networking

[somanyholes]

this may seem like going backwards, but on the problem machine, if you enable the wireless card and connect to the internet and then do an ipconfig /all do you get any information for the wireless connection?

[Rik]

I suppose it could just be a bad NIC on the machine, which isn't being detected as faulty? I think I'd be inclined to take a look in the BIOS at this point and make sure it's set up correctly there.

[Glenn]

Baz,

In Network Connections, is your LAN connection there? If it says 'disabled' then right click on it and select 'enable'.

[Sebby]

I don't think it can be disabled; if it was, the connection light wouldn't be on on the router. That's why the physically connection would appear fine.

[Rik]

OTOH, I suppose the physical connection could be fine, but the NIC to Windows area is not working. I'm not sure exactly what the LEDs signal, ie it could just be a hardware handshake, with no data communication.

[LesD]

Probably time to try a cheap and cheerful PCI LAN card.

Though I do have some vague recollections about some drivers having to be uninstalled in Safe Mode to get rid of them properly but this could have been in the days of W'98. May be worth a try with the wireless ones then intall the MoBo Lan Drivers again.

When my onboard LAN died first thing I tried was drivers with no success then I disabled it in the BIOS with a view to re-enabling it to see if this made any difference but I did not get that far.
When I booted up like this good old Bill Gates kicked me when I was down by saying my Genuine Windows XP had to be re-activated within 48 hours! 

This change (simply disabling the on-board LAN in the BIOS) scored enough points for their cock-eyed scheme to think I had put my XP on another machine. Hence a quick trip to PCWorld for a PCI LAN card, which fortunately fixed the problem and let me get back on-line and re-activated with-in the time limit. Sometimes I love WG as much as BT! 

[Baz]

unfortunately I havent had the chance to try it today so we are running it on the wireless again with no probs. When I get the chance I will double check the BIOS setting to be sure and try the un-install the wireless software approach again and re-try the cable where as last time I just un plugged the USB adapter. Dont suppose theres any adjustments need in the router is there. Another thought I had was do the router ports have any priority or not, which I havent tried yet.

will keep you informed.

[Dangerjunkie]

Hi,

Some things to try:

Really silly idea... Have unplugged and rebooted your router and then all the machines (to make sure the router hasn't got its head up its bum and all the machines have good addresses?

If you can find another wireless access point, plug it in on the table next to the problem machine and connect it to the same cable you were using for the machine. If it works and you can surf the net over it then the cable is good. If you can't get another AP move the machine down to the router and try a different cable.

I suspect that will work. The fact the ipconfig /all doesn't list the adaptor leads me to the strong suspicion that this is a bad NIC or a Windows driver/IP stack issue. Do you think you may have or have had any kind of virus or spyware infection on the machine? Sometimes these can break the TCP stack when you remove them.

Open the Control Panel and go to Hardware and the Device Manager. Can you find the NIC in the network adaptors list? Is it shown with a symbol like an exclamation mark or a cross next to it? If you look at the properties does it say it's working normally?

Go to the mobo manufacturer's site and download the motherboard driver(s) for that board. Install the latest version. If for some reason the old driver wasn't working the NIC may reappear or start to work.

Next thing (Take cover, out comes the Linux again) Go to http://www.ubuntu.com and download and burn the Ubuntu Linux CD. Boot the machine off it and see if the internal network works then. If Linux can surf the net then you know the NIC is good and it must be a Windows problem.

Have you installed any hardware in the machine since the NIC last worked? Open the machine up and remove all the boards other than the graphics card. If the NIC starts working you may have a conflict with one of the boards you just removed.

Good luck,
Paul.

[Baz]

Hi Paul,

Really silly idea... Have unplugged and rebooted your router and then all the machines (to make sure the router hasn't got its head up its bum and all the machines have good addresses?


the router has been re booted a few times during the process when I was trying the cable yesterday. It may sound like a silly idea but sometimes they are the ones that work, then it makes you feel like a right pratt

If you can find another wireless access point, plug it in on the table next to the problem machine and connect it to the same cable you were using for the machine. If it works and you can surf the net over it then the cable is good. If you can't get another AP move the machine down to the router and try a different cable.


dont have another router but I have tried the cable on my system downstairs and it worked straight away, no probs


I suspect that will work. The fact the ipconfig /all doesn't list the adaptor leads me to the strong suspicion that this is a bad NIC or a Windows driver/IP stack issue. Do you think you may have or have had any kind of virus or spyware infection on the machine? Sometimes these can break the TCP stack when you remove them.

not sure about this although my son is pretty good at keeping his AV up to date and checking regular, something has rubbed off on him from me at last

Open the Control Panel and go to Hardware and the Device Manager. Can you find the NIC in the network adaptors list? Is it shown with a symbol like an exclamation mark or a cross next to it? If you look at the properties does it say it's working normally?

yes have tried that and there is no exclamation marks, reported as working normally


will try your other ideas when I get time, maybe not the Ubuntu one though

thanks for the help Paul

[Baz]

Well..........started again and un-installed the wireless software then removed the USB adapter. Had previously checked again that the LAN was enabled in BIOS which it was. Tried again with the cable enabling the connection,nothing. Went through every thing I had already done and all the suggestions here, checked network properties,  status, ipconfig /all etc still nothing. Checked the driver properties then stuck in the mobo cd to try the drivers. Couldnt remember installing them originally as we didnt have the router then so found the LAN drivers on cd and installed them but checking the properties after re- boot it was still the same as before with the original driver listed. Could not think of much else so just fiddled about for a bit going over the same stuff and then it just seemed to kick into action 

couldnt believe it when it worked   great to get it going but hate it when things get 'fixed' but you're not sure why or how

anyway it seems to have improved the slowish speed from the wireless a great deal which was the problem, just need to get some drilling now to get the cable out the way to keep the wife happy   then the next job is to get his ps3 working online   


thanks to everyone for the help and ideas they were very much appreciated . stand by for more probs in the future

[LesD]

then it just seemed to kick into action 

That's great! 
I am pleased that you have it working despite a little mystery as to why but I expect re-installing the driver may have been the catalyst.

One question though does ipconfig now work? 

[Sebby]

I'm glad to hear that you got it sorted in the end.

[Rik]

Pesky machines. 

[Baz]

That's great! 
I am pleased that you have it working despite a little mystery as to why but I expect re-installing the driver may have been the catalyst.

One question though does ipconfig now work? 

Sorry Les, just re-read this post and yes the ipconfig does now work



Edit: Quote markup sorted

[LesD]

Sorry Les, just re-read this post and yes the ipconfig does now work



Edit: Quote markup sorted

Thanks Baz, that´s good to know. 

I have just tried it in my new Ubuntu Terminal Window and disappointingly got this:

les@Linux-desktop:~$ ipconfig /all
bash: ipconfig: command not found
les@Linux-desktop:~$   (We need a thumbs down smiley for the likes of here!  )

My memory must be dying prematurely because I thought that this was a command that was common to DOS and UNIX. Ah well!

P.S. A X-check with man confirms that it´s not available:
les@Linux-desktop:~$ man ipconfig
No manual entry for ipconfig
les@Linux-desktop:~$

[Rik]

This do you, Les?

or this 

[LesD]

This do you, Les?

or this 

Great let´s have ´em both. 

I need one for the double presses of the comma under the @ symbol key that I was showing off with above here in my Ubuntu Linux environment!   

[Rik]

The first one can be used by typing : thumbsdown : without the spaces after and before the colon. The second one is available on the post form.

[somanyholes]

ipconfig is windows only

try

ifconfig for wired

iwconfig for wireless

for brief options just do

ifconfig --help


should do the trick

[LesD]

should do the trick

Certainly did So thanks for that.

I see below that this machine has been assigned 192.168.1.66, odd that it is so high a number from the DHCP as it is only the third device to be connected to my 2700.

les@Linux-desktop:~$ ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:xx:yy:zz:xx:yy 
          inet addr:192.168.1.66  Bcast:192.168.1.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          inet6 addr: ff60::250:11:yyyy:zzzz. Scope:Link
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:2507 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1506 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:851918 (831.9 KB)  TX bytes:301063 (294.0 KB)
          Interrupt:11 Base address:0xec00

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback 
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          inet6 addr: ::1/128 Scope:Host
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:1250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:1250 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:62500 (61.0 KB)  TX bytes:62500 (61.0 KB)

les@Linux-desktop:~$

[Rik]

That seems correct, Les. By default the first machine would be 64, second 65 and third 66.