**!$£?** Networks again!!

[Cornish Jack]

Two desktops, main one using D Link wireless router for internet connection and (fingers crossed) seems to work OK. Second machine has D Link USB gizmo plugged in and receives 'Good' to 'Excellent' signal from main machine. Taskbar icons show network connection made and working but a check on EITHER machine for other workgroup machines only shows the specific machine being used. Attempting to make an internet connection from the second machine results in "unable to contact server" message (or some such).
I have enabled WEP on the main machine and entered the same encryption password on both but STILL no working network.
ISP Orange and OS on main is XP Pro and XP home on the second. I have used the Network setup wizard on both machines and they both report a successful setup. Any suggestions welcomed. TIA

[green granite]

No problems with XP home and networking.

Firstly I suggest you run the system unencrypted and get both m/c working on the network and then do the encryption thing. The other thing that confuses some people is the tick box that says something along the lines that other m/cs connect to the internet through this one, they don't if you are going through the router/adsl modem system.

Try pinging the router from the second mc by typing ping 192.168.0.1 into the run box and see if it responds.

[Saab Dastard]

I'm probably talking crap

Yup!

Feel free to delete your post!

SD

[Keef]

As green granite says. Get them both connected to the Internet via your router. Then do the "Start - Run - CMD - ipconfig /all" thing and note the IP addresses of the two machines. They'll be something like 192.168.0.2 and 192.168.0.3. They may start 192.168.something else, or 10.0.something. Whatever they are, you should see two sets of numbers in the same sequence. If you have that, things are looking good.

On the 192.168.0.2 one, type into that same CMD box ping 192.168.0.3 (or vice-versa, etc). You should get a report that talks about "Reply from 192.169.0.3 ...."

If that works, the two machines are seeing each other.

You have to enable file sharing on the folders etc you want to share,and to define how that sharing will work.

You then have to give your network a name, and tell the machines what it is and to connect to it.

Once you've done that, go into Windows Explorer, My Network Places, and look for your network's name. You should see both machines in there.

[dazdaz]

Call me 'old fashioned' but why would one want a wireless link for a desk top? I feel many have been influenced, by the wire free mafia, too many people reading computer mags.

I have one desk top in my home, why would I need some wireless link? I'm happy with my Oyster modem from Orange, 100% reliable.

[taxydual]

Master Phone Socket 44ft from desk. 44ft of cable from socket to computer. Mrs Taxydual vacuums cable up. Exit one vacuum cleaner, exit one LAN card.
That's why Wireless.

The marks' (after she hit me) are beginning to fade.

[Saab Dastard]

but why would one want a wireless link for a desk top?

There are 5 desktop computers chez Dastard - one server and 4 PCs (plus a laptop, 2 DS and a Wii).

All but the server and one PC are connected wirelessly to avoid trailing cables all over the house.

That's one PC each, although I'm using my youngest son's PC as a Linux test PC until he is a bit older!

SD

[Loose rivets]

Ha! I got my kids a train set when they were two and a half. (twins) My son ate part of it.


Help! Sorry to but in, but learning from this thread.

In my new learning mode, I followed Keef's route into the DOS world and read the list of odds. at the end it said, Lease Expires... and the date was tomorrow!! wazzat mean?

[Saab Dastard]

Your DHCP IP address lease has a finite life, ranging from a few hours to a few days, depending on the DHCP server and its configuration.

The DHCP server allocates addresses from a finite pool. In most home environments the pool is far, far larger than will ever be required, so it is largely irrelevant.

However, in the corporate environment, the pool would quickly become exhausted if addresses were just handed out and never returned (by the lease expiring).

If the client computer does not renew its lease within the given lease period, the address is considered to be unused and is returned to the pool.

That's a very minimalist description, I could go into far more detail than you would believe possible!

SD

[dazdaz]

Saab...
"There are 5 desktop computers chez Dastard - one server and 4 PCs (plus a laptop, 2 DS and a Wii)" I dread to think what your electricity bill might amount to:eek:

[Cornish Jack]

Thank you one and all!!
Apologies for nor responding earlier but (you've guessed it!!) the &$*!** internet link went down AGAIN. Having gone from AOL to BT to Tiscali and now to Orange I despair of EVER finding an ISP which can provide RELIABLE service.
Anyway, I have now drilled large holes through two walls and moved the router one room nearer to the second machine, the signal shows a constant excellent. I spent so long on the phone with D-Link trying to sort out the network that the phone battery ran out and I was cut off - WITHOUT getting the network set up!!!
Have just rebooted this second machine and - Glory Be!!- I have got on line from it.... absolutely no idea what has happened/changed.
I shall try to work through the various helpful suggestions and see if I can make any sense of it.
If this internet connection ever happens again, I will report back.
Thanks again

[Cornish Jack]

Update, sort of, as promised.
As you can see, back on line and BOTH machines are able to log on - hooray!!
Problem is, I have no idea what happened. It wasn't anything offered by the Orange 'help' service, 'cos it still wasn't working when I lost their phone contact with a flat battery. :( Anyway, it does work, after a fashion and marginally faster than a dial-up connection but constant drop-outs, freezes etc.
Thank you all again for the tips and suggestions.