Can't get a connection to computer no matter WHAT i try

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shocksyde

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 24, 2001
Messages
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background:

-my rents got a new computer about 6 months ago.
-we got cable internet with a router (belkin 8 port switch)
-connection to both their computer and mine no problem for 3 months

then, all of a sudden, no connection on parents computer. i figured it was a bad ethernet cable. wrong. bad router? switched the linksys to a belkin. wrong. ethernet card on computer went bad? got a new ethernet card. wrong. windows messed up? format computer, reinstall windows xp home. wrong.

i even tried connecting the computer directly to the cable modem. works when i do it for my computer, won't work when i do it for theirs.

i am at my whits end here, folks. i cant think of any reason why the computer cannot obtain a connection to the internet. the icon in the taskbar says "enabled" and it can send packets, but receives nothing. choosin the "repair" option tells me that the computer cannot renew the IP and therefor cannot be repaired.

any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
 
Sounds like you installed Windows XP SP2 and now the built-in firewall is turned on.

Goto Control Panel / Security Center and turn it off.
 
rcolbert - firewall is disabled, thanks though

Xyphox - i'm not even worried about that right now, i have the computer connected directly to the cable modem and it still isnt working.
 
Try the Winsock repair utility, shit on the internet tends to blow or corrupt the TCP/IP stack in XP easily and thus it sits dead in the water.

WinSock Repair

Oh, and you forgot to try swapping out the cable modem. If that doesn't work, time to call your cable company.
 
Couple of basic things on your parents computer then:

(all from properties of LAN connection in Network Connections section of control panel)

- check link speed and duplex settings
- check to ensure that IP is bound to NIC
- check to ensure that IP is NOT bound to firewire (IEEE1394) card

- or -

- try adding a new NIC to see if they've got a dead (assumed to be built-in) NIC.
- ensure there isn't a 3rd party firewall present
- check the NIC activity lights when connected
-
 
Are you power-cycling the cable modem each time you try a different computer (connected directly to the modem)?
 
Even better, bring a friend who has a working laptop, attach it to the cable modem and see if it can get out. If not, youve got modem/cable issues. If he can, then its a PC issue and you can work from there.
 
shocksyde said:
i will try some of these suggestions, thank you all

keep ideas coming though!
Click to expand...

Restart your PC, Than power down your cable modem for 3 minutes and turn it back on
 
it's not the cable modem, if i hook the modem up to my computer instead of my parents it works fine (i'm using it now)
 
I have a cable modem that "remembers" the MAC address of whatever is connected. Connect something else and it's no-go...I have to power-cycle it (reset doesn't work) to get it to connect to a different machine. My ISP says to yank the power for 20 seconds, but more would increase your odds, probably.
 
ok let me ask this....

if i've got a connection going through a router to 2 pcs, what settings should i use on each computer? should i go through the network setup wizard in XP? if so, exactly what settings should i choose?

thanks
 
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