Networking help needed

[Rainman]

Ok, I haven't been able to access the internet on my computer for the past few weeks. Instead I have to do so on my parent's much older Dell computer. My computer is upstairs in my room. My parents computer is downstair with the cable modem. We have a four port router and to get the connection up stairs a cable is run from the router to the a plug in the wall. This brings the connection upstairs. Now, I'm pretty sure all this works.

My problems is that my computer seems incapable of recognizing the network. I've just come from college where a LAN network was a no-no and got you kicked of the internet. It seems to me that after squashing this so our college connection would work we've ruined its ability to connect to the internet via a LAN. I'm tempted to just reformat so as to get a clean slate, but I have a lot of stuff that I want to keep and no way to back it up.

Bah, I'm probably missing something

BTW, I'm using Windows XP

[Ganonator]

go to Start > My Network Places
on the left under 'Network Tasks', click 'Set up a Home or Small Office Network'

Click next, click next
if you have disconnected hardware, select ignore, then continue.

select 'other', then next

Select the first item, then hit next.

This should finish out the process. To ensure you're getting a connection that works, make sure you shut down programs like ZoneAlarm, as they will fuck with your connection until you get it working properly.

Good luck!

[Rainman]

That's what I have been doing, but thanks for confirming it. ;)

Currently after a little fiddling around I have a connection going through the router on this computer. My upstairs computer is connected in much the same way and went through the same procedure. For some reason though, there seems to be nothing I can do to get it working right. There are two connections currently installed. Neither have worked since I got here. I have disabled both, but I can't delete them for some reason. Whenever I go through the procedure as you listed above on the upstairs computer nothing seems to happen.

EDIT: Holy shit I somehow got it working! :o

[Brasel]

Well, you got it working, thats good.

I was going to say make sure the DHCP is enabled and started in the services application, then check to make sure that you are obtaining an IP automatically. Cable companies don't normally give out static IP addresses so the computer usually will just automatically grab the IP from the server.

Oh, and I hate to piss in your cornflakes, but most consumers erroneously call a switch a router. Routers usually only have 2 ports.

[Rainman]

Well, you got it working, thats good.

I was going to say make sure the DHCP is enabled and started in the services application, then check to make sure that you are obtaining an IP automatically. Cable companies don't normally give out static IP addresses so the computer usually will just automatically grab the IP from the server.

Oh, and I hate to piss in your cornflakes, but most consumers erroneously call a switch a router. Routers usually only have 2 ports.

Lol, I'm actually aware of that. I just call them all routers no matter what. :laughing:

[Starkist]

Most off-the-shelf routers these days are also switches.... mine is an old box running smoothwall connected to a giant eight port switch I got free from school.