Computer connection issue

[Tenbatsuzen]

OK. I'll run down the specs:

Pentium III/733. "Ol' Faithful". Hasn't had a problem in the 7+ years I've had it. Liz uses it for her computer stuff. Running Windows 2K, with ZoneAlarm.

She complained to me a few days ago that she couldn't open a browser. Which was legit; Firefox and Mozilla were hanging on the machine. I shut it all down and restarted with just IE.

I can't seem to get a connection on that machine. I did an IPConfig, releasing and renewing the IPs. It's getting an IP address from the router. But I can't get into the router from the machine.

I checked the router (ok), cable (ok), and replaced the NIC card. All didn't work.

The router "sees" the computer and assigns an IP address to it, but I can't see to get an outbound connection going. Any ideas on what's wrong?

[Tenbatsuzen]

Oh, right: The machine has a wireless card on it as well. The wireless can "see" the wireless networks around my apartment but can't connect to them either.

[jetdog]

maybe your computer decided to trade you to Wackbag and locked you out of the RF.net lockeroom.

[HBox]

Geez, with something that old I wouldn't know where to begin. If it's possible and you have the know-how I'd just format the hard drive and re-install Windows. My sister has an old computer and that's what I do every time her's slows to a crawl. Unless you've done that already there's probably so much Windows rot that everything is all FUBAR (software wise). Especially since it sounds like the hardware is still working.

Just make sure you can find drivers for everything (ESPECIALLY the wireless network card) before you go down that route. And with a computer that old make sure you have plenty of time.

[KC2OSO]

Just a couple thoughts...
You may have done this all but...
Unplug the modem and router to reboot them.
ZoneAlarm keeping you out for some reason?
Try bypassing the router altogether and cat5 directly to the modem as a check.

[MobCounty]

bleh.. I hate that.

If you leave your shipping address, I bet the board could rustle up a freebie that has a bit more power than that. I'm in for a 3-d card.

[Freitag]

Geez, with something that old I wouldn't know where to begin. If it's possible and you have the know-how I'd just format the hard drive and re-install Windows. My sister has an old computer and that's what I do every time her's slows to a crawl. Unless you've done that already there's probably so much Windows rot that everything is all FUBAR (software wise). Especially since it sounds like the hardware is still working.

Just make sure you can find drivers for everything (ESPECIALLY the wireless network card) before you go down that route. And with a computer that old make sure you have plenty of time.

I don't think it's a windows issue. There's not that much stuff on the computer; when I gave it to Liz we basically put a new hard drive in and re-installed everything. That was only a few years ago. She doesn't use it that much, so I couldn't see an issue with the OS, because the only thing that's been installed really since the initial setup when I gave it to her was CivIII.

Just a couple thoughts...
You may have done this all but...
Unplug the modem and router to reboot them.
ZoneAlarm keeping you out for some reason?
Try bypassing the router altogether and cat5 directly to the modem as a check.


When I checked everything, I ran my laptop on the cat5 into the router and it works. My XBox also dials into the router and connects, and my other computer also works. (There's three computers on the router, plus a TIVO and an XBox 360.)

So there's no problem with the router, the connection, or the cable, so it boils down to something with the computer. I shut down zonealarm and AVG but that didn't help either. I'm gonna give it one more shot tonight before I consider it a lost cause.

If the computer is a lost cause, then I am either going to hand-me-down my old desktop to her (only 4 years old as opposed to 7+) by doing the following:

- back everything up to DVD and/or a new external hard drive
- wipe the drive
- re-install XP on the newer machine and hand it off to her.

or should I just buy her a new desktop/laptop?

[JPMNICK]

for like 200 bucks you can get a very decent computer on craigslist to replace Liz's. In her case, if she is just using it for browsing and gets by ok now with a PIII, a $200 P4 will feel like lightning.

as for what the problem is on her computer, I think it might be the setup of the card. I would disable the wireless card, and then try again. if that did not work I would right click on the local lan connection and make sure everything was set up the same was as your laptop, which I am assuming is all DHCP. you can all disable the LAN connection and try just the wireless to see if you have a bad NIC card.

also with Windows2k, in a buisness setting, we used to wipe them once per year and reinstall everything so it does not get so bogged down.

Also, the problem might come from the latest round of windows updates, try uninstalling the last few and see if that works

[carsonogin]

What I would do is this first.

Control Panel
Network Settings
Remove the Client for Microsoft Networks and TCO/IP, reboot, reinstall the Networking components you just removed.

See if that helps. I've found that works sometimes.