PC crashing router

We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the net. It
works very well until my daughter comes home from school and switches on her
PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to hours.

Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a router?
Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).

Where do I start looking?

TIA

Tim

On Sun, 9 Oct 2005 21:53:57 +0100, "Tim Downie"
<(E-Mail Removed)> scrawled:

>We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the net. It
>works very well until my daughter comes home from school and switches on her
>PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to hours.
>
Define 'crashing'.

>Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a router?
>Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).
>
Could be either.
--
Stuart @ SJW Electrical

Please Reply to group

Tim Downie wrote:
> We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the net.
> It
> works very well until my daughter comes home from school and switches on
> her
> PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to hours.
>
> Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a router?
> Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).
>
> Where do I start looking?
>
> TIA
>
> Tim

I have come across routers that have an over active firewall when sensing
outgoing traffic on certain ports, they close off the internet connection.
Maybe your daughters PC is infected (my experieince is, that teenage girls
computers are the most infected) either with viruses or spyware, clear it up
and see if the problem still exists, try turning off the firewall on the
router...

Gaz

"Tim Downie" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the net.
> It works very well until my daughter comes home from school and switches
> on her PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to
> hours.
>
> Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a router?
> Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).
>
> Where do I start looking?
>
I have a Wireless access point (Netgeat WG602) connected to a router. When I
only had one wireless laptop it behave almost perfectly - it did crash my
router very occasionally when suspending but I have lived with that for two
years.

When I added a second laptop the WAP sometimes grinds to a halt. This can
vary from minutes to a few days. With only one laptop it lasted for 18
months. I have looked at the traffic and there are TCP packets out of
order - a WAP bug I suspect. No there are no updates for my hardware
version!! I am contemplating replacing it with some other make.

What router are you running as I suspect that the problem lies there.

A PC can crash a router but only if there is a bug in the router software
unless the PC is infected and it causes a flood of traffic out from the PC
which is a "denial of service" fault.

On Sun, 9 Oct 2005, John Steele wrote:

>> We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the net.
>> It works very well until my daughter comes home from school and switches
>> on her PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to
>> hours.
>>
>> Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a router?
>> Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).
>>
>I have a Wireless access point (Netgeat WG602) connected to a router. When I
>only had one wireless laptop it behave almost perfectly - it did crash my
>router very occasionally when suspending but I have lived with that for two
>years.
>
>When I added a second laptop the WAP sometimes grinds to a halt. This can
>vary from minutes to a few days. With only one laptop it lasted for 18
>months. I have looked at the traffic and there are TCP packets out of
>order - a WAP bug I suspect. No there are no updates for my hardware
>version!! I am contemplating replacing it with some other make.

Hmm! I've just installed an EM5861 and, while I'm away in France, my
wife keeps reporting that, in the evening when she's using her computer,
suddenly for an hour or two, she cannot access the Internet. I wondered
if this was a fault on the Demon ADSL line but, having read this thread,
I wonder if it might not be the same problem. However it does rectify
itself after an hour or so without any intervention on anyone's part
which is why I thought that the problem might well be Demon's. But, on
checking their Message Of The Day, there was no reference to any
problems.

I had an EM5861 for the last three years and never had a problem with
it. I installed a new one with updated software about a week or so ago.
On this one the firewall is much easier to configure. On the previous
one, while I thought I had the firewall turned on, it appeared that it
wasn't!

Until I get back home I can't test my wife's computer for bugs or
anything, but does anyone think that it might be a bug problem?

David

--
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Internet: (E-Mail Removed) | writing from |
| Fidonet: David Rance 2:252/110 | Le Mesnil Villement, |
| BBS: telnet://mesnil.demon.co.uk | Calvados, France |
+------------------------------------------------------------+

Lurch wrote:
> On Sun, 9 Oct 2005 21:53:57 +0100, "Tim Downie"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> scrawled:
>
>> We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the
>> net. It works very well until my daughter comes home from school
>> and switches on her PC. It then starts crashing at intervals
>> varying from minutes to hours.
>>
> Define 'crashing'.

All internet access ceases and I can't access the router through its web
interface

Tim

Gaz wrote:
> Tim Downie wrote:
>> We have a wireless/wired router modem connecting all our PC to the
>> net. It
>> works very well until my daughter comes home from school and
>> switches on her
>> PC. It then starts crashing at intervals varying from minutes to
>> hours. Has this got to be a hardware problem or can PC software crash a
>> router? Her PC runs XP home (as do all our other PCs).
>>
>> Where do I start looking?
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Tim
>
> I have come across routers that have an over active firewall when
> sensing outgoing traffic on certain ports, they close off the
> internet connection. Maybe your daughters PC is infected (my
> experieince is, that teenage girls computers are the most infected)
> either with viruses or spyware, clear it up and see if the problem
> still exists, try turning off the firewall on the router...

I've scanned her PC with a couple of anti-virus packages and anti-spywared
it too. I'm pretty sure that it's clean.

Her PCs on at the moment but everything's fine just now (while she's at
school). I know she spents a lot of time on one particular web site. Is it
possible for a particualr site to cause trouble?

Tim

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Tim Downie says...
> Gaz wrote:
> I know she spents a lot of time on one particular web site. Is it
> possible for a particualr site to cause trouble?
>
If it is a malicous one, yes.

--
Conor

"You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend and you've never seen
Star Trek? Good Lord!" - Patrick Stewart, Extras.

Conor wrote:
> In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Tim Downie says...
>> Gaz wrote:
>> I know she spents a lot of time on one particular web site. Is it
>> possible for a particualr site to cause trouble?
>>
> If it is a malicous one, yes.

It's beginning to look like it's more to do with a particular combination of
PCs being on at the same time. At least the network worked fine today until
a laptop that connects wirelessly was turned on, then the router crashed
again. Once the router was rebooted, things have carried on working (so
far).

Tim

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Tim Downie says...
> Conor wrote:
> > In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, Tim Downie says...
> >> Gaz wrote:
> >> I know she spents a lot of time on one particular web site. Is it
> >> possible for a particualr site to cause trouble?
> >>
> > If it is a malicous one, yes.
>
> It's beginning to look like it's more to do with a particular combination of
> PCs being on at the same time. At least the network worked fine today until
> a laptop that connects wirelessly was turned on, then the router crashed
> again. Once the router was rebooted, things have carried on working (so
> far).
>
Did you do a soft boot or a power down one? Most routers run some form
of Linux now and I've noticed mine sometimes needs the odd occasional
kick up the arse.


--
Conor

"You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend and you've never seen
Star Trek? Good Lord!" - Patrick Stewart, Extras.