posted
We have three computers hooked up to each other and the net, all running through a D-link router. A few days ago, two of the computers have begun connecting to each other and the net only intermittently (and fairly infrequently, much to my chagrin). Of course, these are the two that Mama and I use -- Mooselet's works just fine (I'm using it now).
We've made no changes (well, I've made changes now in trying to fix it, but have returned things to how they were since my "fixes" weren't fixing anything anyway), so I don't think it's anything I did that made it stop working. I tried swapping cables, swapping ports, even switching network cards, and I can't get it to work. On occasion it does, but I don't know what causes it, and each morning it seems to have stopped.
The two computers that don't work when they're down can't even call up the router, much less a website. I'm usually unable to renew the IP address (set to obtain automatically) -- computer just hangs for 30 seconds, then tells me the DHCP server is unavailable.
Can anyone help me? Thanks....
--Pop
[ March 25, 2005, 08:09 PM: Message edited by: Papa Moose ]
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Don't know exactly -- got it from my brother-in-law. But if the problem were the router, shouldn't switching ports change which computers don't work? (I'm not saying you're wrong, rather that it's counterintuitive to me.)
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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Which OS and service pack are you using? I ask because there's a little-known bug involving the TCP/IP stack in XP that can be seriously annoying; the stack becomes corrupted, and since you can't uninstall it in XP, there are only a few possible and very unintuitive fixes. The symptoms are exactly what you're describing.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Tom, XP is for people who can afford computers. All three are 98SE.
BookWyrm, I tried bypassing the router and linking one of the non-working computers direct to the modem. No joy.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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Pops, if you need a new router, I'd be happy to send you one of mine. I have a Linksys Cable/DSL Router I'm not using anymore because I replaced it with a wireless one. You're welcome to it.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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1) A direct connection to the cable modem doesn't get you DHCP from the ISP.
2) Switching network cards from a working machine doesn't work.
3) Switching ports on your router doesn't get you DHCP from the router.
4) You can't ping.
At this point, I'm thinking that you're dealing with a TCP/IP bug. Luckily, in Win98SE, TCP/IP is not required by the OS, and can be uninstalled.
Make sure you have your Win98SE CD before you do the following. (I'm working from nearly five years of memory, here, since it's been that long since I've used Win98; instructions are not meant to be step-by-step.)
1) Open up your Network properties. 2) Remove the TCP/IP protocol. Don't just uncheck it; uninstall it. This may remove other Clients and properties. 3) Restart the machine. 4) Go back into the Network panel. Make sure TCP/IP is still uninstalled. 5) Install TCP/IP. 6) Re-install whatever Client was removed when you removed TCP/IP. 7) Do a ipconfig /release /renew. If you don't get DHCP, it's not your stack that's the problem.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Well, it's working, but I don't know if it's because I did what you said (Tom) or because it's a different time of day. It still seems ridiculously slow, even compared to the other computer, so something's wrong. I keep telling Mama we need a new computer.... (hint hint if you're reading this, my love) (yes, that's to Mama, you doubters)
Anyway, thanks guys. If it still fails, I might take you up on that router offer, jeniwren. You going to BobnDanaCon?
posted
If all else fails, format... Seriously, though, I've seen computers with LSP errors show this type of problem (LSP is some wierd part of Winsock 2 that sometimes gets corrupted/hijacked). Download hijack this and run a scan of your computer. It will show a log of what is running on your computer at the time. Sometimes, if you have an LSP error, hijack this will show it near the bottom of the list. It will say something about an LSP error or something like that (Can't remember the actual error message) if you have a problem (usually). If that shows up, head to this page to get lsp fix. This is a program that snoops through your winsock 2 stuff (It is possible to screw things up royally with this program, so be careful with it) to see what is listed. If hijack this returns an error, you can use lspfix to fix it. Also, if you just run lspfix and it lists something from newdotnet, make sure that is removed from the list. Anyway, other than that, I can't tell you much more than anyone else without actually being there.
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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I didn't understand anything after the first sentence, Boris, but thanks anyway.
One of my problems is that I can't really format -- at least I don't think I can. At the very least I'm afraid to. I got these computers used from the company I worked for when it went bankrupt. I don't have any disks for them.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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Sorry about all the technical mumbo jumbo. That's why people pay me to do that kind of stuff
If you have a computer made by a larger company (HP, Dell, Compaq, etc.) you more than likely have a Windows Serial number attached to your computer. Look for a sticker on your computer. If you find one that says, "Windows 98 Special Edition" on it, and if you can find a Windows 98SE disc, you can use that to format your system if you really need to. (Make sure you have all your computer model's drivers on a CD or something before doing anything like that, though. Those can be found one the manufacturer's website. Unless it's an eMachine, in which case, shoot it) But only do that if you don't have anything you absolutely need to keep. Stuff can be backed up pretty easilly, but without the right equipment, it can be a pain (for instance, taking the hard drive from one computer and placing it in another).
As for the dying router issue, not getting an IP address from a direct connection to the internet shoots that problem in the foot. The problem is in the actual computer. More than likely it is a software/driver issue. A format will almost certainly fix the issue, but it is an extreme measure that I don't often recommend.
[ March 23, 2005, 01:50 AM: Message edited by: Boris ]
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You might want to call the place you got the router from and see if it's still under some kind of warranty where you can just exchange the router for another one.
Posts: 13123 | Registered: Feb 2002
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I'm going to be egotistical and assume that uninstalling and reinstalling TCP/IP fixed your connection issue. As has been pointed out, you may also be having Winsock errors.
If your network connections -- and your network connections only -- on those machines seem very slow since the reinstall, you may want to check the registry for the MTU values. Here's a doc that explains why: http://www.dslreports.com/tweaks/MTU
If you're experiencing general system slowdowns, take a look at your system utilization. I'd definitely hit the Windows Update site -- if they're still even supporting 98SE; I don't know if they are or not -- to download any updates that might apply. I'm sure that TCP/IP updates have come out since the .CABs for that protocol were copied to your PCs.
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Pop, I'm not going to the Wedding of The Century , but I'm more than happy to mail it to you. I'm going to be mailing the other stuff I promised sarcasticmuppet and HesterGray later this week, so it won't be any trouble to drop the router in the mail to you.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Tom, I hate to deflate your ego (well, not always and not much, but I hate to deflate it about this), but the problem remains. The rest of the computer is fast and fine. When I have time, I'll try to figure out what the MTU stuff is.
10 PRINT "Frustration!" 20 IF ERROR <> FIXED THEN GOTO 10 30 END
Back when such things only made sense to the more advanced computer user -- that's when I knew what I was doing. *sigh*
posted
Each afternoon the computer starts working, and through the evening (as long as nothing untoward happens, like Superstation pushing the off button). But each morning, all internet and network connections are down again.
Does my computer have morning sickness?
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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On all night. And we'd better stop the analogies there, I suppose, lest we talk about how often they get turned on or something....
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
If ya use Earthlink, regular downtimes for maintenance is pretty much standard. Probably just shifted your downtime from your normal sleeping hours into a part of the day that you would notice.
Doesn't happen every day, but occasionally it can happen multiple days in a row.
If your computer isn't reconnecting by itself: shutting off then turning on your Earthlink box will usually reconnect ya. Wait two-to-three minutes after turning the Earthlink box back on to let it reconnect with Earthlink before keying your computer again.
If that doesn't work, Earthlink itself is just taking longer than usual for maintenance.
posted
rivka, could be -- I haven't spit coffee on the monitor in a while. Maybe we need another pun thread.
aspectre, I don't use earthlink, and even if I did, if the problem were what you suggest, wouldn't all three computers stop working? And six hours a day (estimated bare minimum) would be ridiculous for "maintenance," wouldn't it?
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