OT: Any Network Experts Around?

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I've just changed phone companies and I've now got a 5Gb broadband package with real fibreoptic cable, etc. Pretty good considering a lot of NZ has broadband on the old style copper cable network.

 

The only problem is that, while it works fine on my WIFE's PC, my PC, which was working fine until the tech turned up is now no longer connecting to the internet. And the customer service guys for the new company says that if it works on one PC, then it;s obviously my PCs problem. Sure, but it was working fine until their tech turned up.

 

Now, if I do an arp -a, I see the PCs new IP address, but the physical address is set to zeroes. However, if I go and look at the card through the XP control panel, I can see that the network card still has its physical address. So somehow, it seems, the arp table hasn't been correctly updated. Oh, and I can't always get anything from arp -a. Often, it says that there are no ARP entries, the problem seems to be intermittent.

 

is there any way I can force arp to see the physical address of my ethernet card?

 

 

[Fumblyfingers]

Do you have a router to connect the two computers?

 

BTW I am not an expert at all and on a Mac.

I don't even know what arp is.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

No, the idea is that we've always had the two PCs and we plug one or the other into the modem. They are both stand-alone from that point of view.

 

I suppose I *could* come up with some sort of network to hook the PCs up together and use the modem on the working PC, but god... what a hassle. I just want my PC to work, the way it did five hours ago.

[A String]

Run ipconfig /all and see if your comp is getting an IP address. It should be a 192.168.0.something.

 

How are you set up? Is your wife's computer the host and your computer is the slave? If so, make sure that her comp is set as a host and your computer is set to get it's IP address automatically.

 

Have you tried assigning IPs manually to see if that works? Give the host 192.168.0.1 and the slave 192.168.0.2.

 

What are you using for networking? If you are using XP's "Internet Connection Sharing", then I'd give up now and go out and buy a router or a hub. Xp's "Internet Connection Sharing" sucks.

 

Can you provide more info about your network setup?

[Trucks]

You don't really need to worry about ARP, in your situation.

 

If it is XP, open a cmd prompt and type in the following command

 

netsh int ip reset c:\reset.log

 

This will reset your TCP/IP stack.

 

To clear your arp cache (reset arp), type in the following

 

netsh interface ip delete arpcache

 

If it fails to clear your arp cache, you may need to stop the Routing and Remote Services service, then re-try the command.

 

net stop "routing and remote access"

[stamplicker]

Is your IP set static or dynamic. is it a wireless connection? more info would help.. your saying everything was fine until the tech showed up, so I'm thinking either;

A. Tech set you up with a static ip, that the modem doesn't reg. anymore.

B. Could be you need to use a dial-in, (username:password), if it's DSL connection.

C. Modem isn't setup for routing and only one machine connnects at a time.

 

Either way more info would be needed about your network setup.

[A String]

No, the idea is that we've always had the two PCs and we plug one or the other into the modem. They are both stand-alone from that point of view.

 

Sorry Vince, I missed this.

 

I'd rerun the "Network Setup Wizard" and be sure it's set to obtain IP address automatically.

 

There are options to set up both computers, that are very inexpensive and allow you to share the internet as well as share files between computers. Buy another network card and plug the computers in directly, buy a hub or buy a router. Ultimately, a router is the way to go. That way it is the host and assigns your IP addresses. It's safer and you can avoid the ICS software.

[Fumblyfingers]

I feel a router will sort your problems. I have 4 computers on my network, 3 Macs and my wifes PC. In fact I bought a wireless router as my laptop has an Airport card. So I run it wireless and the rest are hard wired.

 

The routers are inexpensive and I just plugged the sucker in to my cable modem and plugged in all the computers to that and it all just worked.

[paully]

I feel a router will sort your problems.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Yup. Here's a good one for not much money. Runs my Mac and PC.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=329623&CatId=2793 .

 

Best, Paul

[Guitar55]

Some cable modems "attach" themselves to the MAC address of your PC's network adapter. Try turning off (or unplugging )the cbale modem for 30 seconds before attaching your PC to it. If this works, run out and get yourself a router so you don't have to do it every time.

[Fumblyfingers]

The cool thing is with File Sharing on I can access my other computers through the router...it is not just an internet connector. I can sit in my house with the wireless laptop and get my iTunes library off either of my studio computers, my iPhoto library or any files I want.

 

I guess Apple TV works similar to that..it takes movies out of your iTunes library and sends them via wireless to the TV.

 

I love technology.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Well, ok... the problem, as far as I can tell, is that the physical address of the ethernet card doesn't stay stored in the arp list. I can force it, by using arp -s, but it's even money whether it'll stick. In other words

 

arp -s 999.999.999.999 A9-A9-A9-A9-A9-A9 will associate the phys. address with an internet address, but subsequent calls to arp -a may or may not show the listing.

 

I know I sound like I'm obsessing over arp, but it's just that the connection diagnostics page (displayed on IE) keeps saying that addresses could not be resolved by using arp. So it sounds like the missing physical address may be a major player in this problem.

 

By the way... the internet address I'm supposed to supply arp and associate with the card's physical address... is that the computers' own IP address, or the gateway's? Neither one helps me ping the gateway any more succesfully, but I was just curious.

 

[Trucks]

Yes, the computer IP will be bound to the computer's physical address.

 

Have you removed and re-installed the drivers?

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

No, I don't know where they are, and the PC can't find them so I figured I should leave them alone.

 

There WERE two ethernet cards listed, but I've disinstalled the old one. No change in the problem.

 

I'm dreading the idea of taking the PC in for servicing, because it's an Italian PC and I suspect the tech will accomplish nothing because it's not in English. The other option is to get someone to come to the house, and then I can hang around translating diagnostic messages, but that's going to cost a packet (about fifty quid an hour)

[A String]

Can't you grab the drivers at the manufacturer's website? Who makes your card?

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I have no idea. I'll have to check. I don't understand why the PC said there were TWO cards though. I know I only installed the one (I've since disinstalled the original card).

 

Does XP see the modem as a card? That is one point I'm really confused about.

[spiral light]

Buy a router, it's the easiest way to go. I did have some connection trouble at my last place trying to get two computers on the cable , I can't remember what I did to solve it, this was with a router too.

 

Am I correct in saying that you want either pc to be able to connect, but not both at the same time?

[Fumblyfingers]

This is why I come back to a router because the modem or whatever gets confused when it see's two IP addresses or something....maybe it worked for a while but now has configured itself somehow that you cannot get it back easily.

 

Overe here the cable company don't support the router really as they want you paying for every connection I suppose. So of times they won't troubleshoot that part of it with you. They have gotten a bit better about it though.

 

My setup worked ok for a day or two hooked up my own way and them stopped . I called a friend and he said get a router. I did it worked.

 

Trucks is the IT expert around here so do what he says...I am going to keep saying router

[stamplicker]

the other is probably a 1394 connection off the motherboard. Look at the card.. write down all info about it. if it's attached to the motherboard. Write down any info about the motherboard. then we can point you in the right direction for drivers. At this point it sounds like it's driver,(bad card) issue. no biggie. have you tried "netsh dump" minus qoutes and then a reboot. another could be firewall.. or if your using, and dare I say it... Norton. that could be killing it.

[spiral light]

Aha! Death by Norton!

[Guitar55]

The router is the answer.

 

But, in the meantime, you can remove the Network card, boot the PC without it, then reinstall it. The OS will find the driver and install it. That shouuld clear up the mystery of two network cards.

[stamplicker]

Just thinking it's something not really to crucial, said that it was working fine until the tech got there.. So what did the tech do. Updated the network drivers? hence no worky.. supplied a Static IP? therfore arp doesn't function correctly.. hence no worky.. Installed norton firewall? or reconfigured windows firewall to cause the same effect? hence no worky.. Thats it, I've said that nasty word twice now and in one day.. washing my mouth out with bleech!

[Trucks]

Language is not really an issue with an OS, for a tech. You have to go by remembering where stuff is... I have to (in my last job and my new one) work on computers from all corners of the globe and I can't speak a word of Korean I can tell ya that much!

 

The first things I would do (the easy bits), in your situation is re-install the network card. \check the network settings. Reset the IP stack. Reset the windows firwall exceptions (as suggested by stamp) as well as any shite like norton, in fact, id remove norton all together. Id make sure there wasn't some REAL turd on there like ZoneAlarm. I would check msconfig for dodgy startup programs.

 

I don't think the router is the answer, it is a better solution, but if your ethernet card is fudged, router or not it aint gonna work

 

Take the computer somewhere that advertises they have a free look at it, if you get sense out of them, give them some money! Do it! It's how guys like me make a living!

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Ok, I'll try that stuff tomorrow.

 

That language CAN be an issue though, when it comes to diagnostics.

 

Re: what the tech did in the night...

 

He didn't do a whole lot, actually. Ok, he put in the fibreoptic cable, typed in the new addresses, hooked up the new (external) modem and that was about it, as far as I can remember. Tracking down the drivers sounds like the easiest option, I think I'll try *that* first.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Ok, problem sorted. There's always been two Ethernet cards on this PC and apparently, the connection was trying to use the wrong card. Works fine now!

 

Thanks for all the help/ideas guys! :grin:

[Dr. Ellwood]

Cool Vince!! I wonder why it has two cards in there?? must have been some business application in a office somewhere to have that...NO???

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

I tried to install a home network once, but I have no idea why I installed a second card if I had one in there already. It was many years ago, and long before the war.

[Fumblyfingers]

See....I told you not to buy a router!!

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

Especially because it was working fine up to the moment the tech started trying to connect to the Internet.

 

Damned if I wanted to spend another penny for something that sounded just like it was the phone company's problem in the first place.

[A String]

A second card is often used to hook up two computers to the internet. One card hooks up to the modem and the other one hooks up to the slave computer.