Wireless Router woes

[MorseLady]

I want to set up my NTL lmb broadband connection to share with my husband's XP Home computer. I have a Linskys G Router.

I tried to set up the Router on my XP Pro machine according to the instructions which came with it but ended up with no connection. I ran the NTL Broadband Medic but the problem was not their modem or servers and I came to the conclusion that the Router had changed my settings even though they looked OK to me. I was getting all sorts of conflicting info from the LAN icon from connected to acquiring network address each time I tried. I did the power down modem and PC and power up again routine as prescribed by NTL and the conflicting messages appeared and even when the LAN icon and connection properties showed connectivity and no problems I could not get email or a web page

During installation Norton Firewall 2005 came up with a red box and I allowed it to block - stupid of me to allow a Firewall to run when setting up a Router!

Then the computer started to freeze and act funny so as a last desperate resort I used System Restore and went back to yesterday and hey ho it worked but before I try again I would like to know what went wrong? Did the Router, which has its own MAC address, perhaps alter things so that the MAC address I got from NTL was overidden?

I have quite a few books on networking and wireless networking and have received lots of advice but the more I try the more confused I get and I have done a Server 2003 MCP course and this should be easy - shame on me! Having said that we moved three months ago and it was the move from hell and we have some family problems and I am not well, should I perhaps tell my husband he will have to wait and leave it for a while?

PS Have uninstalled Norton Firewall and will reinstall ZoneAlarm, meantime am running Windows Firewall.

[wsnd]

My guess would be that you blocked access with the Norton Firewall. So, when you did the system restore you undid what you blocked.

[confus-ed]

..Then the computer started to freeze and act funny so as a last desperate resort I used System Restore and went back to yesterday and hey ho it worked but before I try again I would like to know what went wrong? Did the Router, which has its own MAC address, perhaps alter things so that the MAC address I got from NTL was overidden?...

Possibly this is the problem but maybe not quite as you put it .. NTL uses mac authenication as a part of its sign in routine.

So if you had this all working fine, minus any router, then you need to clone the mac address of whatever pc originally connected up & opened this account, into the router.

Typing 'ipconfig /all' at 'a prompt' will reveal this, copy it down, then rejig the wires, & look for some feature in your router to enter it (if you are having trouble with that, quote the model of your router exactly & I'll try & fathom it out, most models do accomodate this 'clone' idea, as there's not just NTL use mac authenication as a safeguard) - if your router doesn't have this feature, we'll need to go through creating you a fresh account at NTL which isn't a problem 'mostly' as long as you know yout PID & stuff from NTL ..

[MorseLady]

I now have my wireless network up and running. I used the instructions which came with the Router and it was all automatic and very easy. It is running on my second computer and also set up on my husband's computer but there is a conflict with his old dial up settings which I will resolve later as I cannot work when he is in the room because he tries to tell me what to do!

[confus-ed]

.. there is a conflict with his old dial up settings which I will resolve later as I cannot work when he is in the room because he tries to tell me what to do!

Glad its all working for you .. but that last bit ain't right ! , I'm sure generally its the other way around & why I'm sooo-oooo happily divorced !

[MorseLady]

My husband popped out for a few minutes and I had his connection sorted by deleting his dial up account. That's him off my back, he has been nagging me to get him connected since we had broadband.

Things work in reverse here. I am the boss because my husband is disabled and because I am a control freak! Just as well I am not an IT Manager!

PS I now have the wireless network running on the XP partition on my oldest machine so that is four machines linked to broadband now. Would not work in ME just got BSODs but who cares! never use it.