PC network connection issue with D-Link WiFi router.

July 7, 2004 10:12 PM

What's wrong with my PC's network connection? I know this is XP Networking 101 stuff, and most of the time I know my way around, but one PC out of six I've got sharing a DSL connection via a D-Link WiFi router is refusing to play. [more inside]

I have Internet access via Verizon DSL, and a Linksys WRT-54G WiFi/Wired broadband router (I know I typed D-Link above, that's at work!). I have successfully gotten all but one PC to connect through it, some wired and some WiFi, with WEP and MAC filtering.

What works? A wired Windows 98 box, a wireless Windows ME box, a wired XP Pro box, a Tablet PC and a TiVo (both also via WiFi). So, you'd think I've got this stuff down pat?

But I've got a XP Home PC that just wont play. It's in fact the only device with a Linksys Wireless G PCI card (the rest of my WiFi setup is mixed brands), so I figure getting it to work would be a cinch. And, in fact, it sorta works -- that is, the Wireless Connection is active and bridged and the little icon in the taskbar reports an "Excellent" connection. (And the router's admin reports that the PCI NIC has a valid/active lease.)

The PCI NIC and the router are talking fine. It's the PC that's not talking to the PCI NIC.

I did all sorts of things. Absolutely I made sure it was set to get its settings automatically (DHCP). I used various ipconfig commands (release, renew, flushdns), enabling and disabling and bridging and unbridging things under Network Connections (the PC also has a standard Ethernet NIC but it's not being used)... but as far as the system is concerned, there is no connection to the Internet.

The only sign something is wrong? ipconfig /renew hangs. It can't connect to anything. And I just noticed that ipconfig /release -- which usually gives me a variety of default IP values -- instead displays a specific IP (169.254.75.12).

Help!

posted by pzarquon to Technology (3 answers total)

Hmm. The value, specifically, that's set to that IP address is "Autoconfiguration IP Address." I've never seen that in any of the "Properties..." I've rummaged through.
posted by pzarquon at 10:45 PM on July 7, 2004

Try This?

Also, is there a reason you're sticking with XP Home on this machine?
posted by falconred at 10:49 PM on July 7, 2004

Figured it out. Whatever the hell a Network Bridge does, it wasn't helping. After I moved all the bridged connections outside, a new icon called "Internet Gateway/Internet Connection" suddenly appeared, and voila, everything worked.

Thanks, Falconred! Oddly enough, I ended up at that site courtesy Google earlier today!
posted by pzarquon at 12:45 AM on July 8, 2004