Can't Stay Connected

I've been searching for a while on how to solve this problem I'm having.

I'm at my sister's place in Waterloo and connected to her network. After a while, it disconnected. I tried reconnecting but the little zero config icon still shows it being disconnected. I can, however, use the internet for short bursts of time. It'll stop working (Firefox says it's in offline mode) and I'll have to reattempt to connect. The cycle gets repeated.

I can't figure out what is going on.

I've got a Dell XPS M1530 running XP Pro, and my network card is the Intel 4965AGN.

Does anyone have some advice? I'm getting pretty hot and bothered by it all.

 

What ISP is it, is DSL and work with PPPoE?

 

It's Mediacom cable and I don't know what the PPPoE is. The router is a Netgear WGR614 v7 with the latest firmware.

 

With some DSL service you need PPPoE to be able to share internet, and I thought may be your sister's computer was competing with yours.

 

It's Mediacom cable.

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There is only one other computer on the network. This hasn't been a problem until now. It used to be that I could connect right to it and be good to go (but that was with my old notebook; Inspiron 9200). When I got here, the SSID wasn't being broadcast so I had to turn that on (so I could detect the network). It lasted for a while, but now stuck here.

 

Have you tried to change the channel?

 

have you checked all the normal settings in the router...number of addresses it's assigned to give out...wether the router is set in auto or static IP mode...tried setting up the connection manually in your pc through your wireless NIC by using your sis's SSID and method of encryption...just for a tryout...when your trying to connect disable your wireless NIC...don't turn off the outboard switch...disable through network connections...then enable the NIC...this should do a flush/renew of any DNS cache...see what happens

 

Has the MAC address of the PC used to setup the account been cloned into the router? Most cable companies use some sort of MAC filtering. What brand router are you using? If it's a Belkin it may the source of your problem.

 

This temporarily made the zero config service work; the icon showed the normal monitor. After about a minute, it went back to the disconnected icon.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'll give them a try and report back.

 

I just tried most of the suggestions. I haven't gotten anything to work. After I tried manually configuring my network settings, I lost connection and spent about twenty minutes trying to get the internet back.

My sister's HP desktop with a Linksys Wireless G USB network adapter isn't having any trouble. I can't figure out how to get the Zero Config thing to show up on that, though, so I can't look at those settings.

The router is a NetGear something. I posted the model in an earlier reply. 614 something-or-another.

Ugh. Good grief. Why is networking so difficult?

 

Check in your event viewer (in XP it's found under the administrative tools link in the control panel, not sure where it is in _Vista) to see if there are any information or warning events logged concerning wireless.

 

At OP, go into the properties and turn down your Roaming Aggressiveness and turn up the transmit power to max. This can all be found under Device Manager.

 

I just made those adjustments but it's still not showing up as connected (though I am on right now, for the time being).

I looked at the event viewer and saw these:

Code:

Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 001DE0727929.  The following error occurred: 
The semaphore timeout period has expired. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

Code:

TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

The types of warning are Dhcp and Tcpip, respectively.

 

On the warnings, were there warning code numbers associated with each warning?

 

There are Event IDs and a strange arrangement of numbers at the bottom.

Warning
Source: Tcpip
Event ID: 4226

Code:

TCP/IP has reached the security limit imposed on the number of concurrent TCP connect attempts.

0000: 00 00 00 00 01 00 54 00   ......T.
0008: 00 00 00 00 82 10 00 80   ....‚..€
0010: 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

Warning
Source: Dhcp
Event ID: 1003

Code:

Your computer was not able to renew its address from the network (from the DHCP Server) for the Network Card with network address 001DE0727929.  The following error occurred:
The semaphore timeout period has expired. . Your computer will continue to try and obtain an address on its own from the network address (DHCP) server.

0000: 79 00 00 00               y...   

I keep dropping the connection and reconnecting, but there aren't new events depicting that.


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I just saw this one; I don't know the significance (probably none):


Information
Source: Tcpip
Event ID: 4202

Code:

The system detected that network adapter Intel(R)...Link 4965AGN - Packet Scheduler Miniport was disconnected from the network, and the adapter's network configuration has been released. If the network adapter was not disconnected, this may indicate that it has malfunctioned. Please contact your vendor for updated drivers.

0000: 00 00 00 00 02 00 50 00   ......P.
0008: 00 00 00 00 6a 10 00 40   ....j..@
0010: 02 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0018: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........
0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00   ........

 

Does the network have any form of security such as WPA, WPA2? which would have it to require a password!...I suggest disabling the WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) Service and let Windows manage the network connections.

Right click on 'My Computer' select 'Manage'...expand 'Services and Applications' and select 'Services'...Ensure that the 'DHCP Client' and 'DNS Client' services are set to Automatic and that they are Started. Then scroll down to WZC..right click and go to 'Properties' and set it to Disabled and stop it.

Now click on the wireless network icon in your task tray and search for your wireless network and try to connect again. If the network is secured you will need to enter the passphrase.

I hope that helps.

 

Thanks for the suggestion; I tried what you said and the network finder says it can't configured the network because of the WZC being disabled.

About the WPA, there was a password but then we removed it because the desktop couldn't connect with it (I couldn't find the WZC client, so I had to use the Linksys client). I don't remember having any trouble with the network when it was protected, but I only used it for a little bit before disabling the protection.

 

hmm...okay...re-enable the WZC Service in Computer Management and start it, then go to the network finder as you call it where you would normally see all the network connections available...on the left pane at the bottom click 'Change advanced settings'. A window would pop up and u should see a Tab that says 'Wireless Networks' click that and put in the check to 'Use Windows to configure my wireless settings'. You should see ur wireless network in there too...as in the second attachment below. Select it and click properties to set the network type/passwords and such. You can look at those settings on ur sis computer to know how it's set up.

 

I'll give that a try when she gets back. I need admin privileges to get into a lot of that stuff on there.

 

how many pc's does your sis have hooked to the router...i have a network instructor...he had told me of having a LAN party one evening...got a nasty letter from MediaCom about having too many MAC addresses being assigned that evening...i guess they basically acused him of setting up an FTP server...or public LAN...MediaCom is pretty picky about how you use their bandwidth as if it's any of their business...the way i look at it your buying the bandwidth...t/t if you're suck'n it up now and then...i know first hand...used to have MediaCom...they got some strict rules...

 

Ok, cognitive dissonance warning

If you're using someone else's property, it's still someone else's property. It's most definitely their business whether or not you're using it according to the limitations they put on your use, and they have every right to restrict your use to those limits - you are most definitely not just "buying bandwidth."

 

Hahahaha, the IT police Lol, thank you for making me laugh, I played racquetball this morning and I lost two games to a friend that I always beat

 

baaahh...humbug...MediaCom stockholder ehh....i have verizon dsl now...although not as fast...i've asked about any restrictions they have...answer...your bandwidth...do what you want with it...

 

I went home for a few days and am now back in Waterloo. Now I'm running Vista (I got it repaired to the point that Vista is usable, at least). Same problem.

Ugh. I cannot stand this. I hate this network card.

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I got the newer version of that Intel Proset thing and *knocks on wood* it's been staying connected and operating very smoothly.

 

Reviewing all of the post.

1. Do you have MAC Filtering turned on on the router?
2. Did you ever Clone the MAC address of the other PC in to the router?

Either one of these will drop your connection as soon as it's made. All of the cable compines I'm familiar with use MAC Filtering to control access. So makes sure the MAC address has been cloned. If you have mac filtering turned on due to open access make sure you enter the MAC address of your NB, wired and wireless. The check to see if you can connect. From what I have seen you will need to use the other pc to check all of this, due to the fact you do not have access.

 

Stocks? Nah, I stay away from those, I quickly learned that there's a very good reason why I don't work as a stock broker/trader - I only bought shares directly once - AMD at $16/sh - and I just keep them around now as a pointed reminder to try and not stick my nose too far into things I don't have the time to familiarize myself with.

Glad you managed to find a provider who thinks your way - that's the beauty of free(-ish) markets - if you can't get what you want from Seller A, Seller B will be along soon enough with what you want.