Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: deep_eyes on June 23, 2005, 10:12:45 am

Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: deep_eyes on June 23, 2005, 10:12:45 am
I have a del Inspiron 6000 i got 2 days ago, and for some odd reason the god damned network connection always goes "little or no connectivity"... i havent been able to connect on a lan to my router or directly to my cable modem and dell's "award winning" help system totally blows....

im at a loss, and alot of people have had similair issues on various systems from dell in there own forums, find a way to fix it and dont say how....

anyone got ideas?

i do have norton internet security running on this laptop and someone wrote in the dell forums that because he didnt have a internet connection till after he turned on the pc it didnt let him connect to no lans...
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: Admiral LSD on June 23, 2005, 10:31:23 am
I take it you've already tried disabling Norton Internet Security? Or better yet, reformatting the PC so it isn't installed at all?
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: kasperl on June 23, 2005, 11:21:52 am
Try hardware disabling any WLAN stuff, and then trying a wired network. (I assume there is a hard button for killing the WLAN radio. If there isn't, that's a major security leak.)
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: StratComm on June 23, 2005, 12:32:40 pm
Dell's use a function-key combo now (fn-f2 IIRC); there's no physical switch.  Hasn't been one for at least three years.  However, the "limited or no connectivity" issue is more likely a Microsoft problem; I got it earlier this year on my home network when all of my family's computers decided to lose their LAN IP address settings.  Check your network settings more closely; it may be related to how your computer and router are trying to talk to one another.
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: kasperl on June 23, 2005, 12:45:48 pm
Better yet do the following.

start, run, type  'command.com' and hit enter.
type "ipconfig /all > c:\HLPOWNZ.txt" and hit enter.
Then type "exit" and hit enter.

Open the file c:\HLPOWNZ.txt in notepad, check the 'IP-ADRESS' thingy, and make sure it isn't your external IP (you can see your external IP by going to www.ipchicken.com). If it is, remove it, and then copy the rest onto the forums. If it isn't, just copy the lot of it into the forums for us to look at.

Also, are you using WLAN or wired LAN? If WLAN, a, b or g?
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: Scuddie on June 23, 2005, 03:55:29 pm
Did you reset your router or your cable modem?  If your router is simply a bridge, then the odds are your cable modem wont like it.  Most ISPs dont allow more than one dedicated IP per account, so that could be it.   Also, Cable modems identify their connections by MAC, and unless you force a query, it wont accept your MAC as a valid connection.  Your modem must be connected directly to your router, and the modem has to be reset to validate the said router.
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: Stealth on June 23, 2005, 04:06:56 pm
Quote
Originally posted by kasperl

start, run, type  'command.com' and hit enter.
type "ipconfig /all > c:\HLPOWNZ.txt" and hit enter.
Then type "exit" and hit enter.

Open the file c:\HLPOWNZ.txt in notepad, check the 'IP-ADRESS' thingy


never understood this... as far as i remember, i've seen you recommend this before, or maybe it was someone else.

anyway, why send it to a file, when you can just do "ipconfig /all" and view it on the screen :doubt: :wtf:
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: WMCoolmon on June 23, 2005, 11:46:14 pm
Why not do dir /p in the main windows directory to find a file? :p
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: Liberator on June 24, 2005, 08:07:11 am
If it's Linksys, DO NOT use the Linksys software, it sucks worse than wrecking you're new car pulling out of the Car Lot.  Install the DRIVERS ONLY and let Windows do the Zero Configuation thing.
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: deep_eyes on June 24, 2005, 08:26:03 am
Quote
Originally posted by Scuddie
Did you reset your router or your cable modem?  If your router is simply a bridge, then the odds are your cable modem wont like it.  Most ISPs dont allow more than one dedicated IP per account, so that could be it.   Also, Cable modems identify their connections by MAC, and unless you force a query, it wont accept your MAC as a valid connection.  Your modem must be connected directly to your router, and the modem has to be reset to validate the said router.


well im not gonna connect my main pc and laptop to the cable modem (cant share the connection or they charge me more $$$$), im just tryin to network between the 2 PC's...
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: deep_eyes on June 24, 2005, 08:28:22 am
Quote
Originally posted by Liberator
If it's Linksys, DO NOT use the Linksys software, it sucks worse than wrecking you're new car pulling out of the Car Lot.  Install the DRIVERS ONLY and let Windows do the Zero Configuation thing.


well the PC comes pre-configured (main reason why i hate retail computers) so it had a certain setting configed already, which may have been the prob when i first turned the thing on, i wasnt connected in the begining for it to assign me an IP and whatnot. at anyrate i tried to make windows do it like i normally does, "bby letting it do it itself", however that method of madness didnt work either.....

I feel like a commie on a dell, im limited to viewing but cant do nuthin else....

my wireless is like uber fine but its that main LAN connection issue.... i think it may be a config issue but i wont know till i call dell later on today....hopefully i can make some magic happen.
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: kasperl on June 24, 2005, 09:27:37 am
Quote
Originally posted by Stealth


never understood this... as far as i remember, i've seen you recommend this before, or maybe it was someone else.

anyway, why send it to a file, when you can just do "ipconfig /all" and view it on the screen :doubt: :wtf:


Because copying from the DOS box can be a *****, and it's a lot easier to explain to people who aren't all that handy with DOS.

I always use it for classmates, because if I ask even the most basic thingys, they always get lost.
Title: Need help with laptop (technical)
Post by: deep_eyes on June 26, 2005, 05:07:34 pm
I tried a couple things, and no good. however when I manually input my gateway, dns, etc. information from my desktop i was able to remove the "LIMITED OR NO CONNECTIVITY" issue -ESPECIALLY when i turned OFF my CABLE MODEM AND NORTON INTERNET SECURITY.

now heres one new issue thats arrisen.....  the bloody thing wont "see" my desktop and my desktop wont see my laptop. even though the connections are 100% now... which i dont understand.

any ideas?