• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

laptop connects to wireless router, but no internet!

W

Wah

Golden Member
Trying to get my GF's laptop (dell i8500 w/ truemobile 1300) connected to the internet after reformatting and reinstalling WinXP home (the wireless connection worked fine before). The computer connects to the router (linksys 54G), but she can't get on the internet. The desktop computer that is connected to the router with a cat5 cable works fine. I have no idea what to do.. its really starting to annoy me, b/c I remember having this problem with my i8500 and the solution was something simple. Any help?
 
I'm pretty sure it is... before I reformatted, the computer was connecting to the internet.
 
Start | Run | command

put in ping yahoo.com

See if she gets results.

Also, have her log into the router and see if she can do a DHCP release and renew. What kind of router does she have? She installed the related software on the laptop, right?
 
Thanks, I'll have her try it tomorrow night. She is using the linksys WRT54G. I don't think there is any additional software she needs to install...
 
Um, if the laptop is connecting wirelessly I would strongly suggest she install the software that came with the router.
 
No problem, I apologize if I came off strongly in my last post. I work for a cable ISP and unfortunately as a side effect I've troubleshot my fair share of routers. Feel free to directly PM me whenever things get rolling with this and you still cannot find a resolution. Good luck! 🙂
 
Ping didn't work... she said a dos screen comes up for a sec and nothing happens. She tried installing the software on her laptop, but it said there was no internet connection (duh!) so it wouldn't continue. No DHCP Release or Renew. Not sure why... i think its b/c she is on PPPoe DSL maybe?

This is really starting to piss me off....
 
Sounds like something in the router or PC is keeping her out. Does she have any security enabled on the router??? Best thing to do is disable all security and MAC address filtering inside the router. The easiest way to make sure everything is disabled is to reset the router. You can either do this from IE or with the reset switch on the router itself. If she is on DSL/PPoE you really don't want to reset the router unless you know the DSL setup information and the router is handling the PPoE. Is the hardwired computer handling the PPoE or is the router. I curently have my router handling PPoE and DCHP, but it is also possible that the PC is doing the PPoE/DHCP.


Here is how I have my DSL setup.

Speedsteam 5100B modem(setup as a dummy modem)>Linksys WRT54G Router handling PPoE and DHCP>Wireless laptop and hardwired PC.

All DSL settings are done inside the router and NOT the PC. If she is using the PC to handle the PPoE, it is all different.

I would suggest getting into the router through the wired PC. Go to Internet Explorer and type in "http://192.168.1.1" and the hit the "Enter" key. This should get you the login screen to the router. The default user is blank with a password of "admin".

Once inside the router look at the internet and wireless settings. It should give you a clue on whats up.
 
Same problem here. I have the same router (V2) but an Emachines 6805. My laptop sees the connection but will not connect (or allow me to get on the net). The only thing I noticed on my laptop that you have not said is if i click on "view available wireless networks" I get a screen showing my local network and a message saying ?the wireless network is not secure. Because a network key (WEP) is not used for authentication or for data encryption, data sent over this network might be subject to unauthorized access." At this point i am not all that worried about security (I would like to be able to get online first) i check the box that says "allow me to connect to the selected wireless network even though it is not secure." If i check that box, usually I can get online. But for some reason when i check the box, it still blocks my attempt to get online. In fact if i check the box, and then click on connect (which makes the window go away) and then i again view wireless networks, the box is unchecked.

What should I do? I know its something simple, but I don?t know what.

Thanks!
 
I too have an Inspiron 8500 laptop (XP Pro SP1) and the Linksys WRT54G router. The only problem that I've been having lately is immediately after a fresh Startup my wireless connection is made to the router (connection icon appears in the System Tray and shows connection as excellent), but I can't connect to the internet (WAN) or my network (LAN). However, if I right-click on the connection icon in the System Tray and choose Disable, and then go to Start > Connect To > Wireless Network Connection, it connects and I have access to the internet and my network. Does that work for you?

My problem is just at Startup and it's relatively new. While it is easy to for me to connect if I go through the process outlined above, it still is annoying that I have to do that after every reboot. I'm trying to figure out what has changed.

I should mention that my connection icon loads very quickly in the System Tray. This is the opposite of a problem that I had in the past where it would take 2 or 3 minutes after booting up before it would appear. I know I installed this Microsoft Wireless update rollup package for Windows XP to fix that. As I remember it though, that fix wasn't enough, and I also had to make some change in Services as well.

You can check if you have this fix installed by going to Add/Remove Programs and look if Windows XP Hotfix KB826942 is listed.
 
I don't think my last post will help much, but have you considered calling Linksys tech support? They are usually pretty good.
 
If you are using the WRT54g disable loopback. This makes laptops appear on the WAN interface and will therefore cause problems.
 
My problem would seem to be related to a program that I have launching during Startup because I disabled a bunch of them and now my connection after a reboot is fine. It might be eTrust EZ Armor which I installed a couple of weeks ago, but I would have to do some further testing (reboots) to isolate the problem.

EDIT - Well, the culprit doesn't seem to be eTrust EZ Armor. I now think it might be the latest version of Microangelo where I had one component loading in the background. I'll post again if I have a definitive answer, but for now I've rebooted enough times tonight!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top