Laptop dropping Internet

[Bizkitkid2001]

My step-dad got a laptop from his work and after being on the internet for about an hour, web pages won't load anymore. He only has problems with web pages loading. All of his other programs that connect to the internet (his works VNP, remote desktop, skype and MSN messenger) all work fine and none of them disconnect when he can't get web pages to load. He is connected to our home network via a wireless connection and it does not get disconnected when these problems occur.


Waiting a minute or so won't fix the problem, waiting an hour won't fix the problem. Running a repair under network connections won't fix the problem. The only thing that fixes the problem is rebooting the computer.


He is running Windows Vista Home Premium, does anyone have any recomendations?


Thanks,
-Biz

[GroundZero3]

Is this with the new router or your old router?

Does he have the latest drivers installed on his laptop for his wireless card?

[Bizkitkid2001]

This problem occured on the old router as well. I was hoping the new router would fix this problem.


I'll try and take a look at it later tonight to see if all of the drivers have been updated.


However, bear with me, I got off early from work today because I was spending most of my time in the restroom disposing of what I had for breakfast and lunch, and I don't feel any better at this moment.


Yay for having a cheapy $380 laptop to surf the internet in bed!

[GroundZero3]

So your having this problem with the Linksys WRT54G? What firmware are you running on it?

How far are you from the laptop? Check the drivers maybe change the channel the wireless is running on. Do you have any kind of encryption enabled on the computer?

[Bizkitkid2001]

I am having this problem with the Linksys WRT54G and the WRT54GL. The WRT54G has the latest version from the linksys website and the WRT54GL has the firmware that came with it which is version 4.30.7.


My laptop will sometimes be unable to load a page, but all I have to do is hit the refresh button a couple times and it will load it. With my step-dad's new laptop, he has to restart his computer to be able to get any website to load. Both laptops are running off of the same network.


I won't be able to use a different channel as my desktops in my room connect to our wireless network through a WET54G bridge and it will not let me select a different channel if I have it set to Infrastructure mode. It will let me select a channel under Ad-Hoc mode, but then I can't get it to work with the wireless network in ad-hoc mode. So the only channel I can use is channel 6.


I will go and check to see if the drivers are updated for the network card.

[Whir]

What security are you using? When I used WPA with my Linksys PCI card, it would drop every hour on the hour. Something to do with incompatibility or not talking enough when the TSKIP renew thingy came around.

[GroundZero3]

last i heard the linksys firmware had some issues with wireless.


Do you have the latest updates for the bridge installed?

[Bizkitkid2001]

Our encryption is set to WEP128bit.


Its not a problem with the connection being dropped. My step dad could be connected to his remote desktop and be doing stuff, yet when he opens Internet Explorer the "Oage cannot be found" message comes up. Never has his wireless icon next to his system clock ever say that the signal was lost or that the signal had be reistablished.


I doubt that I have the latest firmware for my bridge, but his laptop doesn't go through the bridge, only my two desktops in my bedroom.



However, yesterday and today he did not have this problem. Infact, he only had this problem once on the new router and that was right after we had installed it. (ABout an hour later) I told him to keep refreshing some webpages throughout the day to see if it ever does it again.

[Bizkitkid2001]

My step-dad told me that CompUSA is coming out to look at the laptop for free under warranty and the CompUSA technician said that there could be interference between the router and the laptop, so he is going to install extended range antenas.


Now, the laptop sitting only 7 feet from the router. It has a desktop with an LCD monitor, a printer, a TV, and a phone next to it. Would these things cause interference to where web pages will not load, yet everything else connected to the internet or network will? I think this seems very far fetched as if the signal was being interferred, then all connections should be having problems.

[Keymaker]

If your considered about security, and if your router has it. Use WPA with a long password instead. Configure through a LAN cable, not on WIFI.

You may also want to check out the WIFI adapter's options for throughput enhancement, roaming aggressiveness, transmit power, preamble mode, ( May want long) wireless mode etc. In the router's wireless features and in the NIC's software.

May be malewale? DOS? etc....

[Bizkitkid2001]

Apparantly I misunderstood what the problem was from my step dad.


Today I actually had the problem occur while I was on the system.


He is losing all connections to everything. He can't even log in to the Router when this happens, and it is not just Internet Explorer. The way he was explaining it, I thought that it was only Internet Explorer having the problem.

When he does lose the connection, the network still shows him connected to our network, yet it will say "Reestablishing." After a few minute it "Reestablished" and everything started working again.


During that time it was down, I ran a Repair and it came back with an error saying that the DNS server can not be found. So I set up a static IP and manually put in the DNS servers off of the router and that would not work either. I then set it back to DHCP and then the network connected again.


Sooo, I guess I will wait and see what the guy coming out to fix it under warranty has to say.

[Bizkitkid2001]

If your considered about security, and if your router has it. Use WPA with a long password instead. Configure through a LAN cable, not on WIFI.

You may also want to check out the WIFI adapter's options for throughput enhancement, roaming aggressiveness, transmit power, preamble mode, ( May want long) wireless mode etc. In the router's wireless features and in the NIC's software.

May be malewale? DOS? etc....

My wireless Brdige does not support WPA, only WEP. My bridge has the latest Firmware, which is v2.06 release date January 14, 2004.

[Keymaker]

During that time it was down, I ran a Repair and it came back with an error saying that the DNS server can not be found. So I set up a static IP and manually put in the DNS servers off of the router and that would not work either. I then set it back to DHCP and then the network connected again.

No, no, no! If the repair window says can't clear the DNS, that means the DNS server service is not on. Go into control panel, administrative tools, services and find the DNS Cleint. Set it for automatic and turn it on. When you do repare, it really shouldn't matter, but it may because you use a wireless bridge.

In the case of a manual IP address. You have to go into the router to set that up. Then input an appropriate IP in the connection properties according to what you specified in the router. Good amount of info. here

Has the computer recently undergone a new program install? Could have messed around with settings. In case it still misbehaves. You can try reseting the winsocks. If you have a lot of things specifically configured for that network, the winsock fixer will reset them.

When using WEP. Defiantly use a very strong password and I would actually change it at least once a week. It is easy to crack in 15 minuets or less!

[Bizkitkid2001]

No, no, no! If the repair window says can't clear the DNS, that means the DNS server service is not on. Go into control panel, admiistrative tools, services and find the DNS Cleint. Set it for automatic and turn it on. When you do repare, it really shouldn't matter, but it may because you use a wireless bridge.

In the case of a manual IP address. You have to go into the router to set that up. Then input an appropriate IP in the connection properties according to what you specified in the router. Good amount of info. here

Has the computer recently undergone a new program install? Could have messed around with settings. In case it still misbehaves. You can try reseting the winsocks. If you have a lot of things specifically configured for that network, the winsock fixer will reset them.

When using WEP. Defiantly use a very strong password and I would actually change it at least once a week. It is easy to crack in 15 minuets or less!

I will go check out to see if that service is set to automatice.

As for the manual IP thing, I was referring to setting up a Static IP, not port forwarding. Two seperate things

Also, does Winsock XP work on Vista? I didn't see a compatability list onn the site.

[Bizkitkid2001]

I went and checked and the DNS service is started and is set to Automatic.

[Keymaker]

I'm wondering if there is a DNS server listed.

Go to the control panel, netwok connection and find you network adapter. Right click, properties and choose TCP/IP. What's it say?

Try this too. Start, Run type:

CMD hit Enter. Type: ipconfig /all

What does it say? You can right click in the black window, select all then CTL C.

You say static. Do you mean static IP from the modem? I was thinking a manual IP address for the router hand out to you instead of DHCP. If you have cable Internet, I believe to acquire the IP from the modem it needs to be set to DHCP in this case. I have cable and that's what I have set. Whether you want a manual IP handout to the client or automatic DHCP is user preference, like for gaming.

[Keymaker]

Also, does Winsock XP work on Vista? I didn't see a compatability list onn the site.

Crap! It does say XP. It might work, but I wouldn't run it in Vista as the reg values may be different.

Here is one for all.

Keep in mind that if you have acquired a virus or certain ad recently that is doing this. Reseting will just negate the purpose unless you make sure the system is clean.

[Bizkitkid2001]

I'm wondering if there is a DNS server listed.

Go to the control panel, netwok connection and find you network adapter. Right click, properties and choose TCP/IP. What's it say?

Try this too. Start, Run type:

CMD hit Enter. Type: ipconfig /all

What does it say? You can right click in the black window, select all then CTL C.

You say static. Do you mean static IP from the modem? I was thinking a manual IP address for the router hand out to you instead of DHCP. If you have cable Internet, I believe to acquire the IP from the modem it needs to be set to DHCP in this case. I have cable and that's what I have set. Whether you want a manual IP handout to the client or automatic DHCP is user preference, like for gaming.

Right now I have the laptop setup to automatically get an IP from the router, so no DNS servers are listed as it is pulling it from the router.


When I say static IP, I mean assigning a static IP address on the laptop to the router, not from my ISP to my modem. I did this so that I could manually put in my ISP's DNS servers just to see if the laptop was having problems pulling the DNS information off of the router. I found out that that was not the issue as it did not fix it.


I highly doubt that the computer has a virus as it is only 1 week old, and it started doing this right out of the box. Unless HP ships computers with spyware and viruses now. The computer already had Norton pre installed so its not like as if I connected the computer to the internet without a virus scanner.


Today, my step-dad said that it did not drop the connection at all. So, its either fixing itself, or it may start causing problems again tomorrow.

[Keymaker]

Hmm, got to wonder about blotware and Norton...

If you look in the admin, section of the router's web based config. utility. You can see what it has for the routing table, IE: The IP address and DNS severs.

[Bizkitkid2001]

If you look in the admin, section of the router's web based config. utility. You can see what it has for the routing table, IE: The IP address and DNS severs.

Yes, I know. That is what I always use when setting up a static DNS on every computer that I have set a static IP address on.