Can only keep cable connection for 10 seconds

[VidarJMD]

I just put together my new system for college and would like to connect it to my cable modem to finish installing software (instead of downloading on the other computer and burning CDs) but when I try using the new one, the connection remains active for about 10 seconds. After that, nothing works although the connection icon says the cable is still plugged in.

Both computers are running WindowsXP Pro.

I'm using a Netgear NIC in the older system and the onboard NIC on the Abit AT7 motherboard in the new one. Both are set up exactly the same. I turn off all 3 items. Give power to the modem and let it sync up with the cable and then I turn on the new system. I can almost load anandtech.com before it just stops loading. Going to any other site gives me a no server found error.

Any ideas? Any settings that I'm missing?

 

[rw120555]

To clarify, are your computers networked? If so, how? Or are you just switching the cable modem from the old pc to the new pc?

If you are doing the later, the cable modem may be set up to only work with the MAC of the first pc. If so, a router can get around this, but you may not want one just for this purpose.

If you do have a network, you could always download on one machine and file transfer to the other. That may be quicker than hunting down and fixing the problem.

Clarify the setup and maybe we can refine the advice.

 

[VidarJMD]

Yeah, I'm just trying to switch the connection over to the new one. They aren't networked together. I have a router and a hub but I never got them working together and now that I finally found great instructions for it, I can't seem to find the power adapter to one of them. I've been tearing up the house looking for it but now that I got my new job I'm gonna move into the dorm a week earlier than I expected so it's not that important to have both computers hooked up to the internet at the same time but it would be nice to have access on the new one to do things like Windows Update or Liveupdate on Norton.

I've always had problems with the cable when switching computers or network cards so I bet you're right about the MAC address. I thought it said Not Present on the current computer.

Same on the new one.

That's why I tried rebooting the modem but that doesn't work. This wasn't the original card I set it up on so how do you get the modem to recognize a different card?

 

[rw120555]

Is the router the lucky piece of equipment that has the power adapter? If so, you could probably hook it up to modem, tell it to spoof the mac address of the other pc, and then hook it up to the new pc. No need to hook the other one up too.

Another option is to try to get a network going; see Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing. You could do something simple with the hub if it is working.

Will you have high speed internet in the dorm? If so, whats the rush?

I'm sure you can get this to work, but just waiting till you are in school or copying to cds may be about as easy.