Networking problems !!

[williebhoy]

I have a desktop PC & laptop both running Windows XP Pro..The desktop is set as the host via a Belkin 54g router on Boradband which connect well to the internet. However I have lost my connection on the laptop. I can get an all clear in the start-up menu showing a connection. However when I try ipconfig it shows "Media disconnected" ????
Tried switching off zone alarm firewall but made no difference

How can I re-connect my internet to the laptop ?

 

[JohnWill]

Is this a wired or wireless connection? Please specify specific makes/models of all the networking equipment.

 

[williebhoy]

Running a DSL cable connection for Broadband using aBelkin 54g router.
My laptop has a Belkin notebook network card.

Desktop details :-
Physical Address: 00-40-F4-84-42-69
IP Address: 192.168.2.7
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.2.1
DHCP Server: 192.168.2.1
Lease Obtained: 09/19/2004 07:01:26
Lease Expires: 08/23/1902 14:10:13
DNS Servers: 62.31.64.39, 62.31.112.39, 62.31.144.39
WINS Server:

The laptop was connecting with internet no problems...then just went down not been able to connect for nearly 2 weeks now....no idea what problem is.
The small icon in the start-up tray shows it's ok...but when I try to connect I get "no connection"....when I run ipconfig it shows : Media disconnected rather than the various ip addresses as above.

I've really no idea about networks...& had to get a local Company in to set it up but this is very costly @ £ 35 callout + labour charges !!
Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Any other info you require just let me know

 

[JohnWill]

If you have encryption enabled, try disabling it on both ends, just to see if that's the issue. Also, disable or uninstall ANY firewalls, also for a test. Those are the two major reasons you can't connect.

 

[williebhoy]

I've saw a mention of firewalls being a problem on another query..so tried switching them off yesterday to no avail I'm afraid.

Don't see any panel for the encryption on the host (desktop) although there is a selection panel on the laptop which is not enabled.........sorry not much help to you there !!

 

[Bob Cerelli]

If you are getting a media disconnected error and no IP address assigned on the laptop then you are way before worrying about firewalls. Firewalls also don't stop you from getting an IP address from the router.

Is it possible that it is a defective network card or cable (if it uses a cable).

Can you try swapping with a known networking card in the laptop.

 

[williebhoy]

As my network has now been down for nearly 2 weeks..I had asked a guy at my work he suggested there might be a problem with the network card...but when he tried my card in his home network it worked fine. So I think the problem might be something else !

 

[bil4hire]

How about going into device manager and remove the network card from the list and rebooting the computer and see if XP finds the network card and reloads the drivers? You may need to run the network set-up again after that.

 

[williebhoy]

Do you mean on the host pc as well ??
I hate the idea of deleting my connection on the host pc...done it before and it took me a while to get it back again !!

No problems if only on the laptop though...I've ran the network wizard few times but never tried to delete the card

 

[bil4hire]

No, just the laptop, it should narrow down any problem with the card hopefully

 

[williebhoy]

Absolutely delighted...I just followed the advice given and hey presto when I checked the ipconfig the full ip address & details were present. I went online and everything worked as before. Having tried & failed with everything I knew for nearly 2 weeks I had resigned myself to having to call in a PC engineer. I really am most grateful to your experts on this forum. I will also ensure I regularly scan the other sections for more expert advice. Very many thanks indeed for your assistance once again. I'm sure it might seem simple enough to you guys but it was driving me up the wall trying to fix this problem.