Personal computing discussed

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tanker27
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:04 pm

Okay fellas (and ladies) I need some help with my home network.

I have two PCs conected to a router which is connected to my xDSL MODEM. On my main PC I have XP and it connects fine. On my second PC, which is a Dell Optiplex GX200, I have on board LAN. The On-Board LAN is a 3Com 3C920 intergrated Fast Ethernet controller that is 10/100. Also on this PC is WIN98SE.

My issue is that I cannot connect that PC to the network. I have checked a rechecked all settings, workgroup, IP, etc. I have tried just about everything I can think of reinstalled the drivers, set a static IP, set dynamic IP, removed and reinstalled the TCP/IP stack, Etc. And I cannot get it to connect.

The router 'sees' the PC and I am able to pull it up in the router config.

When I try to run 'winipcfg' i get the error msg program not found. I know this may be my issue. How do I reinstall all the networking I need w/o reinstalling Windows?

How do I get this PC to connect to my network and DSL?

I have my router running DHCP and like I said I have no issues with my XP PC.

I know some one can help me!

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: tanker27 on 2002-03-20 15:05 ]</font>
 
Despite
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:19 pm

what do you mean by "connect"? can you even ping between the machines?
 
Mr Bill
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:40 pm

I'll be interested in what you find out. I don't do Win9x but my mothers friend put it on her box and wiped my NT installation last year. I put a nic in while I'm visiting and I can't get my mothers Win98SE PC to talk to my network either. I've reinstalled drivers and now the networking bit just hangs when I try to uninstall them. I'm giving up and putting NT on the box.
 
tanker27
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 4:58 pm

nope no pinging between machines. No tracert either. By connect I mean connect to the internet or to check email.
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lenzenm
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 5:02 pm

I've seen this more times than I'd like to admit. Something is fundamentally borked in the registry, with regards to TCP/IP. You dont need to RE-install Windows. Instead, perform an overlay install of Windows, using the Windows 98SE CD from inside of Windows. This will repair the busted links in the registry; while keeping all your hardware & software installed.
If someone knows of a better/faster way, I'd like to hear about how to do it; it would make my life easier. I suppose you could try importing all the TCP/IP registry settings from a normally functioning Win9x machine, but that could lead to other problems...
 
cRock
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 5:15 pm

I suspect that removing and then adding the TCP/IP protocol would also do the trick.

In windows, the solution is almost always some combination of reinstall and reboot :smile:
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HowardDrake
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 6:56 pm

On 2002-03-20 16:15, cRock wrote:
I suspect that removing and then adding the TCP/IP protocol would also do the trick.

In windows, the solution is almost always some combination of reinstall and reboot :smile:



Truer words were never spoken :grin:.
 
Speed
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 7:50 pm

The real solution is to do it right in the first place. If WinIPcfg is missing, we can deduce that 1) a filesystem corruption ate it, or 2) the network stack install didn't finish. One option is to go back and install all of Windows correctly, which may be desirable, provided that today's installer is more competent than yesterday's. For an <i>in situ</i> home PC, checking the filesystem and concentrating on the network stack may be a better choice.

Another thing to watch is protocol bloat. I've seen plenty of installations that had every network adapter, protocol and client possible installed. If this computer is used only for Internet, then you don't need a dialup adapter (especially when there's no modem!), IPX, NetBEUI or file 'n' print clients. Leaving them out makes things simpler, which leaves less to break.
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tanker27
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 8:09 pm

I have removed the TCP/IP stack and added it back at least twice. I guess I am going to have to do a fresh install again (i just did this four days ago :sad: ) I was trying to alleviate this. If anyone else knows of a way to fix this issue, I will be more than happy to try it, as I am not going to do a reinstall until this weekend.

How do you do an overlay install? I never had heard of this.

Thanks for all of your input!
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smakkythecamel
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 8:34 pm

Just install windows the way you would do a fresh install, don't format anything though and just install into the same directory as it is currently in.
 
zgirl
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Wed Mar 20, 2002 9:20 pm

Try this, it's worked for me in both 98 and NT. Remove driver and any and all network protocols and clients from network properties. Also check your device list in system properties. Remove the listing of the nic card if it is there. Shutdown PC. remove NIC. Boot PC. Let windows load, then check to make sure nothing is still loaded in network properties. Also check your device list in system properties. Remove anything if needed. reboot again. Once you have a clean boot, Shutdown the PC and put your put you nic card in again. Let the system boot, if it auto detects present your drivers now. If not load them manually. Everything should work now. This usuall clears the reg and kick the OS in the pants to get thing working again. If not the system is fubar and reload with a fresh install, you'll save a lot of headaches later if you do it clean.
 
tanker27
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 8:13 am

Z-man,

I would do that under a 'normal' circumstances, however (insert camma here) the NIC is integrated. This is a business Dell desktop. Everything is inegrated.
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zgirl
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 8:33 am

Then instead of *removing* the NIC, Disable it in the BIOS. Same difference. Make the OS think there is not a NIC availible in the system. Get it to boot cleanly. Turn the NIc back on in the BIOS. Then reload the drivers and stacks.

If you can't disable it in the BIOS. Well thats a cheap ass system. I'd reload it.
 
tanker27
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 10:14 am

Well the cheap ass sytem was even cheaper than you think. When I was working for my last company they gave me this PC as a work at home, telecomute PC. Then they laid me off. That was over a year ago. I have been waiting for the phone call to say "Hey we want our computer back!" I have not received the phone call, so instead of it collecting dust or becoming a planter I decided to use it. I formated the HD, b/c it had alot of proprietary software on it. Now I am stuck in this situation.

But thanks for youe input, z-man, I will try it tonight when I get home.
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zgirl
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 2:03 pm

Talk about bargain basement, whew! If they call just disavow all knowledge.

PC?!?! What PC?!?! I have know idea what you are talking about.

Like my father once told me:

"Anything free is worth saving for." :grin:
 
zgirl
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 2:08 pm

BTW - I know what that stuff can be like sometimes. I work for a large integrator for 4+ years. '96 - '01. I remember some of the cheap ass crap Dell/compaq/HP and *shudder* Gateway put out.

I wake up in a cold sweat sometimes from the memories of what it took to roll out 2500 desktops. :smile:
 
tanker27
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Thu Mar 21, 2002 2:36 pm

Actually z-man I was a remote site technician for a cellular phone manufacturer. These PCs I rolled when we rolled over to WIN2K. But like I said, it was a busted WIN2K with alot of proprietary software integrated. The Dell system has a PIII 1GHZ with 512mb RDRAM. its a fairly good system.

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: tanker27 on 2002-03-21 13:42 ]</font>

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