Network Log-in Problem

[FJJP]

I have a wireless link to a D-Link router from my laptop and one of the PCs; the other PC is hard wired to the router. I can log on from the laptop to the PC connected by wireless but not to the PC hard wired. Until a week ago everything was ok, and I have made no changes to any of the setups.

Any ideas what might have gone wrong and how to fix?

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

FJJP,

Check to make sure you have sharing turned on and a directory/drive/peripheral shared.

Then you can try to see it from the other computers and try to map it.

Take Care,

Richard

P.S. It would help to know which OS each Comp is running.

[fobotcso]

I've been working today on a laptop Wireless set-up in which it could only be concluded that the on-board wireless of the Sony Vaio TR1 was faulty - or the driver wasn't man enough for the job.

I left the Client happy with a D-Link AirPlus 650 card instead of the on-board NIC singing like a canary.

But that's not your problem. I too would like to know what OS you are running the machines on. Because today, on an XP set-up, I had yet again to rebuild the LAN on the TR1 because it had been replaced by a bridge - to nowhere.

XP has done this several times to me. So the first step in troubleshooting this mixed LAN was to dispose of the Bridge and re-establish a normal LAN with the AirPlus adapter configured just like any other NIC.

So, if its XP, check the Network Connections for an unwanted bridge (I mean the System Configuration not the bits of wire). Check that your two wireless machines haven't reverted to an ad hoc arrangement. Check that the Router (I assume that this is also your WAP/DHCP Server) is using the same encryption as the two wireless machines.

Hope to hear from you soon. fobs

[FJJP]

Sorry - laptop on XP, hard wired PC (the problem) on 2000 and the wireless PC on 98.

[fobotcso]

OK, so if the two Wireless machines have not gone off to an ad-hoc arrangement on their own, the wireless part of the Router must be working.

That leaves the Win2K machine and its connection to the Router. It just could be the NIC. I had to fit a cheap (£6) Belkin NIC to the mixed LAN I mentioned above as the HP Pavilion's on-board NIC had failed. Very unusual, but it can happen. Device manager showed it as working OK but it lied.

Another thought. Win2K's Winsock settings are notoriously fragile (for me anyway). I have to use

Winsock Fix (http://members.shaw.ca/techcd/VB_Projects/WinsockFix.zip)

regularly.

Have you done an "ipconfig" at the Command Prompt to check that the IP is within the LAN's expected range. And then there's always the Firewall to consider...

But one thing at a time, eh....? :)

[FJJP]

When I die, I am going to have this carved on my tombstone, in bold, italic and underlined:

"Don't ask - I didn't do anything - it just started working again!"

I opened up the D-Link setup protocols and didn't change a thing - I just looked. I took a copy of the WAP key to check the laptop settings. I then fired up the laptop, checked that I couldn't get into the troublesome PC and guess what - the link worked!

Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!

[fobotcso]

Great News, FJJP; just remember what it was you didn't do that made it work. :cool:

Sure it wasn't that judicious bit of Transient Shock Treament that you gave the Win2K box? ;)

[FJJP]

Yeah - the 2lb lump hammer didn't half make a dent in the casing though!

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

FJJP,

By looking at the setting and hitting OK vs Cancel would make the computer resave the setting. That might have been all it needed to reset the protocols.

Either way, Congratz! :ok:

Take Care,

Richard