Not Sure

The Black Oil

We have Eircom wireless and 4 computers in the house. 2 machines are Windows (2000 and XP), the others are Macs.

Lately, the XP machine doesn't seem to be picking up the wireless at all and I'm a bit of a loss as to why. It has a Belkin wireless adapter that I installed a few years ago, same was in the Win2K machine. I've tried messing around with the settings, uninstalling it but with no luck. I am wondering if the physical location of machine is a problem, the tower is now off the ground and on a desk.

Previously we had the problem of incoming/outgoing calls temporarily disrupting our wireless but we disconnected and experimented with the connections, filter, router etc yesterday and now that problem is gone. Thing is, late last week we rang Eircom with 3 problems (not all wireless related) and they said they'd send a new filter just in case. What arrived today only a completely new router kit which we don't need. So I wonder do I just return it. There is also part of me wondering if I could somehow set it up upstairs where the XP machine is. If so, would it simply overlap/work with the existing router or would there be a conflict?

dub45

The Black Oil wrote: »

We have Eircom wireless and 4 computers in the house. 2 machines are Windows (2000 and XP), the others are Macs.

Lately, the XP machine doesn't seem to be picking up the wireless at all and I'm a bit of a loss as to why. It has a Belkin wireless adapter that I installed a few years ago, same was in the Win2K machine. I've tried messing around with the settings, uninstalling it but with no luck. I am wondering if the physical location of machine is a problem, the tower is now off the ground and on a desk.

Previously we had the problem of incoming/outgoing calls temporarily disrupting our wireless but we disconnected and experimented with the connections, filter, router etc yesterday and now that problem is gone. Thing is, late last week we rang Eircom with 3 problems (not all wireless related) and they said they'd send a new filter just in case. What arrived today only a completely new router kit which we don't need. So I wonder do I just return it. There is also part of me wondering if I could somehow set it up upstairs where the XP machine is. If so, would it simply overlap/work with the existing router or would there be a conflict?

You cannot have two modem/routers plugged in at the one time.

Have you tried changing the channel for the wireless network to see if that improves things?

Have you downloaded the most up to date driver for the belkin?

The Black Oil

Thanks.

Just got off the phone with Belkin and they suggested ringing Eircom to change the channel. I don't think I've done that before but I'm loathe to ring Eircom because of their tech support. Is it something like this? http://broadbandsupport.eircom.net/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE/&/?St=47&E=0000000000134191973&K=609&SXI=2&case=7992&source=search&query=router%20channel&DCSext.clickedFrom=searchResults&branch=4

I can't get online on the XP machine to download the most up-to-date drivers.

dub45

In fairness to Eircom or indeed any other isp it is not up to them to provide support for changing wireless channels.

Why not download the driver on one of the other machines?

click on advance configuration options as per the pic and that should allow you to change the setting.

MunsterCycling

Changing the Wireless channel is as easy as pie, just follow the instructions on the page you posted, just remember its best done over a wired connection.

BTW you can have two routers on a network but not two ADSL modem/routers as they don't have a RJ45 WAN port and that set up is not for the faint hearted.

MC

The Black Oil

OK, changed the channel through an ethernet cable and my Macbook (went to 192.168.1.254 etc), restarted the router and XP machine but no luck at all.

dub45

The Black Oil wrote: »

OK, changed the channel through an ethernet cable and my Macbook (went to 192.168.1.254 etc), restarted the router and XP machine but no luck at all.

any chance of borrowing a wireless usb from a friend?

The Black Oil

Nope.

I was playing around with the Belkin settings and it picked up the signal briefly but died after 30 seconds. That's the first time it's done that in ages.

Ishmael

What version of XP is installed on the machine? If its SP1 or SP0 then there could be a software conflict between wireless zero configuration and the belkin software.

MunsterCycling

Please tell me you have SP2 at least and hopefully SP3 installed on the XP machine... Don't under any circumstance install the Belkin software, its the cause of many a post on here, use Windows in-built client.

Download Netstumbler, Install it and let it scan the airwaves for you and report back

The Black Oil

Aye, it's XP Pro SP2.

OK, I've installed Net Stumbler but what do I actually do with it? It seems to scan but I'm not sure what I should be seeing in terms of output..it knows my Eircom 1234 5678 connection is there.

How do I harness Windows in-built client?

MunsterCycling

Will get back to you later as have to go out now.


Netstumbler show your wifi ssid tells me
a) the wifi card on said machine is working
b) the router is boradcasting the ssid

MC

Ishmael

The Black Oil wrote: »

Aye, it's XP Pro SP2.

OK, I've installed Net Stumbler but what do I actually do with it? It seems to scan but I'm not sure what I should be seeing in terms of output..it knows my Eircom 1234 5678 connection is there.

How do I harness Windows in-built client?

Click Start-> run

In the little box, type "services.msc" without quotes obviously

Scroll down the list to the bottom, there should be a service called "Wireless Zero configuration", Double click on it. If the service is not started, start it, and change the start up type to "automatic".

Close the services window, go to the network connections window through control panel. Right click the wireless connection and click properties. In the properties window, select the "wireless networks" tab at the top and make sure there is a tick in the box beside "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" click "ok" at the bottom of the properties box.

Next double click your wireless connection and try to connect to the wireless network(Make sure to type your password again just to make sure it is correct) and see if you connect. If it does then, i recomend that you either disable your belkin software or uninstall it if possible.

The Black Oil

Er, right. Only getting back to this now.

I uninstalled the Belkin stuff, have been into services.msc and it's already set to automatic.

I can't investigate the wireless connection since it's gone from Network Connections whilst Windows is asking for the drivers/'found new hardware' upon logging in. I've been holding off on putting in the Belkin CD again. I'll have to use something for it to detect the hardware/install it properly, yeah?

Ishmael

Not sure what way the cd is laid out, but it might be possible to install just the wireless driver from the belkin cd.

Put in the cd, close the auto-startup thingy if there is one, go to my computer, and right click the cd and click explore, if you browse around the CD you may be able to locate a way to install the driver without installing the rest of the software.

Alternativley, see if you can locate the driver on the web on another PC, copy it over and install it that way. Then just set it up to use the windows service as described above.

The Black Oil

OK, I went to device manager, found the adapter/card with a yellow question mark, went to update/reinstall driver and directed it towards the Driver subfolder of the CD. That went through and I restarted the machine.

This seems to be what's available on Belkin's site http://www.belkin.com/support/download/downloaddetails.asp?lang=1&download=1135

Perhaps .exe files are not much use here?

No luck in terms of Network Connections/services.msc & co.

Ishmael

Not really sure if it is the correct driver or not but you'll know if its the right one if it works, so you can try it and see. Nothing wrong with it being an EXE.

If it doesn't work, the last thing i can come up with, is to re-install the crap from the C.D. That should let the wireless connection re-appear at least. then disable the belkin software at startup using msconfig, and set the wireless connection to use windows configuration.

After installing the software from the cd and re-starting(retry connecting with the software, it may work, stranger things have happened, if its still not working try the following with the software installed.)

EDIT: You should make sure the wireless connection is present in network connections first before this also.

1. Start->run, type in "msconfig", click ok.

2. Click the Startup tab, untick any and all of the belkin software(if you are unsure, the filepath under the "command" heading should give an indication), click apply and ok, you will be prompted to restart, so restart.

3. Once the P.C. reboots, you will get a pop-up box informing you that you have changed the way windows starts, tick the box, and click ok.

4. follow instructions previously posted for using windows service to manage connection.

Hopefully that should get you somewhere i hope, after that i can only think that there is an issue with the wireless adaptor itself, either distance and objects in the way or it may be borked.

MunsterCycling

Post the model number of the stick you have and I'll find the driver for you, its on the cd for sure just sometimes its buried inside an .exe


MC

The Black Oil

We had people installing a gas boiler/new piping here last week so I didn't get chance to mess around with it. Now, floorboards and carpets were ripped up...so some damage may have been done to our phone line which may explain the general internet and phone problems we had over the weekend.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. After the gas men had gone I tested this PC in a room downstairs, just a few feet from the router but that didn't make a bit of difference. Now the PC is back upstairs and this evening I've uninstalled the wireless adapter and the Belkin junk and restarted..so essentially the machine is blank in terms of wireless access and software. Currently it's sitting with a new hardware found prompt. I've been re-reading this thread trying to remember which steps to use but we've had that many technological problems lately I can hardly remember my arse from my elbow in terms of fixing this stuff!

Thanks for all the suggestions so far, there must be something I'm doing wrong. Must admit I'm half tempted to wipe and reinstall Windows.

The Black Oil

I wiped the computer today, reinstalled Windows etc. Still no luck with this, very irritating as I can't figure out the exact problem and therefore can't fix it. It just isn't picking up the wireless BB.

A little while ago we asked Eircom to send us a new DSL filter and they ended up sending out a whole new router. Would trying that make any difference? The stuff on the CD that came with it says Edition 4, whereas the current router and CD are Edition 1.

MunsterCycling

Give it a go and see, only then will you know. TBH get yourself a Linksys or DLink or Buffalo or Netgear adaptor, ie ANYTHING but a a belkin device which are renowned for being crap.


MC

The Black Oil

Thanks for that, sounds like it's worth picking up one of those. Would it have to match what I have already 802.11g etc etc so that the router, computer and adaptor can talk to each other?

Would something like this do the trick? http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?view_product=1&id=24522

Not sure what wireless G is and I guess what I'm wondering is will the eircom thing not like it...

The Black Oil

Took the Belkin wireless card out of my Dad's PC and put into mine and it worked (activated Windows etc to keep it happy), changed PCI slots too just in case and tried my card again, but no luck so my card was kaput.

Picked up a Linksys Wireless N Adapter, installed it and it found my Eircom network. I was downloading Firefox & Adobe Reader when Windows started to hang. Then it wouldn't boot properly, wouldn't go past the moving blue bar just froze, then it did work after selecting last best configuration of Windows, worked in Safe Mode, then it started to hang again or else you'd log on and it couldn't find the wireless signal.

And so on.

MunsterCycling

Do you have motherboard issues?

MC

The Black Oil

Hmm, don't think so, but I wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. The PSU is a bit rattley - someone told me they lose horsepower over time and that they will devote resources to essential apps and that if the net isn't a priority it mightn't work well. Is that true?

Played around with it again this evening, reinstalled the drivers. Downloaded WMP, some Windows Updates, started to hang. Restarted (Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn't work) and downloaded iTunes, saved the setup to the hard drive and was about to run that when it froze again so I've left it for the moment. Seems to freeze regardless of whether I use IE or Firefox, not sure if it freezes if I just open a Word file etc.