I'm not the most tech-savvy, and I'm having trouble with my old windows XP laptop (a Dell Latitude). It's worked fine with wireless and ethernet networking until recently.
At home, and elsewhere, I get a message telling me that I am connected to the internet (either through my wireless or through the ethernet jack): when I right-click on the connection (either Local Area Connection or my wireless card, depending on what is plugged in), the "status" says that my connection is good. Packets are sent and received (although far more are sent than received). But if I try to open a browser, I get the message saying that the browser could not connect ("Server not found" in Firefox). Similarly, windows tries to download updates, then the download quits.
At home I'm using a cable modem (Time-Warner RoadRunner is our high-speed provider) connected to an Apple Airport Express. My partner is able to connect perfectly wirelessly with her Mac with no problems, and in our previous apartment I could connect to the Airport Express with no difficulty (we had Comcast cable internet at the previous place). The password for the Airport Express hasn't changed, and I tried re-entering it with no luck. It is only since moving to a new house and new provider that I've had this problem, but the problem now occurs everywhere I go, so I'm afraid I messed something up in the search for a fix, or that the move is unconnected to the problem.
I've tried disconnecting the modem and router and letting them power down and back up. I've done that with my partner's laptop turned off and with it left on. No luck so far. Plus, as I said, this problem happens everywhere, not just on our home network.
Two things I've noticed:
1. When I do ipconfig /all at home the IP address I get is 10.0.1.3; when I ping that address, I get good results; but when my partner goes to ipchicken.com on her ?Mac, she gets a different IP address (98.30.139.126); when I try to ping that address from my laptop, it times out and fails. When I go to the library and plug into the ethernet connection, I get an IP number from ipconfig /all that I can ping successfully. (Sorry to sound clueless -- but I guess I am.)
2. If I go to the network properties, and then to the TCP/IP properties (for both wireless and for the local area connection) I cannot get the choice for "Obtain DNS server address automatically" to stay checked. When I check it and "OK" my way out of those windows and go back later, it has always come unchecked and reverted to the same Preferred and Alternate DNS servers -- it's always the same numbers, no matter where I am.
Spybot S&D reveals no infestations of spyware or malware.
Any ideas? Can anyone walk me through some fixes? Or do #1 or #2, above, point to anything important?
Thanks!
- Bill
At home, and elsewhere, I get a message telling me that I am connected to the internet (either through my wireless or through the ethernet jack): when I right-click on the connection (either Local Area Connection or my wireless card, depending on what is plugged in), the "status" says that my connection is good. Packets are sent and received (although far more are sent than received). But if I try to open a browser, I get the message saying that the browser could not connect ("Server not found" in Firefox). Similarly, windows tries to download updates, then the download quits.
At home I'm using a cable modem (Time-Warner RoadRunner is our high-speed provider) connected to an Apple Airport Express. My partner is able to connect perfectly wirelessly with her Mac with no problems, and in our previous apartment I could connect to the Airport Express with no difficulty (we had Comcast cable internet at the previous place). The password for the Airport Express hasn't changed, and I tried re-entering it with no luck. It is only since moving to a new house and new provider that I've had this problem, but the problem now occurs everywhere I go, so I'm afraid I messed something up in the search for a fix, or that the move is unconnected to the problem.
I've tried disconnecting the modem and router and letting them power down and back up. I've done that with my partner's laptop turned off and with it left on. No luck so far. Plus, as I said, this problem happens everywhere, not just on our home network.
Two things I've noticed:
1. When I do ipconfig /all at home the IP address I get is 10.0.1.3; when I ping that address, I get good results; but when my partner goes to ipchicken.com on her ?Mac, she gets a different IP address (98.30.139.126); when I try to ping that address from my laptop, it times out and fails. When I go to the library and plug into the ethernet connection, I get an IP number from ipconfig /all that I can ping successfully. (Sorry to sound clueless -- but I guess I am.)
2. If I go to the network properties, and then to the TCP/IP properties (for both wireless and for the local area connection) I cannot get the choice for "Obtain DNS server address automatically" to stay checked. When I check it and "OK" my way out of those windows and go back later, it has always come unchecked and reverted to the same Preferred and Alternate DNS servers -- it's always the same numbers, no matter where I am.
Spybot S&D reveals no infestations of spyware or malware.
Any ideas? Can anyone walk me through some fixes? Or do #1 or #2, above, point to anything important?
Thanks!
- Bill