Can't get network connection.... please help!

Hi. I'm using Win XP on two home computers. I have networked them
with Homeplugs, and the config software reports an excellent connection
(and all the lights are green!). However, Win XP shows a network icon
with a yellow hazard warning, and states "Limited or no connection".

When I connect one Homeplug to my modem/router and connect the router
directly to my main PC, the other PC gets an excellent ADSL connection
through the network, but still no connection to the other PC.

This all suggests a software problem in XP to me? Can anyone help!

thanks

TT

In message <(E-Mail Removed) .com>,
paddytt <(E-Mail Removed)> writes

>Hi. I'm using Win XP on two home computers. I have networked them
>with Homeplugs, and the config software reports an excellent connection
>(and all the lights are green!). However, Win XP shows a network icon
>with a yellow hazard warning, and states "Limited or no connection".
>
>When I connect one Homeplug to my modem/router and connect the router
>directly to my main PC, the other PC gets an excellent ADSL connection
>through the network, but still no connection to the other PC.

The obvious way to do this is to connect both PCs to the modem/router.
So assuming PC1 is within cable range of the modem/router and PC2
connects via Homeplug then the connections should look like this where
NCable is NetworkCable and HP is HomePlug:

PC1--NCable--modem router--NCable--HP~mains~HP--NCable--PC2

Ensure PC1 and PC2 are in the same Workgroup.
--
Tony

paddytt wrote in
(E-Mail Removed). com:

> Hi. I'm using Win XP on two home computers. I have networked them
> with Homeplugs, and the config software reports an excellent
> connection (and all the lights are green!). However, Win XP shows a
> network icon with a yellow hazard warning, and states "Limited or no
> connection".
>
> When I connect one Homeplug to my modem/router and connect the router
> directly to my main PC, the other PC gets an excellent ADSL connection
> through the network, but still no connection to the other PC.
>
> This all suggests a software problem in XP to me? Can anyone help!

Is it possible to connect the second PC temporarily to the router by
Ethernet cable, as for the first PC? If so, this will help you to determine
whether the Homeplug is affected at all.

Run the following tests:

1. At the two PCs in turn:
a) Start | Run | cmd
b) at the C:> prompt in Command Prompt app, type "ipconfig" and record
the information you get:

It should be of the form

IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

Where the two PCs' results should differ only in the last digit of
the IP address.

I'm slightly puzzled, because "Limited or no connectivity" usually
means that the PC hasn't been given an address by the router, in which case
the IP address will start 169. But in that case, the PC wouldn't be able to
see the Internet, which you say it can.

2. Still within Command Prompt, try contacting the other PC. Let's assume
that PC1's IP address is 192.168.0.2 and PC2's is 192.168.0.3:

a) at PC1, type "ping 192.168.0.3"
b) at PC2, type "ping 192.168.0.2"

In other words, PC1 is trying to "ping" PC2 and vice versa. This should
give 4 "Reply from..." responses.

3. If not, try disabling any firewall software that you may have on the PCs.
You may need to refer to the instructions for the firewall - I can't give
instructions that are common to all firewalls. You might want to disconnect
the router from the ADSL line if you are concerned about security, although
the hardware firewall that is built into the router will actually be
sufficient to protect you from incoming attacks while you have the PCs'
firewalls turned off.

4. If *both* PCs can ping each other (one-way ping isnlt enough), then the
PCs should be able to access shares that each other have shared:
a) at PC1, type "net view \\192.168.0.3"
b) at PC2, type "net view \\192.168.0.2"

Both should list any shared drives/printers, as opposed to giving Error
53 or any other response.

"paddytt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Hi. I'm using Win XP on two home computers. I have networked them
>with Homeplugs, and the config software reports an excellent connection
>(and all the lights are green!). However, Win XP shows a network icon
>with a yellow hazard warning, and states "Limited or no connection".
>
>When I connect one Homeplug to my modem/router and connect the router
>directly to my main PC, the other PC gets an excellent ADSL connection
>through the network, but still no connection to the other PC.
>
>This all suggests a software problem in XP to me? Can anyone help!


You've probably tried all this, but are they in the same IP address range, (e.g
192.168.1.x subnet 255.255.255.0) do they share the same workgroup?

Have you tried to get Windows to "repair" the connection? I suggest this because on
occasion my wife's laptop give this same error (though it is wireless in her case)
and a repair always solves it. I've never got to the bottom of this as it is
intermittent, and the repair* option is a quick fix when it does arise, so generally
it is easier to use the repair rather than spend ages trying to fix what I suspect is
a Windows issue.


*right click on the yellow hazard warning and go for the repair option.

hope this helps


--

Andrew Sayers

Thanks for all the great replies Guys! Here goes with my results:

Tony Wright wrote:
>The obvious way to do this is to connect both PCs to the modem/router.
>So assuming PC1 is within cable range of the modem/router and PC2
>connects via Homeplug then the connections should look like this where
>NCable is NetworkCable and HP is HomePlug:

>PC1--NCable--modem router--NCable--HP~mains~HP--NCable--PC2

Yes, this is how they are connected when the adsl connection works fine
on both. I just can't get them to connect

>Ensure PC1 and PC2 are in the same Workgroup.

I have tried this through the Network Setup Wizard in XP, creating
MSHOME on both, but I don't get a connection at all. However, having
read the Homeplug manual, it does not show this setup as an example, it
only shows each PC with a Homeplug and then one on the router. But
neither does it say that you can't do as you suggest!


Andrew Sayers wrote:
> "paddytt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Have you tried to get Windows to "repair" the connection?

Hi Andrew. Yes - when connected peer-to-peer I tried this, and Windows
reported that it could not repair the connection as "the following
action could not be completed: Renewing your IP address"

However, when I then connect PC1 directly to the modem/router, and then
click "Repair" on PC2 (now connected to the modem/router though the
Homeplug), it repairs fine until it gets to the last stage, then
"Windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following
action could not be completed: Clearing NetBT"

But the connection to the modem is fine and both PC's have Internet
access, they just can't connect to each other.

Martin Underwoos wrote:
>Run the following tests:
>
>1. At the two PCs in turn:
> a) Start | Run | cmd
> b) at the C:> prompt in Command Prompt app, type "ipconfig" and record
>the information you get:

Hi Martin. Unfortunately I can't easily get both PC's together (that
may be a weekend job!). But with one connected directly to the
modem/router (PC1) and the second to the modem/router through a
Homeplug (PC2), the readings are:

PC1:
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
PC2:
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.3
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . :
fe80::240::fe80:caff:fe32:9fbc%4
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1

When I try pinging PC2 from PC1, the request times out four times, 100%
loss.

Going by the double IP address on PC2 and the "repair" problem
described above, it leads me to suspect that there is something wrong
on PC2....

Anyone got any ideas? Should I put both PC's side-by-side and connect
them directly to one another? Then through the router? Then the
Homeplugs?

thanks

TT

"paddytt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Thanks for all the great replies Guys! Here goes with my results:
>
>Tony Wright wrote:
>>The obvious way to do this is to connect both PCs to the modem/router.
>>So assuming PC1 is within cable range of the modem/router and PC2
>>connects via Homeplug then the connections should look like this where
>

<snip>

>
>Hi Martin. Unfortunately I can't easily get both PC's together (that
>may be a weekend job!). But with one connected directly to the
>modem/router (PC1) and the second to the modem/router through a
>Homeplug (PC2), the readings are:
>
>PC1:
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.2
> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
>PC2:
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.3
> Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
> IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . :
>fe80::240::fe80:caff:fe32:9fbc%4
> Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
>
Just a quick reply - (I'll re-read this tomorrow, but I've got to go to bed now -
I've got work tomorrow and a mail routing b*stard of a problem to resolve), but
shouldn't that last default gateway be 192.168.2.1 and not 0.1?

--

Andrew Sayers

Andrew Sayers wrote:

<snip>
> >
> Just a quick reply - (I'll re-read this tomorrow, but I've got to go to bed now -
> I've got work tomorrow and a mail routing b*stard of a problem to resolve), but
> shouldn't that last default gateway be 192.168.2.1 and not 0.1?
>

You're right! Sorry, that was a typo. It does read 192.168.2.1.

Well spotted

TT

Just a reminder..... can anyone help with my query?

thanks

TT

"paddytt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> Just a reminder..... can anyone help with my query?
>
> thanks
>
> TT
>
As I understand it, then, each PC can connect successfully via the router to
the net, but neither can ping the other via the router?

If that's the case, it suggests to me a router problem. Have you powered it
off/on?

Allan

Allan wrote:
> "paddytt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> > Just a reminder..... can anyone help with my query?
> >
> > thanks
> >
> > TT
> >
> As I understand it, then, each PC can connect successfully via the router to
> the net, but neither can ping the other via the router?
>
> If that's the case, it suggests to me a router problem. Have you powered it
> off/on?
>
> Allan

Not exactly. I now have three Homeplugs, one on each PC and one on the
Router as I wanted it in a different part of the house - and also the
Homeplug instructions suggested that was a better setup.

I CAN now ping from PC2 to PC1!! So Pinging 192.168.2.3 from PC2
results in 4 packets sent in an avg of 5ms. BUT I can't ping the
other way, so pinging 192.168.2.2 from PC1 results in 100% loss. But I
have just realised that I have the firewall still running on PC2....
could this be the problem?

thanks

TT