Sudden problem with Earthlink & router

I've been on Earthlink DSL for years using a Microsoft MN-700 router.
The actual connection is provided by COVAD and it's PPPoE or at least it
as been. I'm running Windows XP.

This morning the connection was down. I thought at first Earthlink was
down as they were last week several times (though the DSL carrier
remained on).

But no, I could get online via a direct connection but no luck with the
router. Earthlink customer support (India) had me set up a new direct
connection and in this one they had me set specific DNS but I can
actually connect with that or my prior direct connect settings which got
DNS from the network.

But no luck with getting the router back online with either kind of DNS.

I suspect that something in Earthlink's settings has changed but they say
nothing has changed.

They also said they can't support my router and offered to send me a
"free" router which I would then pay $7 a month extra for, forever. I
said no thanks.

One might reasonably suspect that my router is faulty, right? But I
pulled a brand new MN-700 out of the box, gave it the most recent
Microsoft firmware update and I cannot connect with it either. They
can't both be bad.

One odd little thing is that when I changed the router setting from PPPoe
to Dynamic PPP it looked like an internet IP address came up on the WAN
settings (tho it still said disconnected and indeed there was no
connection). Probably meaningless.

Obviously there is something different between the settings for getting
online directly and how my router is set up.

Or is Earthlink pulling some sort of scam to prevent people from using
other routers?

no but somtimes a firm ware update can kill a router after days or hours
somtimes instantly.
but with most routers you can roll back the update .


--
AL'S COMPUTERS
"Steve Kraus" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:tYx6h.6369$(E-Mail Removed) nk.net...
> I've been on Earthlink DSL for years using a Microsoft MN-700 router.
> The actual connection is provided by COVAD and it's PPPoE or at least it
> as been. I'm running Windows XP.
>
> This morning the connection was down. I thought at first Earthlink was
> down as they were last week several times (though the DSL carrier
> remained on).
>
> But no, I could get online via a direct connection but no luck with the
> router. Earthlink customer support (India) had me set up a new direct
> connection and in this one they had me set specific DNS but I can
> actually connect with that or my prior direct connect settings which got
> DNS from the network.
>
> But no luck with getting the router back online with either kind of DNS.
>
> I suspect that something in Earthlink's settings has changed but they say
> nothing has changed.
>
> They also said they can't support my router and offered to send me a
> "free" router which I would then pay $7 a month extra for, forever. I
> said no thanks.
>
> One might reasonably suspect that my router is faulty, right? But I
> pulled a brand new MN-700 out of the box, gave it the most recent
> Microsoft firmware update and I cannot connect with it either. They
> can't both be bad.
>
> One odd little thing is that when I changed the router setting from PPPoe
> to Dynamic PPP it looked like an internet IP address came up on the WAN
> settings (tho it still said disconnected and indeed there was no
> connection). Probably meaningless.
>
> Obviously there is something different between the settings for getting
> online directly and how my router is set up.
>
> Or is Earthlink pulling some sort of scam to prevent people from using
> other routers?

Steve Kraus <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

Why so many newsgroups?

>But no, I could get online via a direct connection but no luck with the
>router.

| http://www.microsoft.com/products/in...8eff4&type=ovr
Clone the MAC address of the connecting PC in the MN700 setup. I'm
not sure if the MN-700 firmware supports this but most routers do have
the feature.



--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Hi

You indicated that you could get on line directly with the computer by
passing the Router..

If they are using PPPOE and you do not use a Router you need to
authenticate with the PPPOE software application, do you have it running?
I.e. How you authenticate when connecting directly.

Jack (MVP-Networking).



"Steve Kraus" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:tYx6h.6369$(E-Mail Removed) nk.net...
> I've been on Earthlink DSL for years using a Microsoft MN-700 router.
> The actual connection is provided by COVAD and it's PPPoE or at least it
> as been. I'm running Windows XP.
>
> This morning the connection was down. I thought at first Earthlink was
> down as they were last week several times (though the DSL carrier
> remained on).
>
> But no, I could get online via a direct connection but no luck with the
> router. Earthlink customer support (India) had me set up a new direct
> connection and in this one they had me set specific DNS but I can
> actually connect with that or my prior direct connect settings which got
> DNS from the network.
>
> But no luck with getting the router back online with either kind of DNS.
>
> I suspect that something in Earthlink's settings has changed but they say
> nothing has changed.
>
> They also said they can't support my router and offered to send me a
> "free" router which I would then pay $7 a month extra for, forever. I
> said no thanks.
>
> One might reasonably suspect that my router is faulty, right? But I
> pulled a brand new MN-700 out of the box, gave it the most recent
> Microsoft firmware update and I cannot connect with it either. They
> can't both be bad.
>
> One odd little thing is that when I changed the router setting from PPPoe
> to Dynamic PPP it looked like an internet IP address came up on the WAN
> settings (tho it still said disconnected and indeed there was no
> connection). Probably meaningless.
>
> Obviously there is something different between the settings for getting
> online directly and how my router is set up.
>
> Or is Earthlink pulling some sort of scam to prevent people from using
> other routers?

> no but somtimes a firm ware update can kill a router after days or
> hours somtimes instantly.
> but with most routers you can roll back the update .

Yes, but there was no change to the existing router. I believe I gave it
an update when I got it a couple years ago but haven't touched anything
lately. The update I referred to was to a new one out of the box to which
the wizard program was having a hard time talking to (wizard was probably a
more recent version and couldn't communicate with old firmware).

I had not made any recent changes to the router with which I connected fine
for a couple of years. I pulled out the new one just to check against the
existing one having failed in some way. But neither connects so it's got
to be something in the settings although why my settings would suddenly be
wrong I do not know. It's been working well for me...even once set a port
forward to let a friend FTP some files off my machine. But as I said, no
changes in a very long time.

> Why so many newsgroups?

Desperation, Jeff. LOL I'm watching my software firewall fend off strange
outside requests one after another. God only knows what is getting through
w/o the hardware firewall the router provides.

>But no, I could get online via a direct connection but no luck with
>the router.

My gut feeling is that you are probably on to something. Now if I can
figure out how to do that.

Wish I knew why suddenly settings that worked for years are now wrong.

> You indicated that you could get on line directly with the computer by
> passing the Router..

Correct.

> If they are using PPPOE and you do not use a Router you need to
> authenticate with the PPPOE software application, do you have it
> running? I.e. How you authenticate when connecting directly.

When you say 'authenticate' do you mean login with name & password? I'm
using the networking stuff built into XP. It looks pretty much like a
dialup connnection except it's over the Ethernet cable to the DSL modem.
You have to click to open it and click to connect. You get the little
linked computers icon down in the tray.

Of course with the router the connection was always there as the router had
the login & password and kept it online. When you set the router to PPPoE
there's a place to fill these things out.

Here at my place of business I have SBC/Yahoo DSL and it's PPP. I'm using
the same router here but even without the router the connection was simply
always on; nothing to click on.

Hi

Yap, Authenticate means a form of ID, and or PW.

As you indicated when using a computer directly on the modem you can use
Windows PPPOE, and when using a Router you type the ID and PW to the Router’
s PPPOE menu and switch off Windows PPPOE (or any other type of software
that might be use for this purpose).

On the other hand, many Internet Cable Provider use the MAC address the
first computer that you use to initiate the connection as a form of
authentication. I never heard of DSL using MAC address, but hey, the world
is “Big and Strange”, so almost every thing is possible.

Some connections (usually a more expensive business accounts) might not need
authentication and are On all the time.

However, if you use more than one computer, there are other type of
implementation that some ISPs might use in order to be more “in control” (or
may be make more $$). Might be that is what happen to your service.

Jack (MVP-Networking).

"Steve Kraus" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xns987C848FFB289screenSPAMBLOCKfilmt@207.217. 125.201...
>> You indicated that you could get on line directly with the computer by
>> passing the Router..
>
> Correct.
>
>> If they are using PPPOE and you do not use a Router you need to
>> authenticate with the PPPOE software application, do you have it
>> running? I.e. How you authenticate when connecting directly.
>
> When you say 'authenticate' do you mean login with name & password? I'm
> using the networking stuff built into XP. It looks pretty much like a
> dialup connnection except it's over the Ethernet cable to the DSL modem.
> You have to click to open it and click to connect. You get the little
> linked computers icon down in the tray.
>
> Of course with the router the connection was always there as the router
> had
> the login & password and kept it online. When you set the router to PPPoE
> there's a place to fill these things out.
>
> Here at my place of business I have SBC/Yahoo DSL and it's PPP. I'm using
> the same router here but even without the router the connection was simply
> always on; nothing to click on.

> Here at my place of business I have SBC/Yahoo DSL and it's PPP. I'm
> using the same router here but even without the router the connection
> was simply always on; nothing to click on.

I misspoke when I said PPP. My other DSL (at my business) is dynamic. The
problem connection at home is PPPoE.

On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 02:41:20 GMT, Steve Kraus
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<kdQ6h.6694$(E-Mail Removed) et>:

>> Here at my place of business I have SBC/Yahoo DSL and it's PPP. I'm
>> using the same router here but even without the router the connection
>> was simply always on; nothing to click on.
>
>I misspoke when I said PPP. My other DSL (at my business) is dynamic. The
>problem connection at home is PPPoE.

PPPoE = dynamic
Did you mean DHCP dynamic, versus PPPoE dynamic?

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>