off topic: wireless network... - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/15/2007 09:14:40 AM · #1

Hi... We've been using a wireless adhoc network at home for a while now to share the internet between our two laptop PCs. The host runs Vista and the other is XP. This was working fine until this morning when it mysteriously stopped working. We've tried everything from updating drivers to creating new connections... the client just won't find the host anymore...

normally wouldn't ask here but there seem to be a few knowledgable folk on here. Any ideas of what to try?

ClubJuggle

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

07/15/2007 09:22:05 AM · #2

Are you using a router, or Internet Connection Sharing?

~Terry

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/15/2007 09:22:34 AM · #3

ICS... sorry, forgot to mention it.

ClubJuggle

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

07/15/2007 09:26:35 AM · #4

I'm not familiar with ICS, but the firewall on the Vista PC may be your problem.

Is a router an option? Having a box that's designed for the purpose of Internet sharing may help -- plus then you won't have to have the Vista PC powered on to access the Internet from the XP PC.

~Terry

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

07/15/2007 09:31:56 AM · #5

I've been using ZoneAlarm on both PCs the whole time, I haven't had a problem until today...

I don't really want to spend any more money on this is all... hence we're using adhoc wireless.

ICS doesn't seem to be the problem anyhows, the remote computer simply won't find the network anymore.

I've disabled both firewalls and ICS and still we can't get a connection. Windows reports both of the wireless controllers as working fine...

I'm baffled.

Message edited by author 2007-07-15 09:53:20.

hsolakidis

Nikon D50

07/15/2007 09:54:04 AM · #6

Try shutting down zonealarm to see if this solves the problem. My money would be in zonealarm suddenly blocking the connection. Shut it down in one machine, try again, if nothing happens shut down the other. Assuming all windows settings are correct, youy should be able to connect. If so, have a look into firewall>zones for the offednding installation.

Harry

ClubJuggle

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/15/2007 09:59:52 AM · #7

Zonealarm wouldn't block the wireless from connecting.

I would start by turning off all security on your wireless network (set it to open, no key, broadcast the SSID, turn off MAC address filtering, etc). If it works then, turn those features back on one at a time.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

07/15/2007 10:31:50 AM · #8

Been through the security thing... no luck. The client simply will not find any connections in range.

idnic

Canon EOS-60D

07/15/2007 10:34:40 AM · #9

I fought with my wireless network for 2 weeks (and 5 comcast visits) before it hit me that my wireless security camera was the culprit - blocking my signal inside the house. Look around for ANYTHING wireless and unplug it.....

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/15/2007 10:46:03 AM · #10

Yesterday my wife's laptop had stopped connecting to the network. There was no apparent reason. Come to find out, there's a little switch on the outside bottom front of the laptop that turns the transmitter on and off and it had been bumped into the off position.

The silly thing is, in trying to use the network, there were no error messages of any kind to indicate that the transmitter was turned off!

Anyway, just something to check.

Fisher Price Kid-Tough Digital

07/15/2007 10:47:25 AM · #11

Those are most definately turned on! Cheers anyhow

Bugzeye

07/15/2007 11:18:43 AM · #12

my laptop which runs vista has a little animated icon in the taskbar that flashes if I open IE while the wifi is switched off.

Originally posted by dwterry:

dwterry

Canon EOS-1D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

07/15/2007 11:32:04 AM · #13

Originally posted by Bugzeye:

my laptop which runs vista has a little animated icon in the taskbar that flashes if I open IE while the wifi is switched off.

That would be nice! It must not be a vista feature though, as my wife's laptop is also running Vista. So maybe it's a feature installed by the manufacturer of the laptop?

awpollard

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

07/15/2007 12:03:06 PM · #14

Did you start using Windows Live One Care? That's MS's Antivirus, Antispyware, Antiphishing, auto maintenance and a whole bunch more package that you can demo and/or subscribe to.

Personally I'm done with the BS that McAfee Security Suite and the evil doctor norton inflict on a computer so I have been using Live OneCare.

However the part they fail to make clear (or I guess I should have RTFM) is that OneCare adds yet another firewall that works in conjuction with Windows Firewall but is seperate.

With OneCare you can turn Windows Firewall off, and the wireless will still crap out because of OneCare Firewall.

Software Firewall Paranoia is insane, coworkers bring their pewters in every month cause they can't do anything on em. Looking at em I find every free firewall that someone refered them to running on it. Norton security suites reneders computers usless...

Today's pewters the mobos have hardware firewall built in and that is almost over kill if you are NAT'd behind a properly configured Router/Switch/AP.

I went Wireless N (draft 2) with MIMO (to boost the range of Wireless G stuff) a couple weeks back for $49 bucks... One can get a router switch with 8 VPN tunnels today for $100. A small price but well worth getting away from software firewalls and the headache of a flat static IP network.

Anyways... If you dl'd the trial to Windows Live Oncare, look for another firewall under that and disable it or set it up to allow peer-to-peer networking.

ED: Now that I think about it the Vista machine may have OneCare on it, look for 1 with a circle around it in the taskbar. Vista may come with the 90 day trial at startup.

Message edited by author 2007-07-15 12:07:54.