I've got all the stuff installed: router, cable, cards. All is plugged in but nowt happens. However I try I can't get the network working. Can someone recommend a person who can do that job for me please. The network is not wireless.
It's driving me mad.

Which operating system are you using? How many PC's are you trying to connect? Have you made sure you're not using crossover cables? Can you access the router from the PC's that are plugged into it? Can you get onto the internet through the router or is it just that the PC's can't see each other?

as wysiwyg said, it can be many things that can possibly go wrong... Try to get it sorted one step at a time... Try setting up one computer first along with the router, check cables, connections etc...

1) make sure you have TCP/IP Protocol installed on all machines.
2) make sure all machines have the same workgroup name.
3) make sure you have given all machines a different IP address eg:-
machine 1 = 10.0.0.1
machine 2 = 10.0.0.2
machine 3 = 10.0.0.3.. and so on
do not use the 'obtain an automatic ip address' option!(it wont work)
4) give all machines the same subnetmask eg: 255.255.255.0 should be ok.
after checking all the above (twice) reboot all machines,
when back in windows, share some folders on various machines and then browse the netrwork to see if you can see the shared folders.
if all this fails i would chech your conections, ,cables, hub, ect?

hope this helps! ;)

Thanks for responding. I'm using XP with AMD athlon 64 3200 and 1 gb RAM. (fast car, dodgy driver!!) I don't understand about IP addresses, but I've printed an "ipconfig/all" for both PC's so have all the data to hand. I'm trying to connect 2 PC's.
The router is ethernet, I've used the ethernet connection from PC to router, then another one from router to other pc. I have the filter and phone cable and power ok. I am sure it's all wired up alright. It's the pilot of this flying machine thats not wired up right I suppose.
The ipconfig/all tells me :
Windows config has IP routing enabled NO on both PC's.
WINS Proxy enabled NO also.
PC1 has adapter description, physical address, dhcp enabled NO, IP address, Subnet mask and default gateway + 2 DNS servers
PC2 has ethernet adapter media state and description and internet NIC physical address only.
All this mean little to me.

Originally posted by Nu_Skillz

3) make sure you have given all machines a different IP address eg:-
machine 1 = 10.0.0.1
machine 2 = 10.0.0.2
machine 3 = 10.0.0.3.. and so on
do not use the 'obtain an automatic ip address' option!(it wont work)


Exactly why won't automatic ip addressing work when routers tend to have a DHCP server?

What kind of cable have you got?

Set the router to act as a dhcp server

set each network card to 'obtain IP address automatically'

set each computer to have the same workgroup name.

If the cabling is right then it will work.

Do you have indicator lights on the router confirming that a connection is established between the pc and the router ? if so then there is only a protocol issue stopping it working.

What router are you using ?

The router is a SparkCom 4 port ethernet switch.
The lights tell me there is a connection.
Cable.....ethernet cable as far as I know
got cable, network card and router all from Discount computer supplies, copley rd, Donny. It was all to be so easy......!$£&#*!

Make sure both computers have the same workgroup name, then share a folder (My Documents perhaps) and see if you can access that through My Network Places.

What error message do you get if you can't access it ?

If your network cable is "crossover" or "peer to peer" then it won't work. But if you got all your parts from the same place they should have realised what you were creating and given you the right type.

How do I know whether it's a crossover or not? True, they should have known what they were doing, it's their business.

How do I know whether it's a crossover or not?



Hold the two jacks (plugs on the end of the cable) next to each other. If the coloured wires are all terminated the same then its a patch cable If wires 1+3 and 2+6 are swapped at either end then it's a crossover.

Or to put it another way; if the 2 ends look the same then its a patch cable if the coloured wires are in different places on each end then its a crossover.

Ta
I'LL LOOK IN THE MORNING

Exactly why won't automatic ip addressing work when routers tend to have a DHCP server?

when using a router, the machine connected to the router would use 'Obtain IP automatically, as the router would assign the IP address to this machine.

but this will only get internet working on the 1 machine & the machine wouldent see anything on the network other than the router.

to have internet access on all machines on the network
You would need to install a second Network Card in the server machine. (machine router is connected to)
This card needs to be set it up simular to how i described in the erlier post (with an IP address)
Turn on Internet Sharing on the server and type in the relevent DNS (routers IP possably) on all machines.
then by running the 'network setup wizzard' on all machines it should detect & set everything up for you.

if your still having problems, i could call round and take a look for you Zeppelin ? i sent you a PM

:thumbsup:

If it's a 4 port router why would he only be connecting 1 machine to it?

If he's using a router he doesn't need 2 network cards in one machine and he doesn't need to use ICS. You connect them all to the router/switch and that handles NAT allowing the machines to connect to the internet. You would use the network you described when you don't have a router. 1 machine is connected to the internet with one NIC (or USB or whatever) and then the other NIC is connected to a hub/switch (or to another PC by crossover if there's only 2 machines total) - this machine then has ICS or similar software running to allow rest of network access to the internet.

this will only get internet working on the 1 machine



According to the post above it's also got a 4 port switch. So this is incorrect.



to have internet access on all machines on the network
You would need to install a second Network Card in the server machine. (machine router is connected to)
This card needs to be set it up simular to how i described in the erlier post (with an IP address)
Turn on Internet Sharing on the server and type in the relevent DNS (routers IP possably) on all machines.
then by running the 'network setup wizzard' on all machines it should detect & set everything up for you.



You seem to be confused about exactly what a router is and what it does. If you had a USB broadband modem connected to one machine and had other PCs connected to a hub/switch then some of your post might be relevant (not sure why you say you think you need 2 NICs though).

What you are describing is a gateway machine. A router IS a gateway. They are one in the same thing.

I'm in agreement with fnkysknky, most modern home routers include a DHCP server. There's a small chance you may need to set the IP range and lease time but to be honest this should already come configured. In all likelyhood you should just be able to plug into it and have IP, Subnet mask, DNS & Gateway assigned for you from DHCP.

Zeppelin, you said in your original post "Nowt Happens". Could you elaborate? What were you expecting to happen? Also could you print out ipconfig in full from one of the pcs. The full print out should give an idea if it has picked up a private network address from DHCP.

If by "nowt happens" you mean you cannot get an Internet connection have you run through the set up pages on the router? There is often a set up page that you can connect to from one of the ethernet interfaces (often its http://192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1 - the exact address should be in your manual). You typically have to enter things like connection type, username/password, encapsulation, VPI/VCI, MTU.

Also... Is there a sync light on your router and is it constantly on, flashing or off?

sory i missed the '4port ' section :suspect: , i was under the impression it was just the 1 port as mine is i use!
so you wouldent need to install another network, sory :)

It's still wrong :P

Even with a 1 port router you would normally connect it to a hub/switch and then connect your machines to this. There is no reason to be running ICS if you have a router, you are removing a major advantage of having a router which is not having to rely on a server to be on so you can connect to the internet.

not wrong, just a diferent way of doing it,, i dident have all the info u have when i gave my advice! overlooking the 4port bit.
i missed Zeppelins second post, and i was going on...
Zeppelin | I've got all the stuff installed: router, cable, cards.
no mention here of a hub/switch!
if their is just 2 machines and a 1 port router, like i have you dont have that option! unless i go and buy a seperate hub/switch.
and as is router/hub, switch are combined, not seperate he wont have to conect them?
but yes i am wrong if this is the case.
i do try :rolleyes:

Ok maybe not wrong as it's possible to get it working that way but it's a bad way to do it, right tools for the job and all that. You can get a 5 port hub for a tenner and that would allow you to use the router to it's full potential (and you wouldn't need the second NIC) - the server doesn't need to be a server anymore and you don't need to worry about ICS crashing as it does every now and then. At the moment your router is effectively working as a firewall and not much else. You could do away with it unless it's your modem as well?

I know he didn't mention a hub/switch but I had assumed the router was also a hub or switch as is generally the case :)

Punk, thanks...the ipconfig has picked up all that data but where it says "dhcp enabled" it says NO. Is this the problem? Sorry I won't print out all my personal IP data on Sheffield Forum.
As for the manual, it is quite spartan, there is no webpage address.
When I say "nowt" happens, what I meant to say was, all the lights are functioning per the manual, the ADSL light is constant as it should be.
I have used the setup manual a few times, followed it to a T and when it tells me it will reboot in 30 seconds, it does'nt.
It asks for a User Name ISP Account and a Password ISP account, which I presume is the password we use on the Tiscali account.
I've used a system restore point to revert to original setting whenever it's failed, to enable the original broadband modem to work.

Hi Zeppelin, can you just confirm if your IP is one of the following on your clients (the PC's not the router):

10.*.*.*
192.168.*.*
or somewhere between 172.16.0.0 and 172.31.255.255

Assuming you are on one of the IP ranges above the only bits that are really private on ipconfig /all are the mac address (physical address) and perhaps your DNS entry if you don't want people to know which ISP you're with.

Which interface is IP config telling you that DHCP enabled = no? If its "Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection" then its probably wrong.

If this is the case then go to start, run and type ncpa.cpl then in box that pops up RIGHT click the Local Area Connection icon and select properties. In the property box that pops up scroll down to "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and hit the properties box. Another box should pop up. Before you do anything write all the settings down in this box so you can set it back this way if the following doesn't work. The first radio selection on that page should be "obtain an IP address automatically", selecting that (and clicking on OK, then applying the box underneath) should set you up to pick up an IP address from DHCP. You should also set the bottom bit to "obtain DNS server address automatically" if it's not already.

You might need to right click the Local Area Connection icon again and select repair for it to pick up the change (if not a reboot should do the trick).

If you are still having problems PM me the ipconfig output. Hash out the MAC (pysical) address if you like, that bit isnt relavent really.