Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[G-Flex]

This problem is so stupid and senseless that I'm not sure anyone, here or otherwise, will be able to figure out what's going on.

Background: I just moved into a new place. The house has a Netgear WNDR3400 N600 router. The router and network ostensibly work fine; all the preexisting computers in the household can connect just fine, both through ethernet and the wireless network. My laptop, which has never been brought into this house or connected to the network before, is an old-ass Acer TravelMate from 2004. Its wireless adapter and ethernet adapter are both functional.

Problem: My laptop won't connect to the network, or the router won't talk to it, whichever is the case. If I try to connect via an ethernet cable (one which I know is working), Windows isn't aware of the connection at all (the typical "network cable is unplugged" error). If I try to connect via the wireless, it hangs on "waiting for the network to respond" or whatever the first message is. It doesn't even get to DHCP in either case.

This is rather bizarre. I know the laptop's adapters can connect to other networks, and that the wireless adapter supports the encryption used here. I also know that the other computers in the house connect just fine. The router also doesn't have any MAC address filtering set up. This all makes it very hard to pin down the problem, or even identify which device is causing it.

If anyone has any ideas, go for it.

[Kogan Loloklam]

Does the Laptop have some kind of Network configuration that sends data to the router that the router can accept but is not expecting?

[G-Flex]

Like what? The TCP/IP settings are all normal/default.

[dragonshardz]

Is your wireless adapter 802.11bgn? If the router's new, it probably broadcasts in 802.11n, and your laptop likely only has an adapter for 802.11g or b.

[Kogan Loloklam]

Is your wireless adapter 802.11bgn? If the router's new, it probably broadcasts in 802.11n, and your laptop likely only has an adapter for 802.11g or b.

But would that cause issues with a wired connection?

Like what? The TCP/IP settings are all normal/default.

It might be acting drunk fumbling with it's keys out at a door handle that has no lock on it. Is it sending an encryption key that isn't needed or something?

Alternatively, you might have two NICs in the dratted thing, and they are so busy pushing each other out of the way that neither works. Or maybe the computer just THINKS it has two... Google says that might be the solution, so that probably isn't since you got google too...

[G-Flex]

Is your wireless adapter 802.11bgn? If the router's new, it probably broadcasts in 802.11n, and your laptop likely only has an adapter for 802.11g or b.

The wired connection doesn't work either, like I said, and the router is broadcasting b/g as well.

It might be acting drunk fumbling with it's keys out at a door handle that has no lock on it. Is it sending an encryption key that isn't needed or something?

I don't see how or why, or where you'd even set that kind of thing.

Alternatively, you might have two NICs in the dratted thing, and they are so busy pushing each other out of the way that neither works. Or maybe the computer just THINKS it has two... Google says that might be the solution, so that probably isn't since you got google too...

There's absolutely no way my laptop has two NICs, and Windows doesn't think more than one is there anyway.

Before anyone mentions it: I've checked both devices in Device Manager and nothing seems off at all.

[Kogan Loloklam]

Before anyone mentions it: I've checked both devices in Device Manager and nothing seems off at all.

Wait a second, What?
Both Devices?

Two devices is exactly what I was talking about with the NICs. A Wireless card and a cabled card count as 2 NICs in what I was describing, as does a Ethernet card and a USB antenna. What are we talking about?

Man I'm up wayy too late.

[Grakelin]

I have this problem all the time on my netbook. Assuming it's the same problem I have, you need to check a box in the network configuration menu which says something along the lines of "Allow Windows to configure your wireless network settings". In my case, the netbook repeatedly checks this off all on its own upon starting (something to do with when I disconnect from the unviersity's wireless network, I think).

[G-Flex]

Before anyone mentions it: I've checked both devices in Device Manager and nothing seems off at all.

Wait a second, What?
Both Devices?

Two devices is exactly what I was talking about with the NICs. A Wireless card and a cabled card count as 2 NICs in what I was describing, as does a Ethernet card and a USB antenna. What are we talking about?

Man I'm up wayy too late.

Yes, obviously there's both an ethernet NIC and a wireless one. I thought you meant two ethernet ones. I have no idea why you think this would actually cause a problem. The wireless adapter should not be doing anything when the ethernet adapter is the one being used, and vice-versa. Christ, normally I only have one of them enabled anyway.

I have this problem all the time on my netbook. Assuming it's the same problem I have, you need to check a box in the network configuration menu which says something along the lines of "Allow Windows to configure your wireless network settings". In my case, the netbook repeatedly checks this off all on its own upon starting (something to do with when I disconnect from the unviersity's wireless network, I think).

Never had that problem, and either way, whatever problem is occurring is affecting the ethernet connection as well, as I mentioned.

[Kogan Loloklam]

Yes, obviously there's both an ethernet NIC and a wireless one. I thought you meant two ethernet ones. I have no idea why you think this would actually cause a problem. The wireless adapter should not be doing anything when the ethernet adapter is the one being used, and vice-versa. Christ, normally I only have one of them enabled anyway.

Exactly. Disable one and try again. There being 2 enabled is known to cause problems.

[Falc]

Check the other computers to see how they get their address. If they all have fixed IPs, perhaps the router's DHCP server is simply off.

Make sure your laptop isn't configured for a fixed IP either.

Maybe try rebooting the router. It's not because one part of it works fine that the rest isn't hung. For example, mine was routing fine lately but the web interface was not responding.

Doublecheck the cable you're using.

[G-Flex]

Yes, obviously there's both an ethernet NIC and a wireless one. I thought you meant two ethernet ones. I have no idea why you think this would actually cause a problem. The wireless adapter should not be doing anything when the ethernet adapter is the one being used, and vice-versa. Christ, normally I only have one of them enabled anyway.

Exactly. Disable one and try again. There being 2 enabled is known to cause problems.

Like I said, I've done that. And that's never caused problems for me before, regardless.

Check the other computers to see how they get their address. If they all have fixed IPs, perhaps the router's DHCP server is simply off.

Make sure your laptop isn't configured for a fixed IP either.

Maybe try rebooting the router. It's not because one part of it works fine that the rest isn't hung. For example, mine was routing fine lately but the web interface was not responding.

Doublecheck the cable you're using.

DHCP is running, nothing is set to a static lease, a known working computer (the one I'm on right now) is set to use DHCP, and so is my laptop. The web interface for the router is working fine and I've hard-rebooted it and nothing changed.

[Falc]

DHCP is running, nothing is set to a static lease, a known working computer (the one I'm on right now) is set to use DHCP, and so is my laptop. The web interface for the router is working fine and I've hard-rebooted it and nothing changed.

Hmmm... This is getting a bit risky, but have you tried unplugging the working computer from the network? Bit of a long shot, but, if the running comps have a DHCP lease that lasts long enough, they might not have noticed yet if the DHCP server is KO... Though if it didn't start up after a reboot it would be a serious problem.

[G-Flex]

I've disconnected the known-working computer from the network plenty of times. I know the DHCP server is working because new leases get generated.

[Falc]

Hmmm...

You said that, if you try the wired connection, Windows doesn't even react. Are the lights on the ethernet port coming on when you connect a cable? Both on the laptop and on the router?