need help setting up a home network please

[souljacker1974]

Hi, I've tried unsuccessfully to set up a home network with both a wired & a wireless router and would be grateful for any help to get one of them up and running.

I can follow instructions but am not very technically literate.

My host (desktop) pc is an old Compaq Presario and I'm using XP sp2. I'm trying to connect an Acer Aspire 3613WLMi laptop to it again using XP sp2.

The WIRED router I have is a NETGEAR DG834 modem router. I've followed the installation disc that came with this router and get as far as turning it on to see if all the lights inc the DSL & internet lights display on it. At this point the DSL light DOES show but I can't get the internet light to light up. Also if I carry on with the installation disc as if the internet light HAS lit then I get a message to say the router can't be found??

The WIRELESS router I have is a Belkin ADSL2+ modem with high speed mode wireless g-router. I can't see any other identifier on it as to model number! Again, I've installed this one via the instructions and can get my laptop to find the (strong) signal from it but when I try to connect it just says "acquiring network address" for ages and then disconnects!

My internet connection is Virgin Broadband and I've never had any problems with it. My only query is whether their little black modem is playing a part in my problems? To follow the instructions for both my routers I have to disconnect the Virgin supplied modem and daft as it sounds I wonder if this is part of the problem?

Obviously I'd like one/both networks to work, can anyone help please?

Further information supplied if need be but i dont know what else to tell you at the moment!!!

[*Bill G*]

VirginMedia is normally a Cable Broadband solution which would not work with an ADSL type router as the WAN selection on the router would be a RJ11 type connection for a phone line rather than a RJ45 network connection. This could be the problem.

You are right in assuming your need to reset the cable modem when you plug a new device to it. The cable modem records the MAC address of the device that is connected to it, which could be your machine or router. In order to clear the recorded MAC address you need to disconnect the power from the modem and connect the device (router/PC) and then re-apply the power.

Do you have a cable router? e.g. DLink DI-624

[johnwill]

Bill is correct, you MUST power cycle the modem when you change the attached device.

Pick one of the routers that you'd like to get working and try this.

Reset the router to factory defaults by holding the reset button down for 15 seconds with power on.

• Turn off everything, the modem, router, computer.
• Connect the modem to the router's WAN/Internet port.
• Connect the computer to one of the router's LAN/Network ports.
• Turn on the modem, wait for a steady connect light.
• Turn on the router, wait for two minutes.
• Boot the computer.

When the computer is completely booted, let's see this.

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD to open a command prompt:

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following command:

IPCONFIG /ALL

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter.
Paste the results in a message here.

If you are on a machine with no network connection, use a floppy, USB disk, or a CD-RW disk to transfer a text file with the information to allow pasting it here.

[souljacker1974]

Bill G

Thanks for your response, you're right that Virgin is normally cable based but in the "backwater" I live in we don't have cable available so it is definitely an ADSL router that I need.

The rest of your response talks of having to reset the "cable modem" does this advice still apply to my ADSL router or would I need to do something different.

Many thanks for your help

Matt (souljacker1974)

[souljacker1974]

JOHNWILL

Thanks for your response. I haven't done the first bit of your advice yet as I believe I have another problem.

To clarify....before posting on this site I read through previous questions hoping to find some answers to my problems. I noticed that one bit of advice regularly given involved going to the command prompt and typing IPCONFIG/ALL so i thought I'd try this on my machine just to see what showed up for my computer. However, upon doing this I get the following message :

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner>IPCONFIG/ALL
'IPCONFIG' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Documents and Settings\Owner>

I also run a website and had my host trying to help me solve a problem on that recently by using the "ping" command and we were getting the same response then?!

Can you please advise?

Thanks
Matt (souljacker1974)

[matt261102]

You need a space between "ipconfig" and "/all"

[souljacker1974]

matt261102

Thanks for your message, have just retried the command with the space included but it has made no difference to the error message I quoted before?!

[*Bill G*]

Ok, just had a quick look on the Netgear website at your model ADSL router and there seems to be a number of versions. I would suggest a firmware upgrade first of all to ensure the device is up to date.

As your router is also a modem, you would plug the router directly into the telephone socket and not another modem. Am sure this is what you are doing.

The other option is that there could be to much noise on the line which is causing the problem, ask Virgin to check this out for you.

The IPCONFIG command is located in your system32 folder. Go to the command prompt and type the following:

path=%path%;c:\windows\system32

Now try the ipconfig/all command and see if you have an IP address form the router, as the default for this router is 192.168.0.1 your IP address should be 192.168.0.2 or 3 or 4 etc.

[johnwill]

TCP/IP stack repair options for use with Windows XP with SP2/SP3.

Start, Run, CMD to open a command prompt:

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following commands:

Note: Type only the text in bold for the following commands.

Reset TCP/IP stack to installation defaults, type: netsh int ip reset reset.log

Reset WINSOCK entries to installation defaults, type: netsh winsock reset catalog

Reboot the machine.

[souljacker1974]

Bill G

I've checked and my router is all up to date & I am connecting it directly to the phone line as you assumed already.

I've followed the rest of your suggestion and when I type in ipconfig /all in the command prompt all I get is "Windows IP Configuration" and returns to a new command prompt below that.

I have also now tried "power cycling" the modem as per Johnwills earlier suggestion and when the computer reboots and tries connecting to the net I get an error message saying "no dial tone"??

[souljacker1974]

Johnwill

I've power cycled my system now as per your earlier suggestion and when the system reboots and tries connecting to my internet connection I get an error message saying "no dial tone".

When trying the ipconfig /all command in the command prompt it is just coming up with "Windows IP Configuration" then opens a new command prompt below it.

I've tried to reset TCP/IP stack to installation defaults as per your instructions and I'm getting two errors. Initially I got a pop-up error stating :

"netsh.exe - Unable to locate component.
This application has failed to start because framedyn.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem"

I clicked ok to close this error message box and then in the comman prompt screen it also stated:

"The following helper DLL cannot be loaded : DGNET.DLL"

WINSOCK - Resetting WINSOCK entries to installation defaults came up with the same two error messages BUT under the "The following helper DLL cannot be loaded : DGNET.DLL" message in my command prompt it stated :

"Sucessfully reset the WINSOCK catalogue. You must restart the machine in order to reset the catalogue"

I've restarted my pc but am still not getting anywhere?!

[johnwill]

Well, if you're getting errors on the commands, that's the first thing you need to address. Obviously, there is some significant corruption of the TCP/IP stack somewhere.

You might try this SFC Tutorial to see if that will restore any missing files.

[souljacker1974]

Hi Johnwill

I've tried this tutorial and it "scanned" my computer then nothing! The same error messages are appearing, any ideas please?

[johnwill]

Please try the IPCONFIG /ALL again. Note that there is a space between IPCONFIG and /ALL, however there are NO other spaces in the command line.