Re: Strange PC networking problem


"David Fritzinger" <dfritzin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:dfritzin-2D9135.13400824032007@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In article <XvOdnfmF7aGWDpjbnZ2dnUVZ_veinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxx>,
"PC Guy" <pcguy@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"David Fritzinger" <dfritzin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dfritzin-933B35.10583024032007@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> In article <9gg9035qe3mc2d9gig2fueav0mkra758ip@xxxxxxx>,
> Mayor of R'lyeh <mayor.of.rlyeh@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>> On 23 Mar 2007 23:04:52 -0700, "Dave Fritzinger"
>> <dfritzin@xxxxxxxxxxx> chose to bless us with the following wisdom:
>>
>> >On Mar 23, 4:34 pm, Steve de Mena <ste...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >> Dave Fritzinger wrote:
>> >> > On Mar 20, 10:57 am, "PC Guy" <p...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>> >> >> "Tim Murray" <no-s...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >>
>> >> >>news:0001HW.C224C9C50001C5DDF0488648@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >>
>> >> >>> I think a key item is this:
>> >> >>>> I could use her computer to log in to the router,
>> >> >>>> and make configuration changes.
>> >> >>> I would not bet a lung on it, but I think in order to do that, >> >> >>> the
>> >> >>> computer
>> >> >>> must have had an IP issued to it. Thus, we can rule out things
>> >> >>> like
>> >> >>> running
>> >> >>> over your max IP limit. But the question is whether you can >> >> >>> make
>> >> >>> config
>> >> >>> changes with a self-assigned IP of the form 127.x.x.x.
>> >> >>> The result of the ipconfig /all is important.
>> >> >>> I see this from time to time but usually on wireless. The times
>> >> >>> I've
>> >> >>> seen
>> >> >>> it
>> >> >>> the fix was to (a) completely delete the connection from the
>> >> >>> Networks
>> >> >>> control
>> >> >>> panel and reboot, and if that was not sufficient, then (b) >> >> >>> remove
>> >> >>> the
>> >> >>> network
>> >> >>> hardware adapters and reboot. The drivers are already there, so
>> >> >>> Windows
>> >> >>> should have no problem reloading them when it boots up again.
>> >> >> It's no wonder you Mac advocates despise Windows. It's obvious >> >> >> you
>> >> >> are
>> >> >> completely clueless about it. There is nothing wrong with the
>> >> >> cable,
>> >> >> port,
>> >> >> PC interface, or IP address. We know this because he said:
>> >>
>> >> >> "Finally, I could use her computer to log in to the router, and
>> >> >> make
>> >> >> configuration changes."
>> >>
>> >> >> If there were a problem with any of these he would not be able >> >> >> to
>> >> >> log
>> >> >> into
>> >> >> the router. Thus any suggestions to removenetworkhardware >> >> >> adapters,
>> >> >> drivers, replace the cable are completely useless. Even >> >> >> statically
>> >> >> assigning
>> >> >> IP addresses is very unlikely to solve the problem. The fact >> >> >> that
>> >> >> he
>> >> >> can
>> >> >> connect to the router indicates that he is having issues getting
>> >> >> off of
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> localnetwork. The likely causes of the problem are incorrect DNS
>> >> >> entries,
>> >> >> missing default router, or a bad subnet mask. Also >> >> >> "self-assigned"
>> >> >> IP
>> >> >> addresses do not fall within the 127.0.0.0/8network. >> >> >> Thatnetworkis
>> >> >> reserved for loopback addresses. What you are thining of are
>> >> >> private IP
>> >> >> addresses (PIPs, otherwise known as RFC-1918 addresses) which
>> >> >> fallen
>> >> >> within
>> >> >> one of the following networks:
>> >>
>> >> >> 10.0.0.0/8
>> >> >> 127.16.0.0/12
>> >> >> 192.168.0.0/16
>> >>
>> >> >> Dave, before performing any of the suggestions please post the
>> >> >> output
>> >> >> of the
>> >> >> commands I, and a few others, have given you. The two most >> >> >> useful
>> >> >> ones
>> >> >> are
>> >> >> the nslookup and ipconfig commands.
>> >>
>> >> > OK, I finally got a chance to look at my wife's computer this
>> >> > afternoon (She usually packs it away to take to work before I get
>> >> > home). The problem was really simple, and something I suspected a
>> >> > couple of days ago. The router address that the computer was >> >> > looking
>> >> > for was wrong (192.168.0.1 instead of 192.168.1.1, which is how >> >> > the
>> >> > router was set up). This brings up a rather naive question about
>> >> > Windows. Can the networking be set up to automatically find the
>> >> > router
>> >> > address?
>> >>
>> >> No, absolutely not. It has to get it from DHCP,
>> >> or be entered in manually.
>> >
>> >Yet, on the nework preference pane on my laptop, there are no entries
>> >in the DNS server box, until I plug my laptop in, either at work or >> >at
>> >home, and it finds the router. Also, if what you say is the case, how
>> >would you conncect to networks when you are traveling, or when you go
>> >to Starbucks (or whatever)?
>>
>> Those places use DHCP. Was your Windows networking setup to use DHCP
>> or a fixed address?
>
> It was setup to use DHCP. However, and this was the problem, it had > been
> set up to only look for a router with the address of 192.168.0.1. My
> router has the address of 192.168.1.1, so the computer didn't see it.
> [snip]

This can't be true. If you configure Windows to use DHCP you have no option
to specify a different gaetway. The default gateway is always assigned along
with the IP address and netmask when DHCP is used. If the default gateway
was set to 192.168.0.1 then you had it configured wrong on the DHCP server
(most likely the router in this case). In the end this wasn't a Windows
issue but merely a user error...as I suspect is the case with many of the
Mac advocates issues in this forum. Not to single you out Dave but had you
not written "BTW, this is a request for help, not a "Macs are better" post."
we would have had a lot of Mac advocates whining about how bad Windows is
even though it was user error.

While I am typing on my MBP, I have my wife's Lenovo notebook next to
me, and I have the Network Connections control panel open (Windows XP
Home). In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)Properties dialog box, on the
general tab, there are several options. First is "Obtain IP address
automatically". This is a radio button, and the other choice is "Use the
following IP address", with several text fields used to enter IP
address, Subnet mask, and Default gateway. The next choice is between
"Obtain DNS server address automatically" or "Use the following DNS
server addresses:", with fields for preferred DNS server and alternate
DNS server. Originally, the "Use following DNS server addresses" was
checked, and the Preferred address was 192.168.0.1, with nothing in the
alternate DNS server. Since the IP address of my router was, by default,
192,168,1,1, the computer didn't see the router.

What you have just described is the DNS server configuration and not the router configuration.

What I am saying is that, if I am reading your post correctly, you are
wrong.

You are reading my posting incorrectly. I clearly stated:

"If you configure Windows to use DHCP you have no option to specify a different gaetway."

To my knowledge there is no way to seperately configure a different default gateway than that supplied via DHCP when using DHCP.

I am able to configure the computer to automatically obtain the
address of the DNS server, and it is thusly configured now. And, it is
possible to specify the ip address of the DNS server (that is, to
specify the i.p. address that the computer will look for), which is how
it had been set up previously.

So it really was a misconfiguration with the DNS server and not the router.

And, yes, it was user error, and I never claimed otherwise.

And I don't recall having claimed you did. However I am positive there were many Mac advocates who immediately concluded that this was a Windows issue. Or had the attitude of "Well the Macs worked why can't Windows. Windows therefore must be hard to use". If you had not asked that they hold back we would have seen many posts like this. This is just another example where the lack of Windows knowledge by Mac advocates is transformed into a problem with Windows. Take that idiot GreyCloud. I gave a list of possible problems and he called me clueless. And what did the problem turn out to be (now that we have some clarification from you)? Incorrect DNS entries which was the very first thing I listed (twice). And a number of other Windows advocates did too. But this idiot (GreyCloud) calls us clueless? LOL!

.

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