Problem with cable connection to Linksys

I just installed a Linksys router, WRT54G, connected to a DSL modem (Verizon service). It works fine with a laptop with a wireless connection, but my Dell desktop connects to the router with a cable, and I can't get IE to connect to any websites, and Outlook Express can't connect to my mail server.

I can successfully ping websites by name or IP address, so the Dell has an internet connection. Ipconfig shows all the right addresses. Linksys support says the router is working as it should so the problem must be with Dell or IE.

The most bizzare behavior is that while IE will not connect to any website by name or IP number, it will connect to Google by number. Of course, none of the links Google supplies work.

If I unplug the router, and plug the DSL modem directly into the Dell, it works fine again.

Any ideas what might be wrong?

The Dell is a Dimension XPX T450. The NIC is a Netgear FA311 Fast Ethernet Adapter. The modem is a Westell Wirespeed

david Stuehler wrote:

> I just installed a Linksys router, WRT54G, connected to a DSL modem
> (Verizon service). It works fine with a laptop with a wireless connection,
> but my Dell desktop connects to the router with a cable, and I can't get
> IE to connect to any websites, and Outlook Express can't connect to my
> mail server.
>
> I can successfully ping websites by name or IP address, so the Dell has an
> internet connection. Ipconfig shows all the right addresses. Linksys
> support says the router is working as it should so the problem must be
> with Dell or IE.
>
> The most bizzare behavior is that while IE will not connect to any website
> by name or IP number, it will connect to Google by number. Of course, none
> of the links Google supplies work.
>
> If I unplug the router, and plug the DSL modem directly into the Dell, it
> works fine again.
>
> Any ideas what might be wrong?
>
> The Dell is a Dimension XPX T450. The NIC is a Netgear FA311 Fast Ethernet
> Adapter. The modem is a Westell Wirespeed

Have you tried flashing the router with the lasteet version of the firmware
it is using or a later version? That usually fixes the problem of machines
that can access sites behind a router while others cannot do it.

Better yet, use one of the firmwares that work on the 54G and use WW to
review traffic logs.

http://www.windowsitpro.com/Article/...064/43064.html

Duane

david Stuehler wrote:
> I just installed a Linksys router, WRT54G, connected to a DSL modem
> (Verizon service). It works fine with a laptop with a wireless
> connection, but my Dell desktop connects to the router with a cable, and
> I can't get IE to connect to any websites, and Outlook Express can't
> connect to my mail server.
>
> I can successfully ping websites by name or IP address, so the Dell has
> an internet connection. Ipconfig shows all the right addresses. Linksys
> support says the router is working as it should so the problem must be
> with Dell or IE.
>
> The most bizzare behavior is that while IE will not connect to any
> website by name or IP number, it will connect to Google by number. Of
> course, none of the links Google supplies work.

When you can get out with a numerical address but not with
URL names, you have a DNS problem. In this case, it appears
very likely it is on your machine or in your router, and there
are several possible places it could happen.

Is your router set up to provide DNS service or relay? If not,
set it to do so. If so, reboot it to clear whatever is in the
DNS cache.

I do not know where Micro$loth stores DNS data, but on Linux
there is a hosts file, and several xxx.conf files that contain
machine names and their IPs, and some applications (ftp, perhaps
some browsers) also cache DNS data. It sounds as if ping is
using a different cache (or no cache) for DNS while IE is using
a corrupt one.

Look for a hosts file and files ending in conf or cfg or
config in places that might pertain to communications.
You should have a localhost 127.0.0.1 and maybe some other
entries, but you can usually delete anything but the
localhost entry to get rid of garbage. (Make a backup of
the file before tinkering with it, just in case you need
to restore.) Pay particular attention to any names or
addresses with funny symbols or that are an unusual length
(perhaps #xmg 64.138.19) as these can make the
entire file unusable.

Good luck!

jim b.
--
Unix is not user-unfriendly; it merely
expects users to be computer-friendly.

Jim,

I have checked out the hosts file and DNS which seems to be working for
everything except Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Ping, WS-FTP and
Timbuktoo all work with either site names or IP addresses. It must be an IE
thing. I would suspect a corrupted file, but when I plug the DSL modem
directly into the PC, everything works fine.


"James D. Beard" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3AeDe.35465$Tx1.30567@trnddc03...
> david Stuehler wrote:
>> I just installed a Linksys router, WRT54G, connected to a DSL modem
>> (Verizon service). It works fine with a laptop with a wireless
>> connection, but my Dell desktop connects to the router with a cable, and
>> I can't get IE to connect to any websites, and Outlook Express can't
>> connect to my mail server.
>> I can successfully ping websites by name or IP address, so the Dell has
>> an internet connection. Ipconfig shows all the right addresses. Linksys
>> support says the router is working as it should so the problem must be
>> with Dell or IE.
>> The most bizzare behavior is that while IE will not connect to any
>> website by name or IP number, it will connect to Google by number. Of
>> course, none of the links Google supplies work.
>
> When you can get out with a numerical address but not with
> URL names, you have a DNS problem. In this case, it appears
> very likely it is on your machine or in your router, and there are several
> possible places it could happen.
>
> Is your router set up to provide DNS service or relay? If not,
> set it to do so. If so, reboot it to clear whatever is in the
> DNS cache.
>
> I do not know where Micro$loth stores DNS data, but on Linux
> there is a hosts file, and several xxx.conf files that contain
> machine names and their IPs, and some applications (ftp, perhaps
> some browsers) also cache DNS data. It sounds as if ping is
> using a different cache (or no cache) for DNS while IE is using
> a corrupt one.
>
> Look for a hosts file and files ending in conf or cfg or
> config in places that might pertain to communications.
> You should have a localhost 127.0.0.1 and maybe some other
> entries, but you can usually delete anything but the
> localhost entry to get rid of garbage. (Make a backup of
> the file before tinkering with it, just in case you need
> to restore.) Pay particular attention to any names or
> addresses with funny symbols or that are an unusual length
> (perhaps #xmg 64.138.19) as these can make the
> entire file unusable.
>
> Good luck!
>
> jim b.
> --
> Unix is not user-unfriendly; it merely
> expects users to be computer-friendly.

"david Stuehler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:QouDe.5593
$Kz3.5378@trndny04:

> ...when I plug the DSL modem directly into the PC, everything
works fine.
>

Sounds like the router is cranky.

Suggest you do a hard reset of the router and try again. I've had a
couple of cases of misbehaving routers (different makes and models)
that have been fixed that way.

A router is based upon an embedded computer system (often running a
cut-down UNIX, but that's not the issue). Ergo it runs software (aka
firmware) written by yumingbeans usually under pressure to meet a
management deadline, ergo its full of bugs :-)

McSpreader wrote:

> "david Stuehler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:QouDe.5593
> $Kz3.5378@trndny04:
>
>> ...when I plug the DSL modem directly into the PC, everything
> works fine.
>>
>
> Sounds like the router is cranky.
>
> Suggest you do a hard reset of the router and try again. I've had a
> couple of cases of misbehaving routers (different makes and models)
> that have been fixed that way.
>
> A router is based upon an embedded computer system (often running a
> cut-down UNIX, but that's not the issue). Ergo it runs software (aka
> firmware) written by yumingbeans usually under pressure to meet a
> management deadline, ergo its full of bugs :-)

It may even comedown to one may have to reflash the router too as the little
firmware doesn't load properly with an out of the box installation of the
router. The router could also just be flatout defective.

Duane

Thanks for all the suggestions. The router checks out OK--have reinstalled the latest firmware. It works fine with a wireless connection, and Linksys says it is working OK. I thought it might be something corrupted in IE, but everything works fine if I plug my PC directly into the DSL modem. I downloaded Firefox, and that also won't work through the router, but it, like IE, can connect to Google. Weird.

Dave Stuehler
"david Stuehler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:xNZCe.8770$ij3.1779@trndny06...
I just installed a Linksys router, WRT54G, connected to a DSL modem (Verizon service). It works fine with a laptop with a wireless connection, but my Dell desktop connects to the router with a cable, and I can't get IE to connect to any websites, and Outlook Express can't connect to my mail server.

I can successfully ping websites by name or IP address, so the Dell has an internet connection. Ipconfig shows all the right addresses. Linksys support says the router is working as it should so the problem must be with Dell or IE.

The most bizzare behavior is that while IE will not connect to any website by name or IP number, it will connect to Google by number. Of course, none of the links Google supplies work.

If I unplug the router, and plug the DSL modem directly into the Dell, it works fine again.

Any ideas what might be wrong?

The Dell is a Dimension XPX T450. The NIC is a Netgear FA311 Fast Ethernet Adapter. The modem is a Westell Wirespeed

"david Stuehler" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:aGCDe.12794$xe3.8241@trndny09:

> Thanks for all the suggestions. The router checks out OK--have
> reinstalled the latest firmware. It works fine with a wireless
> connection, and Linksys says it is working OK. I thought it might be
> something corrupted in IE, but everything works fine if I plug my PC
> directly into the DSL modem. I downloaded Firefox, and that also won't
> work through the router, but it, like IE, can connect to Google.
> Weird.
>

If the wireless NIC works and the Eternet NIC doesn't work, then maybe
there is something wrong with the wire Eternet NIC's configuration while
using the router.

You can use a packet sniffer and possibly see what's happening with
packets.

http://www.ethereal.com/

Duane