having difficulties making wireless connection

i have one computer (call it PC1) connected to the internet via a router and ethernet cable. i am trying to connect another computer (PC2) wirelessly but don't seem to be having much luck. I have tried all troubleshooting tactics known to man. PC2 connects if I plug in the ethernet cable. I have tried so many different ways of solving the problem I'm sure I've created a few more! Trouble is I don't know now if I need to be doing something to PC1 or PC2.
Can anyone help by giving me a brief outline of what options should be checked and/or unchecked on PC1 and PC2. I would like particular help in the 'network' area because I am sure this is where I have created further problems.
One final request, could you please explain this all as if you were trying to help a 4 year old child no matter how patronizing it may seem, as I don't understand how things work technically...i just like to see them working.
Thx

 

Ok. First off, we'll need some more facts, such as:
Brand/model of PC1 and PC2, and the operating system each is using;
Brand/model of the router, and whether or not the router has wireless capacity; and
Type of internet service (e.g., broadband) and whether you also use an ISP-supplied modem for connecting to the internet.

 

Also brand of the wireless adapter in your PC2 if any.

 

hi ok here are the stats:
PC1 is a toshiba satellite P200 running windows vista
PC2 is a compaq presario 2500 running windows XP

i am using a DLINK wireless ADSL router

i believe i have broadband internet - basically the set up is thus....i have a lead coming out of the phone jack in the wall and this is connected to the ADSL position in the router. i do not have a modem supplied by my ISP.

Regarding the wireless adaptor in PC2....does this sound correct LAN-Express IEEE 802.11PCI Adapter.

Just as a footnote: i had PC2 running wirelessly perfectly around 4 yrs ago when i first bought it, i had to have a new harddrive fitted last year into PC2 - is it possible this has anything to do with it?

 

Have you verified if your adapter is working properly through the device manager?

 

You might want to read this guide and see if it helps. At least some of your questions will probably be clearly answered for you. Nobody wants to speak to you in a patronizing manner.

 

hello, thanks heaps for not wanting to patronize me! it was just an easy way for me to explain that i don't understand techie speak and need things explained in the simplest of terms or i get confused. OK, i had already read the helpful link above when i originally posted, however, i have re-read it slowly and carefully, i've done a few checks to make sure devices are working etc and have bridged the LAN and wireless connections on PC2 but still don't seem to have made much progress.

regarding one of the problems i think i created....i tried to set up a 'network' and am not sure if the pc's are linked correctly, or, if they need to be linked at all.

any other suggestions?

di

 

If you have different OS's (e.g PC1 is XP and PC2 is Vista) then you need to make some adjustments so the computers see each other behind the router (home network) if needed (e.g file sharing), otherwise there is no need for the computer to be linked together.

 

Ok. First, as a collateral issue, since you have a _Vista machine and an XP machine, you should download from Microsoft the LLTD Responder and install it on the XP machine.

This will probably not solve your problem, but it will make things easier because that bit of software is necessary in order to make sure that the _Vista machine can properly "see" the XP machine on the network.

In terms of what you have for a connection, you have DSL internet (which is basically broadband) and the ADSL router your ISP gave you is a combination modem + router, so you don't need to worry about having a separate modem.

Now, do you know if you ever set up security or encryption (e.g., WEP, WPA, WPA-2) on the router? If you did, that may be the genesis of your inability to connect wirelessly - those settings only affect the wireless portion of the network, not the wired connection, so you would still be able to connect via an ethernet cable (as you have said you can) even if you cannot connect via the wireless (as you have said you cannot) if the router's wireless security was enabled, but the security settings were not input into the laptop's configuration for connecting to the wireless part of your network.

 

can you talk me through the network phase with a step by step guide for what i need to do to both pc1 and pc2

thanks heaps

 

sorry, i posted that post not realising you had replied with another suggestion. it's 1am here at the mo (australia) so i will start afresh in the morning and download the lltd responder as suggested and take it from there. i do remember doing something with the security encryption on the router, but i 'enabled' the wireless link and set up a security key which i have used during my attempt to set up the wireless link on PC2. thanks for all your help so far. will give you an update on progress tomoz.

 

another day, another dilemma. i have downloaded the LLTD responder onto PC2 (the XP one). I also decided to give the wireless set up wizard another go on PC2. I used a flash drive to store info, transferred info onto PC1 and am pleased to report that i have made progress in that my wireless network connection icon in the taskbar is showing as active and that it is connected. HOWEVER, now, when i attempt to go on to the internet (using internet explorer) i am presented with either 'the page cannot be displayed' the page you are looking for is currently unavailable blah blah OR a message saying that i am offline and giving options to work offline or try again. if i hit try again, i am taken to 'the page cannot be displayed' page. any ideas?

 

It means that you have no internet. Try to release the ip and renew it.

 

Actually, it sounds like its not resolving DNS - still, releasing and renewing the IP address is a good first shot at that problem. You may also need to power down your modem and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, at which point the ISP's systems should release the assigned IP address, and will assign a new one once the modem is powered up again.

 

how do i do that???

 

i'm having difficulty in releasing the IP address - on pc2 i hit start>run>cmd>ipconfig/release and the results are thus:
no operation can be perfromed on local area connection while it has its media disonnected.
ethernet adapter wireless network connection: connection-specific DNS suffix: (displays nothing)
IP address: 0.0.0.0
Subnet mask:0.0.0.0
Default Gateway: (displays nothing)

ethernet adapter local area connection:
Media state.....media disconnected

meanwhile the wireless icon in the taskbar is happily showing that the status is connected and the signal strength is excellent.

NEXT!

 

Do ipconfig/flushdns.

 

ok i've done that and got the message 'successfully flushed the dns resolver cache' - what now?

(i know this is painful for those of you who understand techie stuff)

 

You still don't have Internet?

 

no, if i try to access internet explorer which is set to 'google' as my home page i get a message 'the page cannot be displayed' page you are looking for is currently unavailable/website might be experiencing technical difficulties,or i may need to adjust browser settings. if i type another website address in i get an "internet explorer could not open the search page" message. can you think of anything else? are then any settings that i should have checked or unchecked on either pc1 or pc2?

 

First, make sure that ur wireless network card is set to obtain IPs automatically. Go to Start-->Run and type ncpa.cpl

If ur LAN Network is enabled u can disable it at this time, right click on it and select disable. Now, right click on the wireless network card, go to properties...put in the two checks at the bottom of that window...then scroll down to Internet Protocol in the middle of the window. Select it, then select properties...confirm that selections to "Obtain IP Automatically...." are checked for the top and bottom section. Click ok, ok and close all windows.

Now do a Start-->Run and type services.msc press enter and look for DNS Client and DHCP Client. See to it that those services are started and set to Automatic. If they aren't, right click on it and choose Automatic from the drop-down list, "apply" and start the service. Then look for Wireless Zero Configuration and do the same for that service.

Now go to Start-->Run and type cmd and hit enter
type ipconfig /release and hit enter
then type ipconfig /renew and hit enter
then ipconfig /flushdns and hit enter

Lastly..do an ipconfig /all and look at ur IP Address settings... IF the Internet is still now working; Print screen the ipconfig /all results by pressing the print screen button on ur keyboard and paste it in Microsoft Paint, save it and attach the image in ur next post. So I can see what ur settings look like...if that's too much, then type out the results.

 

hello

thanks very much for your help. i still dont have internet connection and followed all your instructions word for word. all info from ipconfig /all is as follows but just before i let you know what that is, in order to follow your instructions i had to undo some of the processes i had done before, one being that i had to 'unbridge' my connections.

ok, the info is as follows:
windows ip configuration:
host name....:WILLIAM
primary dns suffix....:
node type.....:mixed
ip routing enabled.......:no
wins proxy enabled......:no

ethernet adapter network bridge (network bridge) 3:
media state.....:media disconnected
description......:mac bridge miniport
physical address.....:52-0A-67-B1-A8-BB

ethernet adapter wireless network connection:
connection specific dns suffix....:LAN-Express IEEE 802.11 PCI Adapter
physical address.....:00-02-8A-99-0E-79
dhcp enabled.....:yes
autoconfig enabled....:yes
autoconfig ip address...:169.254.95.127
subnet mask....:255.255.0.0

ethernet adapter local area connection:
media state....:media disconnected
description: National semiconductor corp. DP83815/816 10/100 Macphyter PCI Adapter
Physical address: 00-0D-9D-47-2C-96

i await your further instructions and advice and appreciate them in advance!

 

I think zero configuration is your best bet at this moment as makaveli suggested, try it and let us know.

 

I don't see your gateway default IP address (router) and your subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0. So, basically is like your PC2 doesn't see the router, I think.

 

Agreed. Also, your assigned IP address looks fishy. 169.254.95.127 is not the sort of private subnet IP address that is typically dished out from a router.

Do us a favor, go into the other PC - the one you're not having trouble with - and run ipconfig/all there as well and post the info for us so we can compare the working connection with the non-working connection.

 

how can i go about fixing that?

 

Try running ipconfig/all on the other system first, so we have a better basis for comparison.

 

ok here is that info

 

Are u still seeing the connection in the task tray as connected on pc2 dicer? Is it saying it's connected to the network still?

It seems as if ur router isn't configured to distribute IPs...

BTW do u search for ur wireless network using the built-in wireless connections viewer thingy? Click on the network icon in ur task tray and select view available networks, choose ur connection to connect to.

Should look something like the image attached:- with ur network of course.

 

What connection is partially listed up at the top of the screenshot? The name and type of adapter is cut off; however, from the info that's provided, it looks like whatever it is, it has an IPv4 Address of 192.168.0.1 (which is generally the IP address of a router, not a client), a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 (which is the typical private network subnet mask), but does not have a default gateway assigned.

Also, what are all of those tunnel adapter connections?

 

That's his IPv6 which u can disable dicer..go into the network card properties and uncheck IPv6. You don't need to have that enabled.

Edit: I could be wrong here; about IPv6 being enabled.

 

sorry, did i cut off the top part of that screen? here it is again in all it's splendour.

you're asking ME what those tunnel adapters are???!!!!! jeepers, i have no idea what they are, what they do or where they've come from!

once i 'unbridged' the connections i have been presented with an icon in the taskbar showing a pc with a yellow exclamation mark on it stating 'wireless connection DLINK' signal strength excellent, speed 11 mbps but with status as limited or no connectivity.

i have tried to connect as you suggest but i just get the message 'limited or no connectivity'.

i have unchecked the IPv6 option(in PC1 right..the one that is working OK?).

Shall i go ahead and 'bridge' the connections again.

Just FYI i'm a she not a he.

shall i reset the router?

 

What a mess!

You must have the router to assign the IP addresses, just enter on the IE/RR url bar 192.168.0.1, that will bring you to the router settings menu, then enable DHCP.

Also, on the wireless adapter, instruct it to get an IP address and DNS IP address automatically.

 

What a mess is right. I'm confused

Edit: Ok..let's focus on fixing PC2s problem. Try and get into ur Router's Configuration as wirelessman said above. I think it might be 10.1.1.1 though...seeing that ur connected directly to the router via ethernet cable. That's the default gateway ur NIC is assigned.

 

Yep, I understand what you mean, is very confusing, I'm even amazed that CP1 has internet, the subnet mask is for class A (no residential use), and of course the IP address is not even the one for the router????

 

now, boys, you'll like this one even more.....i tried entering that number 192.168.0.1 as you suggested and guess what...it didn't take me to any screen to do with my router...just gave up a load of google suggestions for people having difficulties in connecting to it. the screen i usually go into is http://10.1.1.1 that takes me to something to do with the router....any good?

there is an option in there headed up DHCP and my options within there are....no dhcp or dhcp server (this one is currently being used) or dhcp relay

 

.............

 

Right, that's what I was addressing in post #24 about the 10.1.1.1 thing.

EDIT: DHCP Server sounds fine. You will basically need to enable DHCP (which seems to be enabled already) and allow it to release/distribute IP addresses. By default it would be a range like from 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.254..but in ur case u seem to be on the 10.1.1.0 network. So ur IP range may be 10.1.1.2 - 10.1.1.254.

 

i cannot access 10.1.1.1 on PC2 ... i get the 'the page cannot be displayed' message

 

That's ok...that's because pc2 is not connected to the wireless network. You can configure the router from pc1. That's fine!

Edit: Once DHCP is enabled on the router and has an IP Range to distribute, then the only other reason I could think of why PC2 wouldn't connect to it is because u may have some type of security on the Router..such as WEP, WPA etc. or MAC filtering enabled. So go through the router's settings and see how ur security is set-up if it has any. And match those settings on the wireless card ....(see attached images)

Do this..in the window where u see ur network on pc2, click on "Change Advance Settings", under the "Wireless Networks" tab, click on ur network and remove it..click ok to accept, and try connecting to ur router again by "viewing available networks" and clicking connect. ....(see attached images)

 

if i opt for the DHCP relay selection (this is accessing it via PC1) i also need to input a DHCP relay IP. 0.0.0.0 is entered there at the moment (that's what came up without me doing anything) and if i hit OK it says this is an invalid host IP address

 

i have entered the relay ip as 10.1.1.1 and rebooted the router and now.....i still have no internet on PC2 and my connection on PC1 which was normally instantaneous is now super super slow.

 

See my post #38 and #40. I made Edits..I think u should leave the DHCP Server setting as is.

 

i've read your edits. i have reset the DHCP to how it was initially and rebooted the router. the security was set up as WEP with a 10 digit key. i did exactly as you said on PC2 and these details were already in place so i am able to double confirm that they are all present and correct.

now, we have a step in the right direction! suddenly i have the wireless connection icon in the taskbar displaying as being connected. i have checked the info on status and i have been allocated an ip address 169.254.95.127 aswell as a subnet mask. it also states that windows does not detect problems with this connection.....but if i still cant connect to hit repari, which i did....it renewed the ip address but i STILL can't connect to IE - is there ANYTHING else i can do???

do you think that this has anything to do with me attempting to set up a network connection between PC1 and PC2?

 

The fact that u r getting a 169.154.x.x IP address means that pc2 cannot connect to the router...

Question, did u remove ur network from the Wireless Networks list like I told u to in my post #40?

And after that, when u went back to view the wireless networks available and double clicked ur network, or selected it and chose connect...did u get a prompt asking u to enter the 10 digit encryption key? Because u should have!

 

<hanging head in shame> no sorry i didn't remove it from the list because i didn't see that instruction in your last post but GUESS WHAT!!!!!!! i did remove it, added it when it was available, re-entered the key and hey presto up popped google and i have internet access on PC2. it's a small step for mankind but it's a GIANT step for me. i can't thank you all enough for the time and trouble you have gone to for me....mak,shyster and wireless you all rock!

 

Ok..you can do this as a test. Do a Start-->Run type ncpa.cpl and press ok.

Right click ur wireless network..which should be unbridges AFAIK...and select properties...scroll to Internet Protocol, select it and choose properties. Assign these addresses to ur wireless nic card:

IP Address: 10.1.1.3
Subnet mask: 255.0.0.0
Default Gateway: 10.1.1.1

Primary DNS: 10.1.1.1

Accept those settings, the network icon should say connected in ur task tray. Try the Internet again.

 

*SIGH* - I can now go to lunch..finally!

I'll give u a +Rep for ur trouble

 

i have to do this even though i have a connection?

 

lunch is on me!