[jcaline]

Hello! I'm hoping someone can help me. I'm very computer-dumb...
My internet was not working last night or this afternoon, so I called Comcast to find out if the problem was on my end or theirs. They did some troubleshooting with me by phone, and I realized that when I disconnected by Belkin wireless router and plugged the modem directly into my laptop via the ethernet cable, the internet worked; when I hooked the wireless router back up, the internet went out again. Comcast gave me the number for Belkin support; they told me that the problem was probably settings in Windows (I have Vista) that had gotten messed up, and that they could fix the settings remotely for $40.

I really don't have $40 to spend right now, and I would really like to fix my router (or the settings causing it not to work right). Does anyone have any advice on how to do that, or on something else I could try to get my router working again?

Thanks!

[pedroguy]

Hi:Let's make sure that the basic cabling is correct. and thenget some diagnostic data.

Basic network setup procedure

From a Johnwill tech tip:

The following procedure should get you a connection with any broadband modem that is configured to use DHCP for the router connection, such as cable modems, and many DSL modems. If you require PPPoE configuration for the DSL modem, that will have to be configured to match the ISP requirements.

Note that the wireless encryption and channel selection will have to be done after the basic wired connection is established, the first step is to get wired connections working.
• Reset the router to factory defaults by holding the reset button down for 15 seconds with power on.
• Turn off everything, the modem, router, computer.
• Connect the modem to the router's WAN/Internet port.
• Connect the computer to one of the router's LAN/Network ports.
• Turn on the modem, wait for a steady connect light.
• Turn on the router, wait for two minutes.
• Boot the computer.

When the computer is completely booted, let's see this.

Hold the Windows key and press R, then type CMD (COMMAND for W98/WME) to open a command prompt:

NOTE: For the items below surrounded with < >, see comments below for the actual information content, they are value substitutions from the previous command output!

In the command prompt window that opens, type type the following commands one at a time, followed by the Enter key:

IPCONFIG /ALL

PING <computer_IP_address>

PING <default_gateway_address>

PING <dns_servers>

PING 206.190.60.37

PING yahoo.com

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter to copy the contents to the clipboard.
Paste the results in a message here.

<computer_IP_address> - The IP Address of your computer, obtained from the IPCONFIG command above.

<default_gateway_address> - The IP address of the Default Gateway, obtained from the IPCONFIG command above.

<dns_servers> - The IP address of the first (or only) address for DNS Servers, obtained from the IPCONFIG command above.

If you are on a machine with no network connection, use a floppy, USB disk, or a CD-RW disk to transfer a text file with the information to allow pasting it here.
__________________

[foneguy9]

I'd agree with Pedroguy, definitely need some network troubleshooting steps taken first before we can save you those 40 clams!

Pedroguy, great Isle you live on!!! I love your underwater forests!!! Dive there as often as I can! Casino Point baby!!!

[pedroguy]

But living on a little Island Paradise does take some adjustments,Like scheduling monthly trips "overtown" to hit the hot spots,like Trader Joe's, ninety nine cent store,Sams and Costco

[foneguy9]

Any update, jcaline?

Pedroguy - Oh yeah... I hadn't put much though on those PRACTICAL inconveniences. Man! That can get nightmarish, I would think! IF your not very organized!


Typical DISORGANIZED couple morning conversation:

'Honey, were out of milk again! Can you run out and get some?'

Damn it! Gotta take the morning ferry to satisfy the missus breakfast cravings again!!!

[jcaline]

Hi, I am actually getting ready to do what you told me to now and I'll send the info in just a few min (hopefully, assuming I don't kill the computer in the process)...thanks!

[jcaline]

I just did what you said but the commands didn't work, other than the IPCONFIG/ALL...the rest of them kept coming up saying "incorrect syntax" and then when I changed bracket style, it would say "PING cannot find that host, check address" or something like that. Not sure...?

However, I am relatively sure at this point that it's the router that is fatally broken. The first couple of times I tried plugging it in this morning, the lights would come on for a few seconds, then go off, then come on again, then go off again--not flickering, mind you, just all shutting off and coming back on at once, every few seconds or so. Then when I unplugged it and plugged it back in again (there is no reset button on the router, by the way; you have to reset it by unplugging and plugging it), the lights came on for about a second, went off again and never turned back on; now, when I unplug it and plug it back in, no lights come on at all. It looks deader than dead, and I've tried switching the socket, etc.
I also checked the cable I was using to connect the router to the modem (by using it to connect the modem to the computer directly) and the cable was fine.

So it looks like I'm probably just going to have to go out and buy a new router...does that sound right to you guys?

[TerryNet]

Probably need a new router, but a reset to factory default settings should only take you a minute or two to see if that helps.

I had a Belkin router whose reset button stopped working, but I haven't heard that they forgot to include one on a model. What model do you have? The two I had the (recessed) reset button was labeled "Reset."