Reformatted, XP won't recognize connection

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 8:52 pm

I just did a reformat on my main rig and reinstalled XP Pro. I've done this any number of times in the past without any issues, but this time, no matter what I do, I can't seem to get Windows to recognize that I'm connected to the internet. I'm on a cable modem connected through a linksys router. The connection on my secondary machine still works fine. Nothing else has changed since before the reformat.

Any ideas?

Biyobi · Post by **Biyobi** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:11 pm

Can you ping the router or the other machine on your network?

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:13 pm

Did you install SP2 right off the bat? I guess I'm wondering if SP2 security somehow borked your network connections.

And I'm assuming it's not a wireless router / connection, right?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:18 pm

I have no idea how to ping my router. I'm a fairly good hand with gaming related hardware issues, but utterly ignorant when it comes to network issues.

Smoove - it is a regular cabled Linksys BEFSR42 router.

XP is the original release, right off of the disk. SP2 won't be there until I do the update dance.

I've tried the various network wizards, tweaked various settings, powered off and re-plugged (in order) the cable modem, router, and PCs. It responds to any attempt to launch an internet application as if I didn't have a connection at all.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:22 pm

Try opening IE -- but don't let it try to connect to anything--- let it get to the error page.

Then go to the address bar and type "192.168.1.1" -- that should open the Linksys tool and let you see if the router even sees your computer. You'll be prompted for your admin name and password. If you've never been on this page before the default user name is "Administrator" with no password. I think.

See what the router thinks is connected. Should be under:

Status-->Network-->DHCP Client Table

I've had problems like this before and usually it's a matter of powering down everything and rebooting the router.

If you open up Network Neighborhood can you do a search for the other computer and see it?

If so, your computers might be networked but not sharing an internet connection.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:41 pm

Smoove_B wrote:
Then go to the address bar and type "192.168.1.1" -- that should open the Linksys tool and let you see if the router even sees your computer.

"Could not find search page" error.

Smoove_B wrote:
See what the router thinks is connected. Should be under:

Status-->Network-->DHCP Client Table

It only shows my secondary machine.

Network Places shows nothing on the problem machine.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:43 pm

Blackhawk wrote: "Could not find search page" error.

You can't open the Linksys router page from the XP reinstall? Hmmm...

AHHH! Wait a sec.

What motheboard do you have? I can never get my network connections to work until AFTER I install the motherboard drivers -- I have an nforce2 for what it's worth.

As soon as the motherboard drivers are installed, the network connections happen like magic.

Try that.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:45 pm

Humph. That could be it (NForce3).

Now I just have to figure out how to download mobo drivers without a connection - no burner on my secondary rig.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 9:48 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Humph. That could be it (NForce3).

Now I just have to figure out how to download mobo drivers without a connection - no burner on my secondary rig.

If you still have the disk that came with the motherboard, they should be on there...otherwise...get in your wayback machine and grab some floppies and WinZip -- it's about 30 MB.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 10:19 pm

If your cable modem supports USB you could unplug the linksys, power down the cable modem and connect via USB. Make sure you turn on the XP firewall if you do that however.

Run to the store and pick up a USB thumb drive is another option. If you haven't gotten one yet you are missing out. I have a pocketful of them.