ICS Nightmare

I have a 2-computer network, just connected with a crossover cable. Both
computers are running XP Professional. File sharing is OK. Printer sharing
is OK but when it comes to ICS - nightmare! The host machine has a standard
BT Openworld internet connection with an Alcatel "frog" modem connected via
USB - and this connection looks like a "dial up connection" as far as
Windows is concerned.
What happened was this. I connected my wife's computer and set up ICS -
worked OK. Then my neice came to live with us for a while, so we packed up
my wife's computer as it was in the room my neice was using. Neice had a
computer - connected that on to the cable - ICS worked OK. Now said neice
has departed, and I've put wife's computer back. Do you think I can get ICS
working again? After about 1 day of fiddling about, running the Home Network
Wizard etc. I finally got it working. Accessed internet with IE- sent and
received emails OK. Then the Windows XP Update wizard kicked in, saying that
there were about 40 updates wanting to be installed. So I installed them.
Guess what? ICS is now not working again, and no matter how I try, I can't
seem to get it working again.
I tried setting it up "by hand" i.e. giving the host computer an address of
198.168.0.1 and the client machine 198.168.0.2 and setting all the options
to what looked right, but zilch...
Has anyone got a full set of options that work for this situation that
really work. Any tips as to what to do next. Please don't tell me to run the
Wizard again - I have lost all faith in it!
Another strange side-effect of all the fiddling is that when I use Outlook
Newsreader, every time I access a newsgroup, the Dialler activates and says
"Dialling - verifying password" etc. even though the connection is active
all the time. This only happens on newsgroups, not on email or Web page
access...

Any help would be appreciated.

Will Light
(Temporarily baffled!)

PS - would there be any mileage in trying a third- party ICS system - does
such a thing exist? Could I run a proxy server on the host? If so, are there
any freebee ones available?

Will Light <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
<snip>
> Then the Windows XP Update wizard kicked in, saying that
> there were about 40 updates wanting to be installed. So I installed them.
> Guess what? ICS is now not working again, and no matter how I try, I can't
> seem to get it working again.

The perils of Windows Update :-(

> I tried setting it up "by hand" i.e. giving the host computer an address of
> 198.168.0.1 and the client machine 198.168.0.2 and setting all the options
> to what looked right, but zilch...

This won't work because ICS insists on handling configuration via DHCP

> Has anyone got a full set of options that work for this situation that
> really work. Any tips as to what to do next. Please don't tell me to run the
> Wizard again - I have lost all faith in it!
> Another strange side-effect of all the fiddling is that when I use Outlook
> Newsreader, every time I access a newsgroup, the Dialler activates and says
> "Dialling - verifying password" etc. even though the connection is active
> all the time. This only happens on newsgroups, not on email or Web page
> access...

I suspect you have set OE to "always connect" somewhere in the options,
but as I don't use it I couldn't say where.

> PS - would there be any mileage in trying a third- party ICS system - does
> such a thing exist? Could I run a proxy server on the host? If so, are there
> any freebee ones available?
>
AnalogX Proxy is apparently a popular freebie. I use WinRoute Pro, which
is also an effective firewall, and is occasionally available with a free
license - check out https://secure.kerio.com/promouk.html?id=12 for a
promo that's running ATM. If you want to run a firewall on the client
machine I would suggest Kerio Personal Firewall, which is basically the
firewall bits of Winroute Pro, and is free.

On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 08:10:17 +0000 (UTC), "Will Light"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have a 2-computer network, just connected with a crossover cable. Both
>computers are running XP Professional. File sharing is OK. Printer sharing
>is OK but when it comes to ICS - nightmare!

I know what you mean.

I haven't got an answer only I have Linux installed on one of my
computers - ICS works fine via a wired and wireless network.

When, owing to an extension being built, I wanted my daughter's laptop
with XP Home to he the host di you think I can get it to work, no
chance.

File sharing works as does PINGing each machine but 'page not found'
is all I get when trying to access an internet page.

Geoff Lane

Geoff Lane <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>. ..
> On Tue, 30 Sep 2003 08:10:17 +0000 (UTC), "Will Light"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >I have a 2-computer network, just connected with a crossover cable. Both
> >computers are running XP Professional. File sharing is OK. Printer sharing
> >is OK but when it comes to ICS - nightmare!
>
> I know what you mean.
>
> I haven't got an answer only I have Linux installed on one of my
> computers - ICS works fine via a wired and wireless network.
>
> When, owing to an extension being built, I wanted my daughter's laptop
> with XP Home to he the host di you think I can get it to work, no
> chance.
>
> File sharing works as does PINGing each machine but 'page not found'
> is all I get when trying to access an internet page.

Sorted it out.

I use ZoneAlarm and had to lower the 'Internet' protection from High to Medium.

don't like to blame Microsoft unnecessarily :-)))

Geoff Lane