"Rusty" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:1D69A027-5C50-44B1-B472-(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a laptop that uses the wireless connection to access the Internet.
>I
> had to configure a static ethernet connection to an in house server for an
> application. Now Internet Explorer tries to use the static ethernet
> connection instead of the wireless connection. Is there a way I can force
> IE
> to use the wireless by default?
No.
1. IE wouldn't know "wireless" if it tripped over it
2. IE would not know "copper" if it tripped over it
3. IE would not know any network connection if it tripped over it, although
it can be configured to use a certain "dialup" connection if there is more
than one of them.
When IE sends out a URL request it just closes its eyes, slaps its hand over
it face, and blindly drops the request on to the Networking componenets of
the Windows Operating System,...crosses its fingers,...and hopes Windows
knows what to do with it. The only exception to that if when there are
"proxy setting" in the Connections/LAN Settings of the browser (which there
rarely is),...in which case it still does the ame thing except it throws the
request at the proxy server and hopes the proxy server knows what to do with
it.
How does Windows know what to do with it? Glad you asked...
Windows looks at the "host" portion of the URL and tries to resolve it to an
IP#. Assuming that succeedes, it compares that IP# to its own IP# and Mask.
If the destination IP# is not in the same subnet as Windows' IP# it will
check the local Routing Table to see if there is a specific route to handle
that (there almost never will be). If there is no route then Windows will:
Closes its eyes, slap its hand over it face, and blindly throw the request
at the Default Gateway IP#,...then....crosses its fingers,...and hopes the
Gateway Device knows what to do with it.
Before you ask,....Windows can only have one "functioning" Default Gateway
at a time. Default Gateways are *global* for the entire machine even though
they are configured on only one Nic. If you have more than one configured
then it will only use the Gateway associated with the Nic that is the
highest in the binding order.
So,...*finally*,...the answer to your question would be to make sure your
Wireless nic is higher in the binding order than the wired nic.
Here are the details of the Default Gateway behavor. Happy reading,...and
it *is* important to understand how that stuff works.
157025 - Default Gateway Configuration for Multihomed Computers
http://support.microsoft.com/default...roduct=win2000
Default gateways
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/pro...d3859f5b1.mspx
Default Gateway Behavior for Windows TCP/IP
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/com...uy/cg0903.mspx
159168 - Multiple Default Gateways Can Cause Connectivity Problems
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/159168/EN-US/
--
Phillip Windell
www.wandtv.com
The views expressed, are my own and not those of my employer, or Microsoft,
or anyone else associated with me, including my cats.
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