Firefox which he liked. He told me that anytime new equipment is attached to the cable modem, I should reset it.4. I completely removed the router since the reset did not work and disabled the one way I had to the internet. I unplugged the cable modem to reset it. End result: the 2K side is still unable to get on the internet but the ME side can now get back on. Just to convince myself that it wasn't a case of flaky cat cable, I changed the cabling from the cable modem to the nb. No change. 2K remains unable to find anything and ME can surf.Tomorrow, I'll try and connect the other notebook to the router and see if that works. If it does, then I'll remove the NIC driver from the 2K side of the other notebook and see if that does any good. If it doesn't work, I will have to try and figure out what obscure setting the ME computer has that the 98SE and 2K lack. At this point I have no idea what makes ME so special.

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Hi zlimIf I may please try to help. I think that the original problem was that your ISP changed the IP address. Which happens if your service is Dynamic and not static(A permanent IP adress).Or The Win2k was trying to pull it's (DNS) IP address from your ISP. But the router would'nt let it through. And depending on the network topology that you are trying to use. I maybe wrong but it is my understanding that you are trying to use the router. So that you only need one IP adress and the Network Adress Translation of the router masks all of your systems that are behind it and make them appear as one. And that gives you a type of firewall,on the router. And all systems connect through the router. If that is the case then your 2k should pull it's DNS settings from the router.(Not from the ISP 69.136.80.83) The router then functions also as a DHCP server.If you would please. Could you try this. Power down everything. Reconnectthe RJ45 Cables to the modem,router,and your computer that dual boots 2kand ME.Power up the modem when the connectivity lights stop blinking and stabilize.Power up the router. After the connectivity lights stop blinking and stabilize. Power up the system that dual boots ME and 2k. Log into 2k.When your desktop is done loading. Right click on ( My Network Places) .Left click properies from the drop down list. Which should open a Network and dial up Connections window. Make sure that you have your 2k drivers available. On the 2k install disk or on copied to your hard drive. As theymay be requested, to complete this next step.From the Network and dial up Connections window,left click on your Local Area Connection Icon.Left click on InternetProtocol(TCIP). So that it is highlighted. Next click on the properties button. Make sure that Obtain an IP address automatically is selected. And Obtain DNS server address automatically.Left click on the Advanced button. Under Advanced TCP/IP Settings,left click the Options tab. Left click to highlight TCP/IP filtering. Then left click on the Properties button. Make sure that the Enable TCP/IP Filtering(All adapters) box does not have a check mark in it. For the ports TCP,UDP,and IP Protocalls. Permit All should be selected for now. Left click on OK After adjusting the settings. Then left click Ok again in the Avanced TCP/IP Settings window. Then left click Ok again in the Internet Protocall(TCP/IP) Properties window. Then left click Ok again in the Local Area Connection Properties window. Then reboot your PC. Into the 2k :)Ok 2k should be configured to pull the IP.Now we need to configure the router.When you reset your router,it set it to factory specs. The addie may have been changed before,and that may have prevented you from logging in.Open a browser window and enter

http://162.168.1.1

If that gets you into the router sign in page. Try to sign in. For example.Leave user name blank. Enter a password of admin.If that gets you into the router,remember to change your user name and password later after you are done with your configuration,and are shure that everything is connecting OK. Preferably something not easy to guess for your user name at least 8 characters long throw in some digits and other keybord characters like @ . For your password samething,try to stayaway from words found in the dictionary. Maybe like this (m1Ybr&ow9nd@o#g).Under status please note the LAN address. This is the address of the router as seen from your LAN. Under DHCP Check out the clients table and make sureyou are in it. You might try DHCP release and renew. Make sure DHCP server is enabled. Click apply after your changes. Please let us know if we helped you. I hope this gets you back online. Oh these ipconfig commands for 2k maycome in handy.

ipconfig /?             Displays help.ipconfig /all           Displays the full configuration information.ipconfig /release       Releases the IP address for the specified adapter.ipconfig /renew         Renews the IP address for the specified adapter.ipconfig /flushdns      Purges the DNS resolver cache.ipconfig /registerdns   Refreshes all DHCP leases and re-register DNS names.ipconfig /displaydns    Displays the contents of the DNS resolver cache.Also theseroute print

And here is link to whole bunch of netstat commands.http://www.attechnical.com/netstatcmd.htmlatiustira

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Thanks. I'll work through these later today when I'm on the nb connected to the printer so I can print out the instructions.Current situation, the 98SE notebook connected directly to the cable modem works. So it appears that something else is preventing the 2K system from seeing the internet. As I said last night, I'll remove the NIC driver because before I add the router back into the mix, I want to be able to get the 2K connected directly to the cable modem surfing.I think there are several issues going on that's why the solution isn't cut and dried - I have to fix a few problems.marsden, would the router addy change? It has always been 192.168.1.1

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Liz, I should have asked this earlier, but is the W2K using DHCP or did you assign the IP address. What makes it strange is the fact it has the Comcast IP address when it's connected to the router. It shouldn't, it should be getting a 192.168.1.x IP address from the router's DHCP server.DHCP is Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. The router will usually have it turned on by default and your computers should have their TCP/IP properties set to DHCP.

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At the moment the router isn't connected at all. I'm trying to sort out one connection problem at a time. The latest, I removed the NIC driver from 2K, rebooted then reinstalled it. When I checked in device manager it didn't have 4 items that were in there before and still on the ME side (Pattern Match Wakeup, PME Enable, Primary Packet, and VLAN ID). I tried to fire up FF and I thought it would finally go thru because it started up by saying transferring data but then it switched to resolving host for my home page and I got a site not found error. I fired up IE and the status bar said detecting proxy settings. :P Not things I wanted to see.I went into ZA and removed every program in the list. I also went into the Zone section and removed one item. I fired up FF and the first item to ask for permission was the Services and Controller. I allowed it (and it was allowed before). This time 2K found the interntet. I suspect something got changed - at this point I don't know which of the items was the culprit, I'm just happy I can access the web.Tonight, I'll reattach the router and see if I can get the one notebook on. I'm also printing out all the suggestions - I do keep everything in my networking folder and write down what works and what didn't.Peachy, I had DHCP enabled on all computers, every partion and for wired and wifi card. When I connect the router, I will go thru the settings on the router and all 3 computers just to be doubly and triply sure.I'm rethinking my plan. I was surfing and all of a sudden I lost access. I did not change a thing so now before I connect the router, I want to see what is doing that to 2K. I rebooted and was able to get on. I'm going to watch the time and see if it happens again if there is a time frame involved. AFAIK, I don't have anything to lock up or shut down after a time period.Anyone feel free to throw in suggestions of places I can look to figure out what is going on.

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The router's internal IP address will never change.Have you replaced your cables? With a network card installed, you should be able to ping the router. If there are no conflicts in Device Manager it is either a bad cable or bad port on the router. Have you replaced the network card with another one? They can be bad too. Can you ping between machines using a "crossover" cable?Establish basic communication between devices first. Worry about connecting to the net later...

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I'm rethinking my plan. I was surfing and all of a sudden I lost access. I did not change a thing so now before I connect the router, I want to see what is doing that to 2K. I rebooted and was able to get on. I'm going to watch the time and see if it happens again if there is a time frame involved. AFAIK, I don't have anything to lock up or shut down after a time period.
Hi Zlim, :D 3 Days.... at a time.Since I've hooked two PC's through a switch and use DHCP to establish com's, I get the message in Lan/Status/Support/Details (Using Today's connection)Lease obtained 27-08-2004. 3.00.45pmLease expires 30-08-2004. 3.00.45pmIt appears that while the IP is happy to provide the service, it only runs for up to 72Hrs in one session.Every time I re-log on, the lease also changes to reflect the 72hr period.You may have to 'Shut-Down' every couple of days or so. I'm not 100% on this, because it doesn't affect the way I use the internet as I shut down every day.I'm not even sure if I'm on the same wavelength?? :D
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Well that lose of internet only happened once. I'm running the 2K for awhile if only to prove that it is setup okay. Once I'm convinced, I'll put the router back in the picture.marsden, I didn't replace any cables when the connection died. I had to remove the desktop (it died) from slot 1. I moved a notebook into slot 1 instead of using the wifi card. I'm currently using one notebook as a desktop replacement. I have an external keyboard connected, I installed and connected it to the printer and I am using my LCD screen instead of the notebook screen. On the notebook one of the partions worked perfectly, the other partion could find anything. That's what I've been working through. When I reset the router both partions lost internet connectivity or maybe lost communication with the router because nothing worked. I also tried another notebook in slot 2 which had been okay but when I reset the router, it also lost communication.ozidave, my router only provides a 24 hour lease for an IP. At least that what it has shown when I do an ipconfig /all. The cable modem IP last longer (I guess until Comcast decides it's time for a change). I had the first IP for more than 2 1/2 months. I lost power briefly last Saturday and my IP changed. I thought the two events were related but after talking to tech support, I found out they aren't. It was just a coincidence that the IP changed on the same day that the power went out.

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Sounds like you have a flaky router... Routers are cheap... can you swap in another one? When it comes to Network issues, I always start with the simplist things first. Cables, Nics, Disable Nic, Re-enable Nic, Ping router, ping other machines on my network, try to access router. reset router. If I can't access the router, I try different ports. If that fails, replace router. Begin process over. I've taken screen shots of my router config pages so setting up a new router takes less than 5 minutes.I use Static IPs because then there is no worrying about expired leases or having to renew and what not. Static IPs are very simple in small networks. Workstations are numbered 2-99 and servers are numbered 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, etc..

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atiustira, I printed out your instructions. I hooked everything up, fired up the 2K part and it connected with no problem. I then went into the router setup (I previously had set a username and password, not a dictionary word so I was all set there). I got to the Status page and I'm not sure which is the LAN address. I don't have anything with that title. I have an IP address (it's different than the previous two I knew about, maybe Comcast reset it again), I have a subnet mask and the default gateway is the same as the IP address (not sure if it is supposed to be). The DNS #s are still the two that I put in that Comcast assigned to this area.A bit later, I'll fire up the ME part and look to see what it does. Incidentially, I didn't have to change any settings (in the TCP/IP section of Network and Dialup Connections) because they were all exactly as they should have been.

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Routers are very simple.You have your WAN IP address (Wide Area Network or public IP address)You have your LAN IP address (Local Area Network or private IP address)Your WAN address should be set to Obtain IP Automatically. (It will get whatever your Cable /DSL provider has initalized your modem with.Your router has a physical address (besides the MAC address) just like the address on your house. That LAN address is different from all the other IP addresses on your private network. It is also called the Gateway address because all your machines point to that address to gain access to the Internet.

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Sounds great zlimYou can access the router. Your 2k is now pulling it's IP address,from therouter. And you can log into the router.Did you find the DHCP release and renew buttons when you were logged into the router? Usually when I lose internet connectivity,this will restore it.Clicking the release button first,and then the renew button. And then eitherrebooting (So the system pulls the new address). Or doing it from a command line. The new IP addresses are probably right as they are working. Something like

192.168.x.x

? Of course you wont see the X's.I agree I have never seen the router address change. Except for when I changed it myself. But I was not sure why you could not log into it.I have seen that when I try to log into mine,and forget that I changed it.I thought that you said at one point that you got a internet connection on the ME partition. While it was connected to the router. But could not log into the router.So I thought maybe it got changed some how. You said that you removed something. From Zone Alarm. Was that on the 2k partition ? Maybe when the IPchanged ZA saw it as a spoofing attempt and blocked it. Then when 2k lost that it also lost it's connection to the router? And the Obtain DNS server address automatically function. Tried to pull DNS directly from your ISP,instead of the router? I don't know for sure. But this might have beenwhat you saw happen. Any ways I think that every one has been giving you great advice. My apologys go out to Peachy and Sonic Dragon,and Marsden 11for puting in my 2cents worth.Glad you are back online. atiustira

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Both computers are connected to the router. All three partions can access the internet. I did not change a setting anywhere. When I checked all the settings appear to be what was mentioned.Bottom line: what I learned from the past week...if one of the computers can't find the internet, power off the router, power off the cable modem and wait about a minute. Power up the cable modem, then the router, then one of the computers and everything will probably work.OT I tell you I think there are gremlins inside my notebooks just doing things to drive me bonkers!!! :w00t: My IP addresses are in the 68.x.x..x and 69.x.x.x , which is Comcast for the Philadelphia area. I know this is not correct because my address should appear as similar to the router 192.168.x.x so I now have to figure out what settings I need to change so the router acts as my firewall.

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Your WAN IP address (69.x.x.x ) will certainly be different from your LAN IP (192.168.1.1) and that is perfectly ok...Your router is using NAT (Network Address Translation) to resolve the Comcast (69.x.x.x ) IP address to your internal LAN private IP address of 192.168.1.xxx. That by default is a firewall because your internal private IP range from 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254 is non-routable to the Internet... The wild Internet only sees your router and nothing behind it until you open ports up to allow port forwarding.

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Thanks, marsden. It took me awhile to figure out that my post IP is always my current cable modem IP. (I went to another forum and looked over 3 months of posts, LOL).This leads me to my next question: should the IP for the Default Gateway be the router or the modem? On different printouts at different times, both IPs have appeared and I'm not sure which one is correct. I wasn't interested in networking my computers when I first started setting up, I just wanted each computer to get to the internet. Eventually, when I get a handle on this router set-up, I'll add more confusion by trying to get the computers to see each other.My usual form of sharing information was one of two methods: put files on a thumb drive and move them that way or connect the computers using a cross-over parallel cable and move large files that way using CheckIt software.

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Liz,The default gateway should be the router's LAN IP address, i.e., 192.168.1.1 for your network. The router will always display two addresses in its configuration page: The WAN IP address, which is the one that Comcast assigns the modem, and hence what your router uses. The other is the LAN side which allows the router to talk to your network and forward any requests out to the modem. All routers/gateways need at least two interfaces. It acts as the middleman between your network and the broadband modem.

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Thanks again, Peachy.Well the power supply was dead on my desktop, they just replaced that today. The error messages that I was seeing before the power died, continues to show for the techs. Now they are trying to figure out what's up with that. At least I got the error correct - it was memory. However, replacing the sticks doesn't solve the problem. :thumbsup: This is a lead in to...when I get the desktop back, I will tweak the router settings again because when I go to the status page, the Default Gateway shows the cable modem IP not the router's. I guess in addition to printing out everything, I'll have to start dating it to see what addresses go with which dates.

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