Network Nightmare for Newbie. Close to suicide, please help!

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 18th, 2004, 6:46 pm

Hi.

Really hope someone can help me on this one.
Okay, i'll start with listing some facts so that you guys have got something to work with.

I connect to Internet through BT Broadband.
I have bought a NETGEAR DG834G Wireless Router.
I have also bought 2 NETGEAR Wireless WG511 adapters.
I own an iMAC and 2 Windows XP Laptops.

Okay, before I begin, please excuse my pathetic attempt at techy type talk - I really am a newbie of newbies and my terminology is way off track. In other word, I don't know my mouse from my keyboard.

Right. The router is connected to the iMAC via the Ethernet cable(?!).
Internet connects to that no problem.

Laptop 1 is connected to the router via the wireless card.
No problems there.
Laptop 2 is also connected to the router via wireless card.
Again, works like a dream for the internet.
Both Laptops have 100% signal strength and all is good.

Okay, I want to now create a network.
I try a few things, go through Windows XP wizards and so on and I find it difficult to get one connected. I put this down to the fact that there is a MAC involved so they are different platforms and thus cannot be linked unless another piece of softwear is purchased. I can't really affor dthat so I forget that idea.

Okay. So now I try and ping Laptop2 from Laptop1. NO, IT DOESN'T WORK !! Same the other way around.
Okay, so I take out the Ethernet cable(?) from the iMAC and plug it into Laptop1, which then becomes the primary source to the router. I now try pinging Laptop2 and it works. Well it didn't just 'work' straight away, I had to go through the Home Network Wizard that is located in the Network Connections folder on XP.
Okay, when I have the Wireless card in Laptop1 and NOT the cable, the icon for LAN (Realtek) says "network cable unplugged", which i kinda guess makes sense realy doesn't it. I also have this other thing in Network Connections called 1394 Net Adapter which does what, I dunno. When I DO PLUG the Ethernet cable in, it does this thing which 'bridges' all those things which seems to make things work.
Don't get me wrong, I would keep plugging Laptop1 into the Ethernet cable to play network games and talk to Laptop2 but the problem is that everytime I then take out the cable so to use just the wireless, it messes around with my settings and I have problems getting on the net.

Now I have spoken to Netgear and they are very blase in saying that "the router must be faulty" but I totally disagre with that notion. I'm sure that everything is fine with the router and that they are just being lazy.

I've posted this problem on a few other boards and I get these replys that are quite technical in their answers. What I really need is for someone to explain to me as if I were a martian from Mars who doesn't know what a PC is...in fact, I pretty much am

I'm so sorry for rambling on here, but I really am tearing my hair out.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Yours awaitingly.

Bronson

Smartweb · Post by **Smartweb** » September 18th, 2004, 8:02 pm

In XP Service Pack 2 which just came out, there is a wireless network setup wizard. Run that on your 2 laptops instead of the standard network setup wizard.

If you haven't upgraded to SP2 yet, you can download it at Microsoft's website. If you do not want to upgrade to SP2, you'll have to set up your network manually without a wizard to help.

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 19th, 2004, 4:58 pm

Hi.
Thankyou very much for your response. Much appreciated.

Do you think that this is the problem then?

I have download XP-SP2 on both Laptops, but can't seem to find this new wirless wizard. Where is it located? I can't find it in Network connections.

I really hope that this simply is the problem.

All I can find is the same 'Set Up a Home or small office connection"

Can you help?

Smartweb · Post by **Smartweb** » September 19th, 2004, 5:07 pm

Go to Start > Programs (or All programs) > Accessories > Communications > Wireless Network Setup Wizard

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 19th, 2004, 5:14 pm

Hi.
In that folder, I have only..

HYPERTERMINAL
NETWORK CONNECTIONS
NETWORK CONNECTION WIZARD
NEW CONNECTION WIZRDREMOTE SDESKTOP CONNECTION.

it doesn't seem to have this wireless connection wizard

Maybe I have dowenloaded the wrong thing?
Is it possible you could post me the link of the correct one maybe?
Is it true this will work even though the two laptops cannot ping eachother?

I was reading in Windows help, and it says this:-

To run the Network Setup Wizard

On the host computer, click Start, click All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Network Setup Wizard.
Follow the wizard's instructions.
Notes

Your hardware must be correctly set up before you can run the Network Setup Wizard.
Run the Network Setup Wizard on the host computer first. The host is the computer that shares its Internet connection, and should be using the Windows Windows XP Edition operating system.
You must run the Windows XP Network Setup Wizard on every computer in your network.
The Windows XP Network Setup Wizard can only be run on computers using Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 98, Windows XP Home Edition, or Windows XP Professional.

[b]DOES THIS MEAN THAT BECAUSE THE ETHERNET CABLE IS PLUGGED INTO THE NMAC, WE CANNOT HAVE A NETWORK????[/b]

SORRY TO BE A PAIN

Smartweb · Post by **Smartweb** » September 19th, 2004, 5:19 pm

Find where your My Computer icon is located and right click on it and press properties. Under System, it should say:

System:
Windows XP
Professional (or Home, Media Center, etc. Editions)
Version 2002
Service Pack 2

If it doesn't say Service Pack 2 at the bottom, you probably didn't install it yet.

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 19th, 2004, 5:23 pm

Thankyou.
I really appreciate your patience with me.

I am now in the process of dowloading this, it should take about an hour.

Do you think, after reading my first post, that this is very likely to work?

Would you be here to maybe answer some questions should I need them in an hours time?

Regards

Smartweb · Post by **Smartweb** » September 19th, 2004, 5:47 pm

I'll be here for a couple more hours.

It should work after you run the wizard.

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 19th, 2004, 6:43 pm

the set up wizard says I need a USB Flash Drive.

I havent got that to insert.

When I choose the option of "Set Up Network Manually" it says that I should see article 871122 in teh Microsoft Knowledge Base on Microsoft.com

Tebow2000 · Post by **Tebow2000** » September 19th, 2004, 7:37 pm

When you get to the step, it is asking that you make a backup disk to put onto other computers which I recommend, choose floppy instead of flash disk and you will be set. Or you could just skip that step

bronson · Post by **bronson** » September 19th, 2004, 9:41 pm

You know what, I think I may have figured it out......

watch this space