Router incompatibility with Vista

PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista as I
found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for a friend.

I believe it is called a LayTech or something similar and the symptoms
are no network connection and the infamous "Unidentified Network" and "
Local Only" status on the connection. The PC is a brand new HP Pavilion
desktop with Vista Home Basic.

Nothing seems to fix the problem and I have even tried putting a made up
MAC address in the properties of the network card.

A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have heard of
people having major problems with some other routers and Vista.

Any input from the group on this matter?
--
Regards
Phil
http://www.lastchoiceairways.org.uk


Phil

On 27/10/2007 08:30, Phil wrote:

> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista

An alternative point-of-view is that M$ have configured their new OS
differently, so that out of the box it doesn't work with all routers ...

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233

Phil <(E-Mail Removed)> writes:

> A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have heard
> of people having major problems with some other routers and Vista.

Seems rather strange as routers by their very nature are operating
system agnostic. They just provide a (standard) Ethernet interface to
the computer (or other equipment) and just route IP packets according to
their configured rules (or learning the routing from other routers using
a router-router protocol, but this is unlikely in a router on a
broadband line).

"Andy Burns" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 27/10/2007 08:30, Phil wrote:
>
>> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista
>
> An alternative point-of-view is that M$ have configured their new OS
> differently, so that out of the box it doesn't work with all routers ...
>
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233

I wonder why MS changed the behaviour. They don't say in the KB why they've
made the change.

On one Vista PC that I was setting up, connected to a Belkin router, the PC
failed to get an IP address. I was about to condemn the router as faulty, or
at least try it with my XP laptop, when, after several repairs of the LAN
connection and a couple of reboots, it sprang into life and worked
permanently after that. I wonder if this was the broadcast DHCP problem.

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, Andy Burns
<(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>On 27/10/2007 08:30, Phil wrote:
>
>> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista
>
>An alternative point-of-view is that M$ have configured their new OS
>differently, so that out of the box it doesn't work with all routers ...
>
>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233

Andy, thanks for this as it seems it might be an answer. I concur that
it really is probably the OS at fault but, shops like PC World shouldn't
be selling routers, with Vista loaded PCs, that don't work.

I searched the MS knowledgebase without success so I'm grateful for the
link you provided.
--
Regards
Phil
http://www.lastchoiceairways.org.uk

Phil wrote:

> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista as I
> found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for a friend.
>
> I believe it is called a LayTech or something similar and the symptoms
> are no network connection and the infamous "Unidentified Network" and "
> Local Only" status on the connection. The PC is a brand new HP Pavilion
> desktop with Vista Home Basic.
>
> Nothing seems to fix the problem and I have even tried putting a made up
> MAC address in the properties of the network card.
>
> A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have heard of
> people having major problems with some other routers and Vista.
>
> Any input from the group on this matter?

Don't use Vista? Assign it a static IP address?

--
<http://ale.cx/> (AIM:troffasky) ((E-Mail Removed))
10:54:05 up 5 days, 22:55, 2 users, load average: 0.01, 0.06, 0.07
09 f9 11 02 9d 74 e3 5b d8 41 56 c5 63 56 88 c0

In message <(E-Mail Removed)>, alexd <(E-Mail Removed)>
writes
>Phil wrote:
>
>> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista as I
>> found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for a friend.
>> Any input from the group on this matter?
>
>Don't use Vista? Assign it a static IP address?
>
I agree 110% and would not personally touch Vista with a barge pole but,
try and buy an off the shelf PC without Vista nowadays, at least in the
sheds.

Static IP address doesn't work I'm afraid.

The good news is that I advised the user to go and swap the router for a
NetGear and they've just called to say that they've installed it and all
is well. They're over the moon!
--
Regards
Phil
http://www.lastchoiceairways.org.uk

alexd wrote:
> Phil wrote:
>
>> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista
>> as I found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for
>> a friend.
>>
>> I believe it is called a LayTech or something similar and the
>> symptoms are no network connection and the infamous "Unidentified
>> Network" and " Local Only" status on the connection. The PC is a
>> brand new HP Pavilion desktop with Vista Home Basic.
>>
>> Nothing seems to fix the problem and I have even tried putting a
>> made up MAC address in the properties of the network card.
>>
>> A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have
>> heard of people having major problems with some other routers and
>> Vista.
>>
>> Any input from the group on this matter?
>
> Don't use Vista? Assign it a static IP address?

My thoughts entirely, is there any real need to use DHCP on a small
network, other than laziness of course. All the permanent connected
equipment on my LAN has fixed IP & I use the last 100 or so IP to be
allocated via DHCP if & when I put another piece of equipment on it
temporarily...

Phil wrote:

> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista as I
> found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for a friend.
>
> I believe it is called a LayTech or something similar and the symptoms
> are no network connection and the infamous "Unidentified Network" and "
> Local Only" status on the connection. The PC is a brand new HP Pavilion
> desktop with Vista Home Basic.
>
> Nothing seems to fix the problem and I have even tried putting a made up
> MAC address in the properties of the network card.
>
> A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have heard of
> people having major problems with some other routers and Vista.
>
> Any input from the group on this matter?

Don't use Vista.

Graham

kráftéé wrote:
> alexd wrote:
>> Phil wrote:
>>
>>> PC World are selling a router which is not compatible with Vista
>>> as I found out today after some hours of fiddling and cursing for
>>> a friend.
>>>
>>> I believe it is called a LayTech or something similar and the
>>> symptoms are no network connection and the infamous "Unidentified
>>> Network" and " Local Only" status on the connection. The PC is a
>>> brand new HP Pavilion desktop with Vista Home Basic.
>>>
>>> Nothing seems to fix the problem and I have even tried putting a
>>> made up MAC address in the properties of the network card.
>>>
>>> A connextant router works fine as well as a Netgear but I have
>>> heard of people having major problems with some other routers and
>>> Vista.
>>>
>>> Any input from the group on this matter?
>> Don't use Vista? Assign it a static IP address?
>
> My thoughts entirely, is there any real need to use DHCP on a small
> network, other than laziness of course. All the permanent connected
> equipment on my LAN has fixed IP & I use the last 100 or so IP to be
> allocated via DHCP if & when I put another piece of equipment on it
> temporarily...
>
>
FFS, the OP is talking about home users who just want a PC that works
online. They almost certainly don't want to get involved with IP addresses.

Your head is so far up your own arogant arse that you can't understand
that a lot of people just want to take the PC out of the box, plug it in
and use it! The Op has also said that using a static IP didn't work!

In answer to your question "is there any real need to use DHCP on a
small network" the answer is YES, see above.