Network and Internet problems - Fixing wired and wireless networking problems

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Common networking How-to articles and problems covered in the Microsoft Knowledge Base

The security implications/dangers of connecting to an unsecured wireless network to connect to the Internet

Any wireless network that is active within range of your wireless-equipped desktop or laptop computer will be detected by the Windows networking software as an available network. If there is a wireless network icon in the bottom left of the screen (the Notification Area of the Windows Desktop), right-clicking on it will provide you with access to information about these networks. If they are secured by encryption, the encryption key has to be entered to access them, but if they are unsecured (do not have encryption enabled), they can be used to access the Internet by anyone who initiates a connection, and, if the computers on that unsecured network have file and printer sharing enabled, anyone who connects to it can access the files on that network.

The following thread on a computer forum explores the implications and dangers of connecting to an unsecured network, which, incidentally, is an illegal activity. You are not by law allowed to connect to anyone else's network or use an unsecured web connection even if it is unsecured.

There are several Q&As on this page and the three other networking problems pages that deal with wireless security and the available encryption standards.

Some websites say that they require cookies to be enabled in order to work in Internet Explorer 8, but I don't know and can't find out how to turn cookie functionality on

If you haven't changed the default settings in Internet Options (accessed via the Control Panel or from within IE8 in its Tools menu), the problem is not that IE8's cookie functionality is turned off but that it has decided to block some cookies because they are considered a security risk.

To fix this, open Internet Options under the Tools menu in IE8 (if you have enabled the setting in Spybot Search & Destroy that blocks accessing it in this way, access it via Start => Control Panel). Click on the Privacy tab and click on the Advanced button. Place a tick with the mouse pointer in the box called Override automatic cookie handling. Set First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies to Accept. If you want to preview which first-party or third-party cookies are going to be used, set that option to Prompt. IE8 will then ask your permission every time a website wants to use that type of cookie (a first-party cookie is used by the website that you are visiting; a cookie from a website other than the one you are visiting is a third-party cookie). You can also do that for one or both types of cookies, but a prompt (or prompts) will appear for most websites, which can be very irritating, so you will probably not want to use that setting. If you have problems with cookies, you have to experiment with these settings until the problems disappear.

Can I use my mobile/cell phone as a modem for my laptop computer?

Tethering is the term used for the use of a 3G mobilephone as a broadband modem for a laptop computer. You could tether the phone to a desktop PC, but most people tether their mobile phones to a laptop computer. Only certain mobile phone providers provide tethering and most of the providers do charge for use over a certain download limit, measured in gigabytes (GB), so you should check what the download limit is before you sign up to a provider.

"If you’re a pay monthly customer and you’d like to use your phone as a modem you’ll need one of our Mobile broadband via your phone packs. Simply use your phone as normal – and if you have a 3G phone, connect it to your laptop to turn your phone into a modem. Before you get started, you might need to make a few changes to your phone’s settings – your user manual will have all the details." -

The packages that each provider provides varies, but they are all simple to set up. Full instructions are provided.

You don't have to use tethering, because most of the mobile broadband providers provide a USB wireless adapter that you just plug into your laptop. It accesses the web and works just like a mobile phone. At the time of writing this (March 2010), the T-Mobile Mobile Broadband Plus service provided unlimited Internet for a range of prices - daily, weekly or monthly.

How can I improve my wireless 802.11g router's reception?

I live in a chalet bungalow where my two main desktop computers are in an upstairs office linked by cable to a Netgear router. All of my wireless equipment is 802.11g. The laptop is downstairs and has an excellent wireless reception in the dining room below the office, but a low or extremely low reception when in the preferred location, the downstairs spare room. With a little effort I could run a cable from a spare socket on the router in my office along under the floorboards and down through the ceiling of a cupboard in the spare room and make a proper cable socket connection there for use by the laptop. But this defeats the object of having a wireless connection! Or should I put some sort of repeater unit in the bedroom above the spare room and connect that by a hard cable (or even wirelessly) to my office router? I have seen designs for home-made reflectors which could sit around my router to "beam" the signals in a preferred direction but they look very Heath Robinson-ish. Do they work?

"Expand the range of your wireless network! Wireless Range Extenders offer an easy way to increase the effective coverage of your wireless network. Unlike adding a traditional access point to your network to expand wireless coverage, wireless range extenders do not need to be connected to the network by a data cable. Just put the wireless range extender within range of your main access point or wireless router, and it "bounces" the signals out to remote wireless devices." -

How can I find out how many desktop/laptop PCs/computers are logged on to my wireless network?

I have read articles on how laptop computers equipped with wireless network adapters and neighbours can log on to unsecured wireless networks. My wireless network is fairly secure with WPA2 encryption. I would rather not have to scrutinise my router's log or show the members of my family how to read their routers' logs, because the logging varies so much between different makes of router. I have read about the WallWatcher, Wireshark and Zamzom paid-for utilities, but I have not used any of them. Can you recommend a freeware product that reveals the IP addresses of the computers using a wireless network at any one time?

The best way to find out which IP addresses are connecting to a router is to query the router. Recent routers make finding that information relatively easy. Usually, device's web-browser-based configuration page provides access to the IP address of all connected computers. All you have to do is enter the router's LAN address into the address bar of your browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, etc.). The most common IP address to bring up a router's configuration home page is http://192.168.1.1/. (Just enter the red IP address, not the full stop.) Note that you have to be already connected to the router in order to be able to bring up its configuration page. On my router's page, the IP addresses are under the Local Network tab. When that tab is opened, the information is under the ARP Table heading. The IP addresses (and whether or not they are static or dynamically provided) of all of the computers logged on to the network by wired connection or wireless connection are provided, plus the MAC addresses of those computers.

Furthermore, a router's configuration home page can be saved as a Favorite just like any other webpage. Some routers may require a more navigation than others to arrive at the page that displays the connection information.

The tools you mentioned can also provide that information, but why use them if querying your router is so easy?

To find out if there are any intruders, just compare the number of computers that the router says are connected to the number you know about. For the best tracking, you should provide each computer with a static IP address (which won't change) within the range that the router provides - e.g., where the router's own IP address is 192.168.1.1, make computer 1 - 192.168.1.100, computer 2 - 192.168.1.101, etc. Use a high end number so that if a computer with a dynamic address (provided automatically by the router) is given the encryption key it won't choose a dynamic address that conflicts with one of the computer's with a static IP address. Dynamic IP addresses are dished out by the router and can change so aren't as easy to track. You can find out how to set IP addresses for your version of Windows by entering a search term in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled). For example, for Windows Vista, enter: how to set a static IP address in windows vista.

My PC runs Windows XP Pro and Internet Explorer 6 (IE6). Should I upgrade to Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) or Internet Explorer 8 (IE8)?

My desktop PC is currently using Internet Explorer 6 (IE6) with Windows XP Pro with the SP3 update installed. Should I update to Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) or Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). I have not updated to IE7 because of the problems I have read about. And I have stayed with IE instead of another browser, such as Firefox, because IE is so integrated with Windows and other Microsoft software. What if the update doesn't work out? Can I revert to IE6 again easily? Or should I just forget upgrading all together and continue to use IE6?

I had problems when I updated to IE8 from IE7 when IE8 was officially released (March 19, 2009), so I uninstalled IE8 in Add or Remove Programs in Windows XP's Control Panel. I will try it again towards the end of the year.

Many users have reported problems with IE8. Using IE7 is considered all right from a security point of view, but using IE6 is considered a security risk. Here are some anonymous reports of the web (June 26, 2009):

1. - "I have found that there are still a few websites are still not compatible with IE8. I would highly recommend IE7 for the advanced security features."

2. - "I'm sticking with IE6 because I have an XP SP3 with IE6 system that is the first Microsoft system that's been working for me, and I don't want to do anything to mess it up. I downloaded Safari, too, and use it when a website asks for a "modern" browser."

"You are putting yourself at EXTREME risk of being a victim of identity theft. Upgrade to IE 7; IE8 is more discretionary."

3. - "I've installed IE8 on two separate computers and immediately ran into major problems. Things don't work, or don't work properly. Since two separate computers were involved, the issues were not the same with them. IE7 runs very well on both computers, so I've removed IE8 from both, and things are "humming" along again. I suppose it depends on the various software programs you have installed on your computer."

4. - "During what I mistakenly thought was a routine security update, Windows Update updated me to IE8. Big mistake! It trashed my active desktop and caused a number of other problems - some major and some minor, but all annoying. It took me several days to figure out what had caused it, so I lost 3-4 days of work altogether. I uninstalled it and reinstalled IE7. The next time Windows update suggested updating IE, I said no and don't bother me again."

5. - I have Windows XP and installed Service Pack 3 [SP3] that included IE8. It made my computer so slow it was practically unusable so I reverted back to IE7 and everything is fine.

6. - "I have been using IE7 since shortly after general availability and very much disliked it at first. I found out that it was a simple selection to disable tabs and everything has been fine for me since. I have also been using IE8 with Windows 7 beta and RC and I cannot recommend IE8 to my worst enemy. I have continual "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close" messages, freeze-ups, "cannot open webpage", and other problems. Wait a few months before frustrating yourself with IE8. Maybe one day they will get it smoothed out, but not yet."

I agree with that last comment, because that was my experience of using IE8.

Mozilla Firefox won't allow me to install any add-ons - Error message: "Could not initialize the application’s security component. The most likely cause is problems with files in your application’s profile directory."

Firefox won't allow me to install any Add-ons. It produces this is the error message: "Could not initialize the application’s security component. The most likely cause is problems with files in your application’s profile directory. Please check that this directory has no read/write restrictions and your hard disk is not full or close to full. It is recommended that you exit the application and fix the problem. If you continue to use this session, you might see incorrect application behaviour when accessing security features." Is there any way of fixing this without uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox?

No doubt, your Firefox user profile is corrupt. Unfortunately, to correct it requires the deletion of every file in your Mozilla installation followed by a the installion of the latest version. This is more involved than just using Add or Remove Programs in Windows XP or Programs and Features in Windows Vista.

If you want to keep your bookmarks, you can use a free Add-on called Foxmarks - if Firefox allows you to install it. It supports Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. "Foxmarks is a free add-on for your browser that syncs and backs up your bookmarks across multiple computers and more." Foxmarks is in the process of becoming Xmarks, which was launched on March 9 2009. "Our new Xmarks add-on is Firefox only. Internet Explorer and Safari versions are coming soon."

1. - Download the latest version of Firefox from http://www.firefox.com/ and uninstall the existing version.

4. If you used Foxmarks or Xmarks to back up your bookmarks, install it in the new installation and use it to resynchronise your bookmarks, making sure that the server-based bookmarks are used to overwrite the local Firefox bookmarks.

This method can also be used to fix other functions that may have stopped working. To avoid problems, with every major release of Firefox you should uninstall the old version before you install the new version. So, if you have version 3.x.x installed, follow that procedure when version 4.0 is made available. Unless Mozilla recommends otherwise, you can just install incremental upgrades on top of the existing installation. The current version was 3.0.7 when this was written, so you would just install version 3.0.8 over it.

Wireless network intermittent connection problems: Why does my wireless network work fine one day but won't connect the next day?

If a wireless network works fine but then struggles to connect on another occasion, one or more neighbours within range of the network might have installed a wireless router for web access that is interfering your router's signal. If you are using a cable or ADSL connection via a telephone line, the line's cable may have been damaged. This happened to me after a dog bit the telephone line's cable causing slight damage that caused intermittent connections to the web. You should get your cable provider or a telephone technician to fix the cable, because both cables contain many internal wires that have to be connected to each other properly.

A wireless router can function on one of several frequencies, known as channels. There are thirteen such channels in the 2.4GHz frequency range that is used by the 802.11b and 802.11g standards. If other wireless routers using the same standard within range of yours are using the same channel, interference can take place that slows your transfer speed and may even prevent your computer(s) from connecting to your router altogether.

There are other causes of interference, such as microwave ovens, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices (wireless devices), and even baby monitors. A router's channel settings are accessed via its web-based configuration pages. Open the web browser that you use (Internet Explorer, Firebox, etc.) and enter the router's IP address into the address bar. It has to be in this form: http://192.168.1.1 - with the http:// in front, but the actual figures might be different if your router's manufacturer used a different IP address.

If you don't know what it is, its user manual should provide it, or your Internet service provider (02, Virgin Media, Sky, Tiscali, AOL, etc.) has that information on its Internet-support website. The router will require you to enter a username and password. If you have never changed these, enter the default settings provided by the router's user manual. For security purposes, you should change the default entries to ones of your own, because hackers know that the default entries are.

Many routers use the default IP address: 192.168.1.1, which allows you to set manual IP addresses for the other computers in the network in that range, such as 192.168.1.2 - 192.168.1.3, etc. Note that there is no full stop after the last digit in an IP address, which always consists of four blocks that can have up to three characters each. None of the blocks can go higher than 254, because each block of three figures can only go up to 255, and 0 is counted as a figure, so 254 is the highest number that is possible. Therefore, you can only go as high as 192.168.1.254 in that range of IP addresses. In my router's setup webpage, it says Network range: 192.168.1.254.

In Windows XP, the IP address for a particular computer can be found by clicking Start => Control Panel => Network Connections and then selecting your network device. The information appears in the left-hand column under Details. The Default Gateway is the router's IP address, but it is not provided there. To find what it is, enter the letters cmd in the Start => Run box to bring up the Command Prompt, and enter the command ping [your computer's IP address]. If the IP address is, say, 192.168.1.2, enter ping 192.168.1.2. The Default Gateway IP address should be provided. You should be able to change the Default Gateway IP address to one of your own in the router's setup configuration settings. You should also be able to set DCHP server as automatic so that the router hands out IP addresses to the computers that log on to it automatically. The setting on my router reads: DHCP Server: Enable. If you disable it, you have to assign IP addresses to the computers on the network manually. The first computer should be connected to the router with an Ethernet network cable, because the wireless cannot transmit to an unknown computer; it has to be connected to it physically.

Access to network settings is different in Windows Vista, but the settings are the same. You access them via Start => Network, and you enter cmd in the Start => Start Search box to bring up the Command Prompt.

Your router's user manual should tell you where the channel setting is located on the setup page that gives access to many other setup pages. On my router's relevant setup page it says Auto Channel: Enable Disable and Wireless Channel that becomes active if you choose Disable for the Auto Channel setting and provides a drop-down box containing the thirteen channels. (Allowed Channels: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13.)

Of the thirteen wireless channels, only numbers 1, 6 and 11 don't overlap with any of the others. If you have the Auto Channel setting enabled in the router's setup, you can set the channel from within Windows X/Vista from the entry for wireless adapter in the Device Manager or via the network settings.

In both Windows XP and Windows Vista, you can open the Device Manager by entering devmgmt.msc in the Start => Run box in Windows XP and the Start => Start Search box in Windows Vista. If you double-click on the wireless adapter under Network adapters, the window that comes up opens on its Advanced tab, which contains a drop-down menu with the channels that you can select for an 802.11 b/g wireless network.

Your router is no doubt already set to one of those three channels - probably channel 11 - so try the other two channels to find out if they improve your connection.

If you have a Draft-N router (at the time of writing this, the 802.11n wireless standard still had to be ratified), using channel bonding in 2.4GHz mode may be problematic when there is plenty of interference from other networks. If all of your networking hardware supports the Draft-N standard, try the 5GHz setting (Draft-N routers used both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz frequency ranges), because there is likely to be far less activity at that frequency.

To see the channels that other wireless networks are using within range of your wireless network, download and use NetStumbler. At the time of writing this, many users were unable to use NetStumbler with Windows Vista. If that is the case, you can try using NetSurveyor instead, which is also free.

If there are many wireless networks within range of yours, you may have to meet with and come to an agreement with your neighbours.

Is there any free or inexpensive utility/tool that can solve networking configuration issues and allow me to monitor activity on a mixed wired/wireless Windows XP/Vista network?

I am having trouble getting file and printer sharing to work on a mixed wired/wireless network containing a desktop PC and two laptop PCs. The desktop runs Windows XP Home, one of the laptops runs Windows XP Professional and the other laptop runs Windows Vista. The desktop PC is wired by Ethernet cable to an ADSL modem router and the two laptops connected wirelessly to the router. All three computers can share an Internet connection. File sharing works from one computer to another, but not the other way around. For example, one of the laptops can access shared folders on the desktop, but I can access the laptop's files from the desktop and the printer doesn't work from the laptop. Moreover, I know that having file and printer sharing weakens the security of the network, but I have no idea of the traffic on the network - which computers are using it, etc. Is there any free or inexpensive network tool that can solve configuration issues of this sort and allow me to monitor network activity?

Firstly, your network router's firmware should be up-to-date, the router itself should be recent enough to support WPA2 encryption, and you should install one of the versions of Network Magic from http://www.purenetworks.com/ on each computer on the network. The program supports versions of Windows from 98 SE to Vista as well as Mac OS X and Linux, which means that it can handle your network's cross-OS issues. Network Magic displays networking tasks on one simple interface, so there is no need to use the Windows file-sharing and network-configuration tools, which are confusingly different between the different operating systems and versions of Windows. It is available as a Free, an Essentials and a Pro version. If after the 7-day trial period you choose not to purchase Network Magic Pro or Essentials, you can continue to use the Network Magic Free Version.

"Discover how easy it is to connect all of your devices together so you can be more productive in your home and work lives. Instantly add devices to your network. Share Internet connections, printers and files. Protect your wireless network from intruders. Troubleshoot and repair problems. Monitor your kids and employees online activity. Integrate Windows, Vista and Mac into one network."

Network adapter driver problem in Windows Vista Business x64 (64-bit) Edition: Outlook Web Access is taking 15 to 20 seconds to bring up login screen

If you experience slow performance with certain activities, such as using Outlook Web Access via a browser to access email, in Windows Vista (particularly the 64-bit (x64) editions, the problem does not necessarily have to be Vista's fault, as Bill Hobson discovered with his desktop PC running the 64-bit edition of Windows Vista Business:

"I have a Dell Precision Workstation running Vista x64 Business [Edition] with a Broadcom integrated NIC [Ethernet Network Interface Card or network adapter]. [Bill obviously has his PC wired by an Ethernet cable to a router.] I noticed that Outlook Web Access was taking 15-20 seconds to bring up the login screen. I tested with both IE7 and Firefox 3 and got the same results. So I went to Dell's site and got the latest NIC drivers from there. Still poor performance. Then I went directly to Broadcom's site and downloaded version 10.1, upgraded, and still had the same poor performance. I disabled that NIC, installed an Intel Pro 100 [network adapter], and now the page loads in less than 1 second. I have a Dell tablet with Vista Ultimate and a Broadcom NIC, and it suffered from the same poor performance, but fortunately there is a better [32-bit] driver available that fixes this speed issue. I am hoping that Broadcom gets their act together and puts out a decent-performing x64 driver soon. Bottom line: it may not be Vista that is the problem!"

Problems with Windows Mail - I can't read or delete emails and get an error message

I have a Dell XPS laptop/notebook PC that has 2GB of RAM memory and runs Windows Vista Home Premium. I am having serious problems with Windows Mail, which is the replacement for Outlook Express. I can't read or delete some emails, and an error message that reads: "Message could not be displayed. Windows Mail encountered an unexpected problem displaying this message. Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try again." There are a few hundred emails in the Deleted folder that I can't remove. Moreover, I can no longer send messages, because they just sit in the Outbox, and I can't use the Calendar function. Dell has provided a special XPS support line that I rang. The support person told me that it was a common problem that will be fixed by updates. Microsoft said that Dell has pre-loaded an OEM version of Vista that it provides the support for.

Microsoft only provides support for retail copies of Windows Vista. Dell should be providing the support you need, because it provides a special support service to CPS owners that has dedicated support staff.

Windows Mail is the new email program that comes as part of Windows Vista. It is buggy. Almost every user of the program experiences a major bug in it that corrupts its message database. When that happens and the program attempts to read messages, it deems them to be much larger than they are and it produces the "Check your computer for low memory or low disk space and try again" message. However, there is nothing wrong with the computer's memory (the XPS has 2GB of RAM), or the amount of hard-disk-drive space.

The fixes for the various problems are somewhat involved, so you could just try using another email program, such as Mozilla Thunderbird, which is a free download from http://www.mozilla.com/. It corrupts its database far less frequently than Windows Mail.

The problem usually involves a group of files in one folder. Users can discover that deleted messages can't be removed, or the problem involves the Inbox so that the user can't read some or all new messages. If the Outbox is affected, email can't be sent.

First, make a backup of the Windows Mail directory, which is usually located at C:\Users\yourname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail. If not, the easiest way to locate it is to click on Tools => Options => Advanced => Maintenance. When you can see the path, click Change. Doing that allows you to highlight the whole path. Pressing the Ctrl-C keys copies it.

Now close Windows Mail and use Windows Explorer (right-click Start => Explore) to copy the Windows Mail folder and all of its subfolders to a new location of your choice. Now you can try using a special utility that is run from the Command Prompt called essentutl created by Microsoft to repair damage to the Windows Mail database. Using it involves entering a long command at the Command Prompt that is brought up by entering cmd in Vista's Start => Start Search box. But it is easier to use a free utility called WMUtil to do it.

WMUtil - "WMUtil is a small utility to allow users to compact and repair the Windows Mail database in Windows Vista...The Windows Mail database periodically needs compacting and defragmenting to function with maximal performance. Currently there is no manual method to compact the database in Windows Mail, unless one tinkers with the values set at Tools | Options | Advanced | Maintenance. WMUtil allows the user to manually compact the database to remove any wasted space from it..." - http://www.oehelp.com/WMUtil/

Windows Mail has to be shut down completely to run the utility. The program often continues to run in the background even when all of its windows are closed, so press the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination to bring up the Windows Task Manager. If WinMail is shown under the Processes tab, highlight it and click End Task. Now run WMUtil. Click the Remove Blank Files button, followed by Repair.

Doing that might not fix the problem if it involves the Deleted folder or the Outbox. If so, you can try deleting all of the .eml files from the affected folder under Windows Mail. Then run WMUtil again. If the problem involves a folder that you have created yourself, it can usually be fixed by moving all of the good messages to a new folder and then deleting the affected folder. However doing that does not work for the special folders. Namely, the Inbox, Outbox, and Deleted folders.

To deal with those special folders, navigate to the Windows Mail folder. Locate a large file in it called WindowsMail.MSMessageStore. Make sure that Windows Mail is closed and then delete that file. Deleting it does not delete the messages because they are stored in folders under the Windows Mail folder.

Next, go to Windows Mail's Backup\New folder and delete the copy of WindowsMail.MSMessageStore that is in it. When Windows Mail is restarted, it will take up to an hour to rebuild the database. With a bit of luck, it will do so without errors. Your mail will be in the Recovered Folders folder, from which it can be moved to the correct folder.

If the problems still exist, try exiting Windows Mail and rename the Windows Mail folder, giving it an apt name, such as Corrupt Mail. Restarting Windows Mail makes it create a new Windows Mail folder. Now you can use the import feature to import the messages from all of the unaffected folders in the Corrupt Mail folder. The imported messages will be in the Imported Folder, from where they will have to be removed to the correct folders.

Why can't I sent email from wireless hotspots using a laptop computer and Windows Vista's Windows Mail?

I am using Windows Vista with Windows Mail as my email program. When I have my laptop/notebook PC at a wireless hotspot, or when use someone else's wireless connection, I can receive emails but I can't send them. Can you explain this and tell me what I can do to resolve the problem?

Originally most Internet email systems were using a POP server, from which incoming mail was collected, and an SMTP server through which outgoing email was sent. The POP server required users to log in with a user name and password, but SMTP servers usually allowed the user to send email without logging on. Unfortunately, because there was no need to log in, spammers found that they could send as much email as they wanted through any SMTP server in the world. Internet service providers (ISPs) therefore had to prevent anyone except their customers from sending email through their servers. The best way to do that would have been to require senders to sign into the SMTP server in the same way they had to sign into the POP server to collect their email.

At that time, many email programs did not have an option to provide a user name and password when sending email, although almost all of them use one now. Many ISPs now set their outgoing mail servers to accept mail only from users who had dialled up or otherwise connected using the ISP's own services.

The Office of Fair Trading in conjunction with the US Federal Trade Commission are encouraging all ISPs to stop spam-sending 'zombies' - computers that have been infected by a virus that has brought them under the control of the hackers. They recommend preventing the use of port 25 (of the computer's Internet connection) for any outgoing SMTP mail except that sent through the ISP's own SMTP servers. Most UK ISPs have complied with this requirement, which probably explains why you can send email from home using your ISP, but not from other locations that use different ISPs.

This problem has affected so many laptop/notebook computer users that many ISPs now offer an alternative way to send email. Some email servers, such as the BT smtp.btinternet.com server, allow the user to select 'log in to authenticate' It then accepts email sent from almost any Internet connection. You might have to change the SMTP port from 25 to 587 in your email program if you are not connected through a BT connection. Some ISPs provide a separate outgoing email server that requires a secure connection. These servers usually use the same user name and password as the POP3 server, but a different port number. Virgin Media is an ISP that suggests using web-based email to send messages when you're away from home.

A good alternative solution is to create a free Google Mail account and use that to send your email. You can send email through Google and still use your ISP's address (e.g., dave3456@btinternet.com, where btinternet.com is the ISP). In fact, if you switch to Google Mail for your email, you don't have to worry about changing your email address if you switch to a different ISP. Google can also collect mail sent to your ISP's email address.

How to use Google Mail to read and send email from multiple third-party email addresses

You can sign up for a free Google Mail account at http://www.gmail.com/. When you have logged into your account, click the Settings link at the top-right of the screen and then click Forwarding and POP/I MAP. Enable Enable POP for all mail because doing so enables SMTP access. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes.

Next, while still on the Settings page, click on Accounts. You can add another email address and specify your usual email address. To verify that you own this account, you have to enter a confirmation code that Google will email to your email address. After you have entered the confirmation code, you can make your email address the default. Email that is sent through Google will then appear to come from your email address.

Now open Windows Mail, click the Tools menu and choose Accounts. You might find that the settings are complicated to get right, so I suggest that you first add a new email account and then enter your Google Mail account details, following the instructions provided by Google at Windows Mail - http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=86383. Then try sending and receiving some test email messages.

After you have this working, click Tools and Accounts again. Select your (non-Google) email address and click Properties. Click on the Servers tab and then change the outgoing server to smtp.gmail.com. Where it says Outgoing Mail Server, you need to choose the My server requires authentication option, and then click the Settings button next to it. In the window that appears, choose the Log on using option and enter your Google user name, which is the part of the email address before the @ sign. Enter your password, then click OK. Return to the Properties window and click the Advanced tab. For outgoing mail, enter the port number 465 and tick the box next to This server requires a secure connection (SSL) and then click OK. All of your outgoing email will now be sent through Google's servers, but will still have your current email address on it, which means that email can be sent from any Internet connection.

How can I network a Windows XP and a Windows Vista computer? Both PCs can access the Internet but they can't see each other

I have a Windows networking problem. My two desktop PCs - one running Windows XP Professional Edition and the other Windows Vista Business Edition - are connected to an ADSL router. Both PCs are connected to the web. However, for some reason, they can't see each other. The workgroup, default gateway, and subnet mask are the same for both PCs - as they should be - and each PC has a unique computer name. The network used to work when both PCs were using Windows XP Pro.

The network setup in Windows Vista has been improved to make it easier to use with Vista machines. However, these improvements can be the cause of problems when connecting to previous versions of Windows (Windows 98/Me/XP).

For each IP-address range that Vista discovers, a location type has to be chosen - Home, Work, or Public. You are advised by Windows to choose Public if you are not sure of which option to choose. However, you are not given any warning that choosing Public disables network file sharing over that network. Only Home and Work are regarded as private networks over which files can be shared.

Moreover, file sharing is disabled by default. To enable file and printer sharing in Vista, open the Start => Control Panel => Network and Internet => Network and Sharing Center.

On the Network and Sharing Center there is an option called Password Protected Sharing, which is enabled by default. Only users with a user account and password on that computer can access shared files, printers connected to the computer, or the Public folder. It's best to turn this off and turn it back on after you have file sharing working. You can then set up any user accounts.

Windows Vista has a new graphic feature called Network Map, which shows only your computer, the gateway device, and the Internet by default, but if you open View Full Map, it shows other devices, including other Vista computers. However, the map cannot include computers that run older versions of Windows and other operating systems, such as Linux. To be recognised, a computer has to have a new Microsoft protocol called Link Layer Topology Detection (LLTD) installed and enabled.

Microsoft has released an LLTD responder for Windows XP PCs that can be downloaded from this MS Knowledge Base article:

It is required to show the pictures in Network Map, but does not enable file sharing.

File sharing must be enabled on the Windows XP PC. To do that, open the Start => Control Panel and run the Network Setup Wizard. When asked for a workgroup name, choose WORKGROUP, or the workgroup name used by the Vista PC. Don't use the default suggestion of MSHOME.

You can find out what the workgroup name is on the Vista PC by clicking Start, right-clicking Computer with the mouse, and then clicking Properties. The name appears beside the Workgroup heading. Use the Change Settings option to make changes to the computer and workgroup names. Each computer on a network must have the same workgroup name and a different computer name.

If you are using the Windows Firewall (accessed from the Control Panel), the networking wizard will have set it to allow file sharing. However, if you are using a third-party firewall, consult its Help files to find out how to enable file sharing. If file sharing is still not working, the problem probably has to do with a third-party firewall. The Network Diagnostics provided by Windows Vista doesn't provide much help to fix the problem.

The firewalls in versions of McAfee and Norton Internet security software that are pre-installed in many Vista computers, are well-known for preventing file sharing when the user has not set the network type correctly. You usually have to open the firewall's setup screen to make sure that the local network's IP range is set as a trusted network (or similar terminology), which is equivalent to the Windows Firewall's Private network.

If you are still experiencing the problem, try uninstalling the third-party firewall and use the Windows Firewall instead.

I want to add a PC that was on another network to my home network. How can I reset/change the WEP/WPA key?

I have a home wireless network using D-Link DI-524 router with D-Link WDA-1320 wireless 802.11g adaptors. Recently I acquired a desktop PC that had previously been used in another network. How can I reset/change the WEP/WPA key on the desktop PC to match the keys of the other workstations? All I can see is Wireless network setup wizard on the Windows XP Professional's My Network Places. Please do not suggest that I call D-Link support, because I'm never sure whether they are in Utah, Uganda, Uruguay or Uzbekistan.

The usual procedure is to double click the wireless network icon in the System Tray/Notification Area by the clock. Click on "View available wireless networks". Wait for the list to refresh or refresh the list. Select your WLAN and connect. Enter the key when requested.

If that doesn't work, because the new workstation has a different key than the other integrated workstations in the WLAN, and you have clicked on every networking icon but nothing prompts you to enter the network key (network password), then follow these steps:

1. - Right-click with the mouse on My Network Places icon on the Desktop and select Properties.

9. - Repeat steps 1 to 3, select your WLAN, press Connect button and enter the password key when prompted.

If you don't get prompted for a key and/or if you already have a saved key but it is the incorrect key, perform steps 1 to 3 again and remove your WLAN from the list. Then repeat steps 4 to 9 again.

Some wireless adapters come with the manufacturer's connection software that loads when you start Windows. The rule of thumb is let Windows built in wireless network software manage the connections. If the manufacturer software loads when starting Windows you can disable it by entering msconfig in the Start => Run that brings up the System Configuration Editor. You can disable it under the Startup tab. However, you will need to know what the actual wireless networking program file is. Some are obvious, such as abcwlan.exe, etc.

On my laptop the entry is: Zcfgsvc (under Startup Item) and "C:\Program Files\Intel\Wireless\Bin\ifrmewrk.exe" (under Command). That is the correct entry because the computer has an Intel wireless adapter.

Why is my Virgin media ADSL broadband connection so much slower than its advertised speed?

I have a network consisting of Windows XP computers connected to the Internet via a 20Mbit/s Virgin Media broadband connection that uses a Netgear RT314 Gateway Router. I make regular use of the BBC iPlayer that allows you to view recordings of television programmes online, so the speed of the connection is important. Using some of speed tests available on the Internet, I can't achieve more than about 6Mbit/s, regardless of the time of day, even in the middle of the night. Virgin Media recently replaced my modem, which connects to the network via an Ethernet connection. On the Netgear site this router is listed as an 'end of life' (EOL) product. I am wondering if this is causing a bottleneck? I know that the advertised ADSL broadband speeds are typically only half the speeds achieved in practice, but a 20Mbit/s connection that only gets up to 6Mbit/s seems a rip-off to me. I would therefore be grateful if you could put me more fully into the picture so that I can be sure of my ground when I take Virgin Media on about this state of affairs.

Most broadband services use ADSL technology over copper telephone wires that were designed to carry voice calls and which have a limited speed that depends on the distance from the telephone exchange and the quality of the phone lines. However, the Virgin Media connection in your case is a fibre-optic connection, which is state of the art and should provide significantly higher speeds than cable or ADSL connections.

Even if your actual fibre-optic connection is fast, there is no shortage of congestion areas online that can slow down your downloads. For example, perhaps a particular website you are downloading from limits the bandwidth that can be used. Perhaps congestion in Internet routers, particularly the Virgin Media routers limit bandwidth. Moreover, there could even be restrictions imposed by your own equipment.

You can start by testing speed by connecting your main computer directly to the Virgin Media modem without using the Netgear router. After connecting the computer to the modem, you must turn the modem off and on again before it recognises the computer.

That computer also needs a new IP address. Usually Windows XP or Windows Vista will detect that the Ethernet has been disconnected and reconnected and will then automatically obtain a new IP address. However, you might have to right-click on the Network Connection icon in the taskbar and choose Disable and then Enable to force it to obtain a new IP address. Now you should then be able to test the real speed of the connection.

A common problem with older routers is that the WAN port on the router that connects it to the Internet uses only the old 10 Base-T Ethernet standard that limits its speed to a little under 10Mbit/s. That speed was adequate until broadband connections began exceeding it. The WAN port of the Netgear RT314 router has this limit, although the LAN ports of the router that connect the network run at 100Mbit/s.

Therefore, with that Netgear router, you won't be able to take advantage of the full speed of the connection. A new router should improve speeds significantly. However, take care when choosing a new router. Even if a router has a 100Mbit/s WAN port (that connects it to the Internet), the speed of the physical interface and the throughput of a device (the router) are two different things. In other words, you can have a fast WAN port on a router, but still not be able to pass more than 10Mbit/s through it. For example, Netgear's FVS318 and FVS114 routers cannot handle a 20Mbit/s throughput.

The Virgin Media 20Mbit/s connection first became available end of July 2007. The D-Link DIR-655 Draft 2.0 802.11n wireless router has been reviewed as a router that provides the fastest speeds over that connection. You may be able to find others by making use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled). Use a search term (as is) such as: router + 20mbit/s + throughput.

If the speed with a new router remains much slower than when connecting one computer directly, the whole network has to be checked. A bad network card or network switch can slow traffic down significantly. You should connect a particular computer directly to the modem to ensure that there is no external problem, then try connecting the router, but connect it only to one of the router's LAN ports. Then reconnect other devices one at a time. If the speed slows down after a particular device is connected, it is the cause of the problem.

Internet connection sharing problem: I use a router to connect a desktop and a laptop PC to the Internet, but I can't get online from the laptop

I use a D-Link DSL-2640B ADSL2/2+ modem with wireless router to connect a desktop PC and a laptop PC to the Internet. Both PCs run Windows XP Home Edition. The desktop PC is wired to the router, and the laptop is connected to it wirelessly. The first time I started the laptop, it almost set the connection up itself and was working. Now, although the wireless connection shows in the Notification Area of the Windows Desktop, and I can access the administration screen on the router from it and change the router's settings, the laptop won't connect to the Internet. Moreover, I can see the Internet connection from the laptop and see when the desktop PC is transferring data, but the laptop can't monitor any data being sent to the Internet. It only shows data being sent and received by the router.

This is how D-Link describes your router on its website: "3-IN-1 DEVICE The D-Link ADSL2/2+ Modem with Wireless Router (DSL-2640B) is a 3-in-1 device that combines the function of a high-speed DSL modem, wireless G access point, and 4-port Ethernet router. The DSL-2640B supports the latest ADSL2/2+ standards to provide higher performance (up to 24Mbps* downstream and 3.5Mbps* upstream) and longer reach from your Internet Service Provider’s (ISP) Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM)."

I take it that you have set the router up with your broadband provider's PPPoA login information and that the desktop PC is set to use dynamic IP settings, which the router provides. Don't use any kind of PPPoE/PPPoA login application or connection icon because that function is handled by the router. A broadband provider can sometimes provide a CD that installs this software, which you should not use with a router.

Computers on a network (the Internet is just a huge network), need a unique Internet Protocol (IP) address, which is equivalent to its phone number. Computers on a network have to know each other's IP addresses in order to be able to communicate with each other. You have to know what you are doing to configure IP addresses manually. Fortunately, a broadband can make the configuration automatic by providing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server, which provides the IP addresses to the network's computers automatically.

To find out what a computer's IP address is, connect a PC to the router that is set up to use dynamic IP settings, click Start => and enter cmd in the Run box. When the Command Prompt's window appears, enter ipconfig. You should see a screen that shows the computer’s unique IP address. An IP address consists of four numbers separated by a full stop, such as 192.168.1.100. If you move to another computer on the network and do the same, you’ll notice that the first three numbers of its IP address that are separated by a full stop stay the same, but the last number changes to something like 192.168.1.101. The DHCP server keeps the first three numbers the same and increases the last number sequentially (192.168.1.101, 192.168.1.102, etc.). The maximum is 254 and the minimum is 1, but the actual range assigned depends on settings on the router’s control panel, which can can be found in the router’s manual. For example, if there is a limit of thirty IP addresses and a starting address of 192.168.1.100, the router will provide every address in the range 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.129.

If the desktop PC is using a dynamic IP address provided by the router, you can have a look at its IP settings by entering cmd in the Start => Run box. In the command-prompt window that opens enter the command: ipconfig /all and make a note of the IP address, Default Gateway, and DNS servers. Now try entering the command: ping www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk. The IP address that is returned should be 209.68.14.54.

Now use the laptop computer. Open a Command Prompt window (as you did on the desktop PC), and enter the ipconfig /all command. The rests should be the same except for the IP address, which should be unique, but in the same range. If both computers are set to obtain them automatically, the DNS servers should be the same as the desktop PC's. It is sometimes possible that getting the DNS servers automatically malfunctions and you have to set the DNS servers yourself. Note that setting the DNS server to the router's gateway address is usually a safe option as long as the router knows the correct DNS servers on the Internet, because it will be able to find out that information.

The laptop computer can connect to the router and display a webpage - the router's configuration settings - so, either the DNS is not functioning (is not converting site addresses (http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk) to their IP addresses (209.68.14.54), or a software firewall is blocking access to IP addresses outside the network.

Now try opening a Command Prompt window and enter the ping www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk command. If a message comes up saying "Host not found", you have either not entered the command properly or the DNS service is not working. If it gave the same IP address - 209.68.14.54 - as the desktop PC, but produces a message that says "Request timed out", a firewall is blocking access to the web.

If the laptop PC is using the same DNS servers as the desktop PC, but isn't finding websites, the installation of Windows XP could be corrupt. The best way to repair it would be to reinstall Windows XP over itself. If you don't know how to do that, read Reinstalling Windows XP over itself on this site.

If the problem is caused by a damaged firewall installation, you can try changing the settings, but you might have to uninstall and reinstall it. Note that just disabling the firewall via its Control Panel in a security package - such as the Norton and McAfee security suites - might not work if if the installation is damaged. Note that it is also possible that a damaged installation won't be removed completely enough by its own installation option to remove the problem after the software is reinstalled. Fortunately, the major providers of security software provide special removal tools from their websites. Visit http://www.symantec.com/ for Norton software and http://www.mcafee.com/ for McAfee software.

Internet connection sharing problem: My network consists of desktop and laptop/notebook PC and a Netgear DG834Gv3 ADSL router, but the laptop won't connect wirelessly to the router

My desktop PC is a Dell XPS 710 running Windows XP Professional, which connects to the Internet wirelessly through a Netgear wireless adapter to a Netgear DG834Gv3 wireless ADSL modem router. Norton Internet Security provides the firewall and antivirus protection and the ISP is AOL. The laptop/notebook is a Dell Inspiron 9400, running Windows Vista Home Premium and Norton Internet Security. When I try to connect wirelessly to the Internet the laptop finds the wireless network, but does not connect to it. Windows Vista on the laptop produces an error message that says: "Wireless association failed because Windows did not receive any response from the wireless router or access point."

If I use an Ethernet cable to connect the laptop to the router I get instant Internet access. I took the laptop to a relative's house. He has a similar wireless network protected by McAfee Internet security. His desktop PC also uses Windows XP Pro. When I turned my laptop on it located his wireless network. By entering his network password I was able to access the Internet without any problem. I thought that the problem was due to the different versions of Windows on my two computers, but this is obviously not the case.

Norton's firewall is often the cause of this kind of problem. However, since the Norton firewall doesn't prevent you connecting at your relative's house, the problem is probably due to the security settings of your wireless router.

Most ADSL routers provide two different types of security. WEP or WPA encryption requires the PC to supply a network key or passphrase to connect. The other, less common option, is to create a list of MAC addresses (a MAC address is a unique identifier that every piece of networking equipment has) that identify authorised wireless systems. That list is then entered into the router.

Netgear user manuals tend to say that the access lists option is the easiest to use. However, you should know that they provide no protection against someone that is monitoring unencrypted data being sent over the network. The MAC address of computers in use on the network can easily be viewed, thereby allowing someone to set up a computer that spoofs (fakes) one of the permitted MAC addresses, which will allow access to the network.

To gain access the router's setup information, on the desktop PC, enter the IP address of the router into your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) and check you have not enabled the MAC access list feature.

To find the couture's IP address, enter cmd in the Start => Run box and then enter ipconfig in the Command Prompt window that comes up. The Default Gateway is the router's IP address.

If you use access lists, you need to enter the MAC address of the laptop in the list. To find this, right-click on My Computer, choose the Hardware tab, and click the button to open Device Manager. In Device Manager click the plus sign beside Network adapters and then click on the wireless card to show its Properties page. The MAC address at the bottom of the Advanced tab. The address is string of 12 characters using the numbers 0 to 9 an the letter A to F (hexadecimal, which is base 16), written in pairs separated by colons, such as 00:15:A0:66:14:B1.

If you have wireless encryption enabled, check the type of encryption being used. You are likely to see the old WEP option, which comes in 64- and 128-bit versions, and/or WPA, which also has versions, the best of which is called WPA-PSK, because it is the most secure, but be aware that it may cause problems with older computers that either don't support it at all or that may have bugs.

The WEP security key is a string of hexadecimal characters (0 to 9 and A to F). Each character represents four bits of the key. The key length is 24 bits less than the encryption type, so a 64-bit WEP only uses a key of 40 bits or 10 hexadecimal characters, while 128-bit WEP uses 104 bits or 26 hexadecimal characters.

To avoid typing such a long string, many router manufacturers have added a key-generator feature that generates a long key from a short password. The problem with this feature is that it is not part of the wireless standard, so a given password cannot be guaranteed to generate the same key unless all of the network adapters are of the same make as the router.

A common mistake when setting up a wireless network is to choose to use WEP encryption and then use the key-generator to generate a key. Laptop PCs with built-in adapters usually don't work unless you type in the full 10- or 26-character generated hexadecimal key. If you must use WEP encryption, only use the 128-bit version, because the 64-bit version can easily be cracked by hackers. Enter your own 26-digit hexadecimal key, such as 0123456789ABCDEF01234567890, which just repeats the hexadecimal characters ( the numbers 0 to 9 and the letters A to F), or perhaps a telephone number repeated until it makes 26 characters, such as 78535578535578535578535578. You don't have to use the letters.

Both of your computers are new enough to support WPA-PSK encryption, which is the most secure version, so you should use it. This makes use of a passphrase - a long password that can be made up of several words, which part of the wireless standard, so it should work on any wireless equipment.

If that doesn't fix the problem, try disabling the Norton firewall on the laptop. (A Netgear router can be configured to protect its network. For details about several security features used by Netgear routers see: Security: Comparing NAT, Static Content Filtering, SPI, and Firewalls.) If doing that works, then the Norton firewall is blocking traffic. You can also want to update the router's firmware with an update from the manufacturer's website. The latest European version for your router is V4.01.37.

How can I reset the network settings on my laptop/notebook computer?

Whenever I go to work in my company's US office, the network technician there reconfigures my laptop PC's network settings so that I can access the Internet by using its network. However, when I get home to the UK, I can't connect to my home network. Is there a way to save my home settings so that I can restore them whenever I get home?

In Windows Vista enter the command in the Start => Start search box.

Doing that saves the network configuration to a text file called tcpip.txt. You can use it to restore the settings by entering this command:

You can create a shortcut on your desktop that runs the restoration command when it is clicked. To do that copy netsh -f c:\tcpip.txt, then right-click an empty space on your Windows desktop and click New => Shortcut. Paste the command into the relevant box and click Next. Enter a name for the shortcut, such as: Restore Network Settings, then click Finish. If you want to change the icon for the shortcut, you can right-click with the mouse on it on your desktop, click Properties, and then click on the Change Icon button.

Where is the best place to put my modem/router in a house with very thick walls and how do I connect it if the only telephone socket is in the hall?

I need advice with regard to the best place to place an ADSL modem/router for the wireless network that I am setting up. I live in an old Victorian house. The BT telephone line has its connection box/socket in the hallway, which has no electrical sockets, probably because the thickness of the walls and the distance from the nearest mains socket makes installing one a difficult and therefore costly operation. I have extended the telephone line upstairs by making use of a splitter into a bedroom, which does have electrical sockets. Is possible to connect the modem/router to the telephone line extension, and, if so, is any other equipment required?

You won't need in additional equipment unless you still have a poor signal to the computers in your wireless network. In which case, you will have to buy a router that allows you to relace the antenna with a high gain antenna or make use of a repeater. There is no need to place an ADSL modem or modem/router near your main telephone socket. The best place for it would be near your main computer. You can use an telephone extension cable to do that.

If the BT socket has an ADSL faceplate, which gas two sockets on the front, then the hardwired connections are filtered. However, if the master socket does not have an ADSL faceplate, a filter must be connected between the telephone line and all the telephone equipment, except the ADSL modem/router. Two filter units are usually provided with a modem/router that allow you to connect the modem/router and a telephone to the same connection. Voice calls and ADSL broadband use different frequencies and can herefore be separated by a filter. An ADSL faceplate has built-in filters with separate sockets for voice and ADSL signals, so there is no need to use the plug-in filters. Using an ADSL faceplate is the superior option because the connection of plug-in adapters can worsen with time, and poor contacts reduce the signal quality severely.

Thick brick walls reduce a wireless signal severely, therefore place the wireless modem/router in a central location with regard to all of the wireless equipment. If, say, you want to use a laptop computer with a wireless connection in the back garden, a back-facing bedroom would be the best place. If it turns out that the best place for the router provides a poor or non-existent connection to some of your computers, buy a router that allows the built-in antenna to be replaced with a more powerful model, such as a high gain (hi-gain) antenna.

One of the major problems with many wireless networks is the poor range of standard access points and routers. The problems can be solved by using a single-direction or omni-direction high gain antenna that attaches to the connector of a wireless access point or network adapter. By increasing the strength of the signal, the wireless-network range, signal strength and performance are improved significantly.

You can buy a high gain antenna that extends the range of a wireless network or router in one direction or an omni-directional high gain antenna that extends the range in all directions. The Hawking [HAI6SDP] Indoor Hi-Gain 6dBi Directional Antenna is designed to extend the range of a wireless network in one direction. "Installation is simple. Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless antennas are designed to work with most Wireless Access Points, Wireless Routers and Wireless Network Adapters. By using the popular Reverse-SMA connector, the Hawking Hi-Gain Antennas can be used on most Wireless Devices." The Hawking [HAI6SIP] Hi-Gain 6dBi Omni-Directional Wireless Antenna also has the requirement of a "Wireless Device with Reverse-SMA Connector (Access Point/Wireless Router/Wireless Network Adapter/Wireless Bridge)."

Here is a review of a more powerful Hawking Technologies high gain single-direction antenna that is not yet listed on the manufacturer's site (April 2008).

Entering a search term such as wireless network antennas in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled) should provide you with links to other examples. You can also use it to locate information and vendors for the two products listed above or for wireless repeaters.

A wireless repeater is used to boost a wireless signal if it is too weak to reach where you want it to reach.

When a wireless signal is first broadcast it is very strong. As it continues to travel away from its source, the signal strength weakens. The further from the source it travels, the weaker it becomes, until it loses its integrity entirely. This condition is called attenuation. A wireless repeater picks up the weakened signal, regenerates and rebroadcasts it, thus extending the range of the wireless network. Only fairly recently have affordable wireless repeaters became available. For example, the D-Link AirPlus 900AP+ is a Wireless Access Point (WAP) that can also be used as a wireless bridge between networks. A recent firmware update has added repeater functionality to it as well.

You should be able to find information about other makes/models of repeater by making use of the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

There are some other considerations, such as using different channels to the ones being used in your areas, updating the router's firmware, or your network adapters' drivers, upgrading 802.11b devices to 802.11g (or 802.11n, the next standard which still has to be ratified), replacing card-based wireless network adapters with USB network adapters that use external antenna, all of which are dealt with in the following article:

10 tips for improving your wireless network - Extend the range and the strength of your wireless network -

Click here! to go to the information on the wireless 802.11n standard on this site. It is in the process of being ratified (April 2008), but pre-n equipment is available that is superior in its range and data-transfer speeds to the current 802.11g equipment.

Problem connecting to websites: major sites are not available, but later the same day or after a router reboot they can be accessed

I am having an intermittent problem when visiting websites. Major sites, such as Google, are not available all of a sudden, but later the same day or after a router reboot they are accessible. I use Windows Vista with both Internet Explorer 7.0 and Firefox 2.0. However, I find that I can access the sites when using IP addresses (e.g., 66.249.91.147) when the website address (e.g., www.google. com) is not working. Any idea what is happening here and if the problem can be fixed?

Domain Name Server (DNS) problems are the cause of many Internet connection issues. I suggest using the OpenDNS service from http://www.opendns.com/.

"OpenDNS protects millions of people a day across hundreds of thousands of schools, businesses and homes. We block phishing sites, give you the power to filter out adult sites and proxies among more than 50 categories, and provide the precision to block individual domains."

Anyone can use it free of charge. You just have to set the DNS server addresses in the Windows Network Connection Properties, or in your router's configuration settings page, instead of checking the box that enables the DNS server information to be collected automatically from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) - AOL, BT, Tiscali, etc. Read your router's user manual if you need to know how to access its configuration webpage. If you don't have one, it should be available for that make/model from its manufacturer's website.

The OpenDNS service is superior in many ways to the standard DNS system. For example, because it can filter out websites that should be avoided. Note well that you should use a DNS server that is as close to you as possible as measured by a low ping response time, because your computer, when online, will be making many DNS access requests to convert website addresses (www.google.com) into their IP addresses (66.249.91.147). If a website address is entered into a browser (e.g., Internet Explorer, Firefox) it has to be translated into its IP Address by a DNS server or by a service, such as OpenDNS, and then be sent back to the browser. (If you know what a website's IP address is, you can enter it directly into a browser to access it.)

To find out its ping response time, measured in milliseconds (thousandths of a second), you ping the site by opening a Command Prompt. In Windows XP, open the Start => Run box and enter cmd in it. In Windows Vista, enter cmd in the Start => Start Search box. Doing that brings up the Command Prompt. If your ISP's DNS server is overloaded or is experiencing other problems, using OpenDNS might be a better option. You can use the command ipconfig /all at the Command Prompt to see your current DNS server settings for its IP addresses. You can then try pinging them. Depending on the speed of your broadband connection, a respectable ping response time should be under 20ms. (You obviously won't get such a response time with a dial-up narrowband connection.) Then try to ping the OpenDNS servers at 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 (enter the comand ping 208.67.222.222, etc.), which are the IP addresses of its servers provided on the site's home page. If the OpenDNS servers are faster to access than your current servers, then try using its service. You may prefer using it in any case, because it fixes your problem and because of the extra protection it offers.

I can't access the web from the Internet Explorer address bar and I can't add a Favorite to Favorites

I can access my home page as usual, but, all of a sudden, nothing happens when I enter a web address into the Internet Explorer 7 address bar, on the same tab as the home page or on a new tab. Also, I can't save sites in Favorites. When I click Favorites => Add to Favorites the box appears, but the saved address never gets into the Favorites folder, which is empty. I am using Windows XP Professional and Norton Internet Security.

It's possible that something in the system has become corrupt due to an attempt by spyware to attach itself to Internet Explorer 7 (IE7). The address bar problem could be caused by a conflict between the Phishing Filter in IE7 and other software. Users that have experienced the same problems report on the web that removing and reinstalling IE7 doesn't fix them, it' unlikely that IE's files have been corrupted.

If the problem is fairly recent, you could try using System Restore to restore a restore point that predates the problem. The problem has to be recent, because System Restore only stores five day's worth of restore points.

The problems could be caused by an IE7 add-on module. You can start IE7 without add-ons to test this.

To do this, click on Start => All Programs => Accessories => System Tools => Internet Explorer (no add-ons). Alternatively, click Start => Run and enter "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -exoff (as is). An IE screen should appear saying that add-ons have been disabled.

If the address bar works correctly now, the problem was caused by one of IE's add-ons. To find out which one is responsible, close IE and restart it. Click Tools => Manage Add-Ons and select the Enable or Disable Add-ons option. Under Show, choose the Add-ons that have been used by Internet Explorer. You can now try disabling different sets of those add-ons to see if doing so fixes the problem. In that way, you should be able to isolate the add-on that is responsible.

There are reports of the address bar problem occurring when a set of motherboard utilities from nVidia have been installed, including the Network Access Manager firewall. The problem occurs even if the nVidia firewall is disabled, so, you'll have to uninstall it and then check nVidia's site for an update that addresses the issue.

This issue has also been caused by an interaction between Verclsid.exe, which is a security feature that Microsoft introduced in April 2006, and certain third-party software. A new unproblematic version of the file was released on 25 April 2006. However, it could be that a new conflict is the cause of the problem. For more information read this MS Knowledge Base article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918165.

If you are unable to fix the problem, a good way out would be to use the Mozilla Firefox browser from http://www.mozilla.com/.

Connection problem: I can't connect to the Internet with a Belkin F5D7630-4A router

I had no problems with my Belkin F5D7630-4A router since I got it six months ago, but all of a sudden I can't get an Internet connection. The settings have been checked, but I reloaded them, reset the router, updated the router's firmware from the manufacturer's site, and changed all the leads and cables. Belkin's support say that it's a line problem, but the line works fine with a dial-up modem. My Internet service provider (ISP) told me that the router had tried to connect twenty times over a ten-minute period. I searched the web for problems with this router. The problem has been reported. One person opened its case and added a fan, which solved the problem, so it could be a heating problem. The router does get very hot. However, if I leave it switched off for a long period, I can get a connection for a few minutes. The ADSL light should have been on all the time, but it flickered on and off during the connection.

Because you can connect briefly while the router is cool, the problem is likely to be caused by overheating. If the router is still under warranty, you should be able to get a replacement. Under the Sale of Goods Act in the UK, you should be able to get a replacement or a refund out of the warranty period if the machine is not fit for the purpose for which it was purchased when it should have had an expected useful life of say four years. A router would be expected to last at least four years, so, if it fails before that period is up, you would be entitled to a replacement or a refund under the Sale of Goods Act. Alternatively, if you have electrical knowledge, you could also try improving the router's cooling.

However, there are still some other considerations that should be taken into account. Many ISP's are making changes to the equipment installed in telephone exchanges, and these changes could affect a router but not a dial-up modem. You should ask your ISP if there have been any changes to its equipment. If there have been changes, find out the make of the DSLAM equipment on your line and then check with Belkin's technical support if there are any compatibility issues with the router and the new equipment. You have already updated the router's firmware, so there is no need to do so again.

3Com and SMC have marked the same router with cosmetic and firmware differences. All of the versions get very hot, but there are definitely some issues that are firmware-related, such as some Belkin users having complained that the router crashes when running peer-to-peer applications with many connections.

There could still be a problem with your line, because a dial-up modem could be more tolerant of poor line conditions than the router. You can use the modem to provide you with a report of the line conditions. Click here! to go to information on dial-up modems on this site if you need to know how to use a modem to provide such a report.

The Internet Options General tab in Internet Explorer won't allow me to change my home page

My brand new PC runs Windows XP Home Edition SP2 and the version of Internet Explorer that it installed (version 6.0.2900.2180). I have recently changed my Internet Service Provider (ISP), but when I tried to change my home page under Internet Explorer's Tools => Internet Options => General tab => Home page, a message is produced that says: "The operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator." Unfortunately, I am the system administrator and I haven't got a clue what to do to remove the restriction.

The message is meant for the administrator of the systems in a company that has used a utility called the IE Administrator's Kit (IEAK) that the administrator can use to control Internet Explorer's settings. Some ISPs use it to create a customised version of Internet Explorer. However there are now some other ways in which such a restriction being imposed that have nothing do do with a system administrator.

You use Windows XP Home Edition, but, for the benefit of the users of Windows XP Professional Edition, it's possible to use the Group Policy editor to impose similar restrictions as the IEAK and restrict the kind of software that can be run. Someone may have used it to restricted your computer as a prank or maliciously. Look up Group Policy under Help and Support to find out how to use it to find out if that is the case.

The spyware removal utility, Spybot Search & Destroy, has an Immunize option that can restrict access to Internet Explorer's options that can prevent its user from making changes such as changing the home page. If you're using Spybot S&D, it's default settings do not impose such restrictions on Internet Explorer, but you may have enabled and the forgotten about them. To check (if you're running the latest version of Spybot S&D), open the program, click its Mode menu and select Advanced mode. If Default mode is select the additional items called Settings and Tools are not shown in the bottom left-hand corner of the program's window. Click Tools and then click IE tweaks. If the setting called Lock IE control panel against opening from IE is enabled it will cause the problem you are experiencing. If it's enabled, disable it, change your home page, and then re-enable it so that spyware can't make changes to that option. If it gets into your system, some spyware is capable of altering Internet Explorer's settings, so it's a good idea to enable all of the three settings under IE tweaks. Just don't forget about what you've done, because they block your own access to them.

You can also explore certain settings in the Windows Registry that impose restrictions on Internet Explorer. It's advisable to create a restorable restore point in System Restore before you try editing the Registry in case you make a mess of it and Windows doesn't work properly. To do that follow this path: Start => All Programs => Accessories => System Tools => System Restore. Run the wizard started by choosing the option called Create a restore point.

To open the Registry, enter regedit in the Start => Run box. The Registry keys have + signs beside them that you click on to open them.

HKey_Current_User and Hkey_Local_Machine => Software => Policies => Microsoft => Internet Explorer => Restrictions. If you see a key in either of those two locations called NoBrowserOptions, delete it or change its value from 1 to 0 to disable it. The figure 1 enables a value and 0 disables it. To delete or modify a value, right-click on it with the mouse and the options come up.

HKey_Current_User and Hkey_Local_Machine => Software => Policies => Microsoft => Internet Explorer => Control Panel. If you see a key in either of those two locations called Homepage, don't delete it, just change its value from 1 to 0 to disable it. The figure 1 enables a value and 0 disables it. To delete or modify a value, right-click on it with the mouse and the options come up.

If the restrictions return after you've removed them in the Registry, there is probably spyware at work in the system, and you should try running spyware removal tools to get rid of it. See the Security page on this site for information on the most popular free utilities.

Alternatively, one or both of the following files might not be in the C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder might be missing: inetcpl.cpl (350KB) and inetcplc.dll (108KB). The files should be in the C:\WINDOWS\System folder in Windows 95, 98, and Me.

If they are missing and you have installed an update for Internet Explorer, you'll find Internet Explorer under Add\Remove Programs in the Start => Control Panel. Right-clicking on it provides access to a Repair option that you should run in order for the files to be replaced. If the original version of Internet Explorer that Windows installed is the only version you have, the Repair option won't be there, because it is only added when you update IE.

If either or both of those files are missing and you can't use the Repair option, try registering with a computer forum such as the one at http://www.sysopt.com/ and post a request for the files for your version of Internet Explorer, which is version 6.0.2900.2180. You find out the version by opening Internet Explorer and clicking Help => About Internet Explorer. When you use the mouse to right-click on those two files the version listed under the Version tab should match your version of Internet Explorer. If you can only obtain a version with a lower or higher version number than yours, try using it, but it must have at least the 6.0.x part in the version number.

Spyware infection: A website or spyware has hijacked Internet Explorer's Home page

No matter what I set as the Home page in Internet Explorer, it is only kept as the Home page for that session. Another page automatically becomes the Home page the next time the system is booted. Even changing it via the Windows Registry by using the Windows Registry Editor doesn't stop it from being reset. The offending page is located at http://www.global-finder.com. How can I get my Home page back?

Plenty of websites are able to hijack your browser (in this case Internet Explorer), and point it to their home pages. No computer that is connected to the Internet is likely to be free of spyware that has been covertly installed by offending websites. To remove the spyware use these excellent free programs Microsoft's Security Essentials - Spybot S&D - Ad-Aware - AVG AntiSpyware. What one of them misses the other may detect. Make sure that the latest updates have been installed for both programs before you run either or both of them.

Note well that you may have to run the above-mentioned spyware removal tools in Safe Mode in order to remove some spyware and adware, so you might as well start these programs in Safe Mode. You can do that by pressing the F8 key just before Windows 98 or Windows XP starts to load at start-up. A boot menu presents itself with several boot options, including Safe Mode.

Some spyware includes a rootkit component that hides itself from Windows and removal tools in normal mode, but the removal tools can detect it in Safe Mode.

CoolWebSearch (CWS) spyware comes in several varieties, all of which are difficult to remove. Some variants use two components that can run even when the computer starts in Safe Mode. Each component reconstitutes the other component if a spyware removal tool removes one of them. And, recently, a variant that has three components. Together they use stealth techniques that hide them from the system and from spyware removal tools.

Global-Finder is a variant of CWS, which is a particularly tenacious hijacker of browsers. The creators of this spyware keep changing its code in order to bypass spyware-removal software. That is why you should always update any such software before you use it.

Your browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc.) should only be using the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) made by Sun, obtained from http://www.java.com, because Microsoft no longer supplies or supports its version. Software of this kind most commonly finds its way into a system by exploiting a particular security bug in Microsoft's version of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

If you are using Microsoft's JVM, there is a security patch available to defeat this bug. Look under the Tools menu item in Internet Explorer to find out which version your browser is using.

Read the relevant Knowledge Base article 816093 by clicking this link: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=816093.

To make sure that you don't get reinfected, downloading and installing the latest security updates from Microsoft Update would be the quickest way to remove the security flaws in the JVM or in Internet Explorer's JavaScript.

An urgent news update from Spywareinfo.com

Note that I haven't added the date to the following information, because, just in case of developments of this sort, you should always obtain the latest updates for any kind of malware tool before you use it.

Update Your Copies of HijackThis and CWShredder

"If you have ever downloaded HijackThis or CWShredder, it is urgent that you upgrade to the latest versions before using them again. If you mirror these programs on your own site, it is extremely urgent that you update the files.

"Due to a new variant of the CWS Trojan, using either HijackThis or CWShredder on an infected Win98 or WinME computer may lead to severe damage to that computer. You must update to the very newest versions of these programs before using either of them again.

"I don't know what the details of the problem are. I haven't been following the latest postings at the message board. The problem is serious enough that people have had to reinstall Windows on their computers.

"To upgrade these programs, you merely delete the old files and replace them with the new."

HijackThis

If neither Microsoft's Security Essentials nor Spybot S&D nor Ad-Aware nor AVG AntiSpyware remove a malware problem - in an extreme case only - you should download and run HijackThis by using the link above. This program lists all of the changes that have been made to the standard configuration of Internet Explorer, and it allows you to restore them to the default configurations. The program needs to be used with care, because it can easily remove settings that you want or need to keep.

Here is the best way to use the program. Download HijackThis! Unzip the downloaded file into a new folder that you should create before you start the download. Don't install it on your Desktop. Don't use any of the Temp folders that are presently in your computer. Double-click the HijackThis.exe file and click on Scan. When the scan is finished, the Scan button will change into a Save Log button. Click Save Log (doing this generates a hijackthis.log file) Next, click => Config [button] => Misc Tools [button]. Click Generate StartupList log [button], which generates a startuplist.txt file.

If you are a relatively experienced computer user, first try copying and pasting your HijackThis log file to this web-based HijackThis log-file analyzer - http://www.hijackthis.de/.

You shouldn't rely exclusively on the log-file analyser (US: analyzer), but if you have a reasonable level of technical knowledge, it should help determine which items should be removed.

SmitFraud Remover and Winsock XP Fix

SmitFraud Remover - http://www.anti-spyware-101.com/remove-smitfraud/ - can remove many types of spyware that promote phoney virus and spyware scanners. If that link doesn't work, to find others, enter SmitFraud Remover in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Winsock XP Fix - http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4372.html or http://www.snapfiles.com/get/winsockxpfix.html - can fix the Windows Winsock if spyware corrupts it. It is necessary to go online, so if spyware makes it impossible to go online, running this program could put you back in business. If those links don't work, to find others, enter winsock xp fix in the Google search box at the top of this page (with its Web radio button enabled).

Locking Internet Explorer's start page setting against user changes

There is an easy way to use Spybot S&D to protect your Home page and other settings in Internet Explorer.

The Spybot Search and Destroy utility can disable several changes being made to the settings under Internet Options, such as changing the Home page, which is shown under the General tab (shown in the image below). This is useful because some spyware can make undesirable changes to Internet Explorer that can be difficult to remove once they are in place.

There are three settings available in the latest version of the free spyware removal tool, Spybot S&D. It's advisable to enable them all, but just remember that if you want to make changes yourself and can't, it's because you have to disable one or more of these settings first. To find the settings, run Spybot and go Mode => Advanced mode. Options appear in the bottom left corner of the window that don't appear if Default mode is enabled. Click on Tools followed by the IE tweaks icon. The following three settings have check boxes beside them that you have to place a check mark in with the mouse to enable:

It is possible that changes to your operating system's Hosts files are redirecting traffic to websites commonly used as home pages to malicious ones. You will need to rule out this possibility as well. Visit http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm for more information.

3. - Lock IE control panel [Internet Options] from opening within IE [current user] - [You can only access Internet Options from the Control Panel.]

Alternatively, you computer's antivirus or security software might have options that lock Internet Explorer in the same ways. Remember that you will have to unlock the settings if you want to make use of these features yourself.

Windows Vista Trojan virus problem: A pop-up comes up every minute warning me that my computer is making unauthorised files and that I must scan for viruses

My desktop PC runs Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. Unfortunately I have visited a suspect site via a search engine and now my computer produces a Windows pop-up every minute warning me that my computer is making unauthorised files and that I should scan to detect and remove viruses. The pop-up itself doesn't look legitimate. I have run my AVG Anti-Virus scanner, which discovered a Trojan. I used the scanner to quarantine it, but the pop-up is still coming up.

It appears as if your computer has been infected with one of the numerous variants of SmitFraud. The Trojan backdoor program that it delivers is probably called Zlob. Other hidden code will keep reinstalling the Trojan when one of its parts is removed.

Many Windows Vista systems have been infected with SmitFraud in spite of the much-improved security improvements over Windows XP, which were designed to prevent spyware and viruses from installing themselves without permission. It is not yet apparent if this is because SmitFraud's programmers have found ways around Vista's security measures, or whether users have become so accustomed to having to click OK on the security warnings that present themselves whenever third-party software tries to make changes to the system that they do so automatically no matter what the message is, or find out how to turn the warnings off.

The SmitFraud software, which is spyware, keeps changing in order to avoid being detected by scanners, so you should use several anti-spyware scanners that have been fully updated online by running their update features. If you don't have any spyware scanners, you can find links to the best free ones in the Security section of this site.

Install and update the anti-spyware scanners, but don't scan the system in Windows normal mode. Restart the computer in Safe Mode. To do that, press the F8 key repeatedly as the computer starts up, but before the first Windows splash screen appears. The Windows boot manager comes up. It has a list of boot options, one of which is Safe Mode. When Safe Mode has booted, run SmitFraud Fix, followed by the spyware scanners, one at a time. You must scan the system in Safe Mode to avoid reinfection, because the spyware will not have installed itself in that mode. SmitFraud consists of several parts that can rebuild any of the parts that are removed in normal Windows mode.

To avoid this happening again, it is advisable to download the free version of McAfee SiteAdvisor from http://www.siteadvisor.com/. It marks search results with symbols that warn you of sites that should be avoided.

How can I add extra wired (Ethernet) ports to my wireless router?

I need some extra wired Ethernet ports on my wireless router. Is there any way that I can add extra ports to it?

You just have to add a a network switch. Five-port and eight-port Gigabit Ethernet switches can be purchased inexpensively. You need a crossover Ethernet cable to connect it to your wireless router. Unplug one of the computers or devices that is connected to an Ethernet port on the router and then use the cable to connect the router to the switch. Now you have the extra ports that any devices you want to connect to the network can be plugged into.

You must have a Gigabit Ethernet router if you want gigabit connection speeds of 1000Mbit/s, otherwise the switch will connect to the router at the slower 100Mbit/s.

You should plug all of your Gigabit devices into the new switch in order to make use of the fastest data transfer rates.

How can I add an external hard disk drive or network storage device to my wireless network in order to record television programmes to it from my laptop?

I access a broadband connection wirelessly using a Dell Inspiron 6400 laptop PC and a Netgear DG834PN wireless ADSL modem router. I want to add a large external hard disk drive or network storage device in order to be able to record television programmes using a USB TV tuner from the laptop. I would prefer the whole system to be wireless, but I wouldn't mind too much having a cable connection between the laptop and the television. The Western Digital 500GB My Book looks good, but it isn't wireless, so would it be possible to attach a network adapter to it or connect it directly to the Netgear router? I know that I could also use a network storage device, but I don't really need all of the features that they provide. I also need a USB TV tuner for the laptop. Can a TV tuner be configured to make the computer wake up from hibernation to record a TV programme and then go back into hibernation after the recording?

Some routers can be connected directly to an external hard disk drive via a USB cable, but this is not the case with the Netgear DG834PN. Therefore, you have two choices to add storage to your network - use a network storage device, or use a standard external hard disk drive with a network storage adapter.

The Western Digital My Book external hard drive can be connected to your network using a network storage adapter, which connects to the drive via a USB cable and to the network either wirelessly or by using a standard Ethernet connection. There are suitable network storage adapters made by both D-Link and SMC, but not currently for sale in the UK for a reasonable price. If you can find a suitably-priced network storage adapter, buy one, otherwise use a network storage device, which is primarily designed for sharing files on a network.

The Maxtor Shared Storage II 1TB provides a terabyte (1000GB) of storage, it works with any computer running Windows XP/Vista without special drivers, and it has a UPnP media server, which would allow you to have a network video player under your television, which would allow you to play back programmes without the laptop being involved.

The most popular version of Vista, Windows Vista Premium comes with the Media Center, and it and Windows XP Media Center Edition can wake a PC from hibernation, record a programme, and then go back into hibernation, but both Windows XP Home or Professional Editions, require the use of TV tuner that has a scheduler application that supports that feature. There are TV tuners that claim to be able to do that, but none of them are unproblematic in implementing their solutions, so the best option, if you haven't taken it already, is to upgrade to Windows Vista Premium or Ultimate Editions, which both have the Media Center built into them.

When I add extra laptop and desktop computers wirelessly to a mixed wired Ethernet and wireless network, all of the computers lose their Internet connections

I use a Netgear wireless G router to share an ADSL broadband Internet connection between five desktop computers. Four of the computers are wired to the router's Ethernet ports, and one is connected to the network wirelessly. However, whenever I try to add additional computers to the network wirelessly, some of which are desktop machines and some of which are laptops, all of the Internet connections are lost and I have to reboot the router and use fewer computers. Do I need to get a better router, or could the one I have somehow be made to connect all of my computers? Or would it be a good idea to buy another switch and then wire the other desktop computers to it?

You could have a faulty wireless router, because it should be able to connect far more computers than you have tried to connect to it.

Your router has a built-in Ethernet switch that connects the desktop PCs together. The problem is unlikely to be caused by the switch. It is more likely to be caused by the router's DHCP server that allocates IP addresses to the networked computers automatically, or by the SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall.

If the router itself isn't faulty, the problem could be caused from your ISP's end by an overall problematically large amount of traffic that it is experiencing, but the router is more likely to have a bug in its firmware.

Firmware is embedded software that is permanently installed in flash memory inside the router in much the same way as the BIOS file is embedded in a motherboard's BIOS CMOS chip. It handles some of the network protocols that the router uses, and some of its security features and administrative functions. The router's firmware can be updated if an upgrade has been made available from its manufacturer's site. Such a firmware upgrade updates both the router itself and its ADSL modem.

The version of the model of the Netgear model you have should be provided on a label on the underside of the router.

The Netgear site is at http://www.netgear.com/. To find the page for your router enter its model number in the Search box at the top of the page.

Here is the Support page for the Netgear DG834GT router - http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/DG834GT.asp. At the time of writing this, it provided firmware upgrades for three versions of the router, a Recovery Utility should the firmware upgrade abort, and an installation guide.

If installing a firmware upgrade doesn't work, here are some other remedies you can try:

Using mixed wireless protocols may be the cause of the problem, so disable support for every other wireless protocol except 802.11g.

You could also open the router's configuration web-based page (the user manual tells you how to bring it up), and reduce the DCHP lease time to an hour if it is set higher than that.

Enable the router's WPA encryption security feature, which prevents outsiders from using the connection to run peer-to-peer file sharing services, which could be overloading it. WEP encryption shouldn't be used because it has a flaw that makes it easy to crack. In any case, to use it involves entering a long hex key made up of many letters and numbers. WPA encryption just allows you use a simple password. Note that Windows XP, Windows Vista, and recent network cards support WPA, but older versions of Windows may not be able to use it.

You can also find out which channels other wireless equipment in the vicinity is using. If the channel you are using is being heavily used, you can change to a different channel. Your router's user manual will tell you how to change channels. NetStumbler can be used to tell you which channels in your vicinity are being used.

The router's firewall could be responsible, so try disabling its SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall.

Also try disabling the router's event-logging feature, because the extra work that logging requires might be causing it to crash when you add more client PCs.

Overheating can also cause a router to crash, so make sure that none of its ventilation slots is blocked. You could also try mounting it in different positions. It doesn't matter if the router is lying horizontally or is standing vertically.

Why does only one of my two laptops connecting to the web via a wireless G+ router have a very weak signal strength?

I have two laptops running Windows XP Home Edition that I connect to the web via a wireless G+ router. Each laptop has an internal mini-PCI wireless network card installed. The signal strength for Laptop 1 is very weak. It will only connect properly when about 10 or fewer feet from the router. If it is only 15 feet away from the router the signal strength is very poor. However, the signal strength of Laptop 2 is very strong, even when it is positioned more than 50 feet away on the other side of the house with several walls between it and the router. For some reason, Laptop 1 also disrupts with MW radio broadcasts, but Laptop 2 doesn't.

The quality of different brands of mini-PCI wireless network cards can vary significantly. If you have a card of poor quality installed in Laptop 1, then that could be the cause of the problem. For example, cards made by Broadcom tend to be of poorer quailty than the cards used in laptops that carry Intel's Centrino brand name. Moreover, Intel's wireless mini-PCI cards are very good at locking on to weak signals compared to brands, such as Broadcom. You should also make sure that the latest drivers are installed for the card being used by Laptop 1. You can obtain them from its manufacturer's site.

Of course, it is also possible that the card in Laptop 1 is faulty, in which case replacing it with a good card would fix the problem. You should also download and install the latest drivers for any new card you install, because the drivers that come with adapter cards are usually out of date, and, as such, won't implement the latest bug fixes and improvements, etc.

Intel 2200BG mini-PCI network cards are currently going for around £20 on ebay.co.uk. You could identify the network card installed in Laptop 2 and buy one for Laptop 1. To remove the old card, you usually have to open a panel on the computer's bottom side that is held in place by a single screw. The card is installed in a mini-PCI slot in much the same way as a SODIMM RAM memory module is installed in a memory slot.

The antenna might not have been connected properly. In most laptops, the antenna goes round the edges of an internal space around the screen. If you can't do so yourself, you could get a technician that specialises in laptop repair to check to make sure that both of the antenna wires (one is usually black and the other white) are connected. If only one wire is connected the signal strength will be reduced, but if both wires are not connected it can still be possible to connect to an access point or router if the laptop is a few feet away from it. In either case, you could find that turning the laptop through 90° should weaken the signal strength dramatically. Moreover, note that the antenna might be of poor quality or poorly designed, in which case, you could try using an external network card that fits into PC Card slot. Just make sure that Laptop 1 has a slot that supports the card you buy. Most current laptops have a slot that supports CardBus or ExpressCard cards.

Medium-wave radio stations broadcast on the AM radio frequencies. A laptop with a wireless network card is more likely to disrupt them than FM broadcasts, because Wireless G itself uses the FM frequencies.

In order to reduce radio interference, the relevant components in a laptop are covered with sheets of aluminium. If they weren't installed properly, or a grounding wire wasn't connected, the effectiveness of the shielding would be reduced significantly. However, note that computer's power supply unit is more likely to be the cause of radio interference. You could find out if that is the case by running the computer on battery power.

Both of my networked PCs can connect to the web, but one PC can't access the other's hard disk drive

My two networked PCs have Window XP Professional Edition running on them. I used to be able to access each PC's hard drive from the other PC and copy files between them. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, computer A can't access the files on computer B, but computer B can access the files on computer A. I know that the network is working because both PCs can access the web via my Linksys ADSL router.

I discovered that computer B's hard drive is no longer shared. When I tried to set sharing, the following error message appeared:

When I tried to open Computer Management (Start => All Programs => Administrative Tools) to have a look at the Server Service under Services, I right-clicked on it with the mouse, selected Properties and found that it was set to Automatic but was stopped. Clicking Start brought up this message:

Could not start the server service on local computer. Error 2: the system cannot find the file specified.

The Properties window for the Server Service has C:\WINDOWS\system32\svchost.exe -k netsvcs as the Path to the executable, which all of the other services I looked at also have, and the svchost.exe file is present in the Windows\System32 folder.

Scanning the system with fully updated Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware, Windows Defender, and Norton AntiVirus found nothing.

Svchost runs a service or group of services that are specified in a .DLL file. Opening the Task Manager with the Ctrl+Alt+Del key combination should show several instances of svchost running under the Processes tab. Therefore, if svchost was corrupt or missing many other services would also not be running, so some other file is missing or a path to a file is set incorrectly in the Registry.

Try entering services.msc in the Start => Run box to bring up the Services window and then try starting the Server Service again.

Next, enter eventvwr.msc in the same way to bring up the Event Viewer, and have a look in the System log for error messages that might shed some light on the problem.

You might obtain a clearer message by opening a command prompt (enter cmd in the Start => Run box) and then entering this command:

There could be some other corrupt settings or files missing. The Services panel says incorrectly that the Server Service has no dependencies, because it relies on several other files and settings.

Enter regedit in the Start => Run box to open the Registry Editor and navigate to the svchost key.

In the right-hand window click on the value called netsvcs to see a list of the services that it loads.

Find lanmanserver => parameters. There should be an entry called ServiceDll in the right-hand window. Click on it to reveal its value, which should be %SystemRoot%\System32\srvsvc.dll. Correct the value if it is incorrect.

There are CurrentControlSet001 and CurrentControlSet002 in my Registry. If that is the case, check both of them.

If you have access to another computer running Windows XP that is working properly on a network, you can try using the File => Export option in the Registry to export lanmanserver settings from it to the faulty computer. Exporting Registry settings creates a .reg file that you copy and save to the computer that you want the settings installed in. You just have to click on the file to have the keys entered into that computer's Registry.

Remember that it is always advisable to create a restore point in System Restore before you make changes to a computer's Registry.

If the problem still exists, the cause could be almost anything in Windows networking.

Next, you can try using System Restore to restore a restore point that predates the problem. If doing that doesn't work, you can try performing a repair installation of Windows XP. How to perform a repair installation/install of Windows XP on this site provides information on how to do that. It won't affect the programs or data, but it is always worth making restorable backups in case anything goes wrong. For example, there may be a power cut while you are in the act.

How to remove and rebuild the networking components in Windows XP

If, for some reason, a repair installation doesn't work, or you can't do it, you'll have to try removing all of the network components so that Windows XP can rebuilt all of them.

Fortunately, although there are no networking components show under Add or Remove Programs (because Microsoft doesn't want users to remove them), by editing a file called sysoc.inf it is possible to force Add or Remove Programs (in the Control Panel) to display certain networking components, which can then be removed.

Right-click Start => Explore to run Windows Explorer and find the C:\Windows\Inf folder. It is normally a hidden folder. To unhide it, open Tools => Folder Options... in Windows Explorer. Click on the View tab and enable the setting called Show hidden files and folders.

Find the sysoc.inf file and save a copy of it to another folder just in case you screw things up. Double-clicking on the file in the C:\Windows\Inf folder opens it in Notepad. You should see many lines that contain the parameter hide or HIDE. Use Notepad's Edit => Replace feature to replace each instance of hide with just a comma. Take care not to delete the comma before or after it. Save the file and exit Notepad.

Now open Add or Remove Programs and select Windows Components. Make sure that Internet Information Services, Networking Services, Other Network File and Print Services, and Terminal Server are unticked. Next, enter cmd in the Start => Run box to open a command prompt and enter the command: netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt.

That command should reset the TCP/IP protocol, which can't be removed. Now go back to the Control Panel and open Network Connections and remove all of the connections that appear there by right-clicking on each of them and then clicking Delete.

Now enter devmgmt.msc in the Start => Run box to open the Device Manager. Click View => Show hidden devices and then open Network adapters. Remove any Ethernet network cards or other physical network devices (not the virtual networking devices, or an ADSL modem). Doing that will force Windows XP to locate new hardware and reinstall all of the required components.

Now open Network Connections in the Control Panel. Click on each connection, and click on the Properties button in the window that comes up. Under the Networking tab, make sure that Client for Microsoft Networks, File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks, and Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) are ticked. If there are any other options already ticked, you can leave them enabled.

Now when you enter services.msc in the Start => Run box you should find that the Server Service is running.

When I enter search words in Google, my Google search history is displayed. How can I delete it?

I have noticed that when I enter the words for a search in Google, a list of my previous searches is displayed, including the search I am conducting if I entered the same words on a previous occasion. For example, if I enter just lotto for the entry lotto + uk, the search box becomes a drop-down menu and the full entry appears as the top entry with all of the other entries I've made under it, allowing me to make a choice of all of my previous entries. I tried using every cleaning program I could find but none of them removed my Google search history. Does that mean that Google keeps lists of searches on its servers that have been made by users that it can identify somehow? If so, surely that is against data-protection law? And is there a way to delete a Google search history and make sure that it never returns?

Good news! Google doesn't keep search histories of the people who use its search engine. The search history is kept on the user's own computer.

The reason that you haven't been able to remove your Google search history is because a setting has been enabled by default in Internet Options that makes Internet Explorer keep it.

To remove the search history, open Internet Options in the Control Panel (for versions of Windows from Windows 98 up to Windows XP that can use Internet Explorer 6.0, which has the AutoComplete feature), and click on its Content tab. You should see this heading: Use AutoComplete for. Under it there are these three options with check boxes beside them - 1. Web addresses - 2. Forms - 3. User names and passwords on forms.

The Web addresses option completes entries that you make in Internet Explorer's Address box. You just enter a portion of a web address and if there is a record of it in web address search history, the rest of the entry appears so that you don't have to type all of it in yourself. If you don't want that to happen, remove the check mark in the box beside that option. The Forms option is the one that keeps you Google search history, so disable it to prevent Internet Explorer from keeping a history of your searches. If you enter user names and passwords in order gain access to sites such as forums and you don't want them remembered, disable User names and passwords on forms by removing the mark in its check box.

In the same window there is another heading called Clear AutoComplete history. Under it there are two buttons - Clear Forms and Clear Passwords. To clear the existing Google search history click on the Clear Forms button.

Mixed media networks: Why can't I get my mixed wired and wireless network to share files?

I have three Dell Dimension computers that are networked. The main computer has both wireless and Ethernet (wired) PCI network cards and is connected to an ADSL Internet connection. One of the secondary computers uses a wireless PCI network card, and the other secondary computer uses a standard wired Ethernet network card. I can get them to share the ADSL connection, but no matter what I try, I can't get file sharing to work.

You have what is known as a mixed media network, which can be problematic to setup. The easiest way to get file and printer sharing to work would be to make the network wired or wireless, but not both, and to use networking products made by the same manufacturer. This is especially a problem for wireless products, which still don't usually allow a mixture of products from different manufacturers.

But if you want to get your mixed media network to share files, you can use a mixed media router (MMR) to manage the data flow among the three networks (wireless, Ethernet, Internet) that use different connection media so that a single Internet connection can be shared among the computers in the subnetworks - and file and printer sharing works.

The following steps are needed to get a mixed media router to work: 1. - Install the network adapters and TCP/IP. 2. - Test the network. 3. - Install and configure the special routing software that you may have to buy. 4. - Check Internet sharing. 5. - Configure and check file and printer sharing.

The article can also be used by anyone who wants to learn how to install a network and install TCP/IP on the networked computers.

Why can't I find a router for my USB ADSL modem

All of the cable and DSL modems I know of have an Ethernet connector that fits into the WAN port of a router such as the Linksys BEFSR41 EtherFast 4-Port Cable/DSL Router. Netgear and Belkin also make such routers. But my Internet Service Provider provides its users with a USB DSL modem. You plug an RJ11 cable they provide into the telephone socket and then into the modem, and then use a USB cable from the modem to the computer. This makes it impossible to use a router such as the one I just named. Can you tell me if there is a router that performs the functions of that Linksys router but which also allows me to plug a USB DSL modem into its WAN port?

[Since this Q&A was written in 2005, most UK users have moved on from separate routers and ADSL modems to wireless ADSL routers that have an inbuilt ADSL modem. The one that I use - a Siemens Gigaset SE587 wireless ADSL router provides four Ethernet ports which can connect four client computers to the network by cable and can also connect client computers to the network wirelessly. I have left the Q&A here just in case there are users in this and other countries who are still using separate routers and ADSL modems.]

If you currently (June, 2005) connect to the Internet via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) ADSL or cable modem, I only know of one router currently available in the UK that has a connection for a USB ADSL modem - the Vigor2200USB Router (no longer available in 2010). There may be others that you can locate by making use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page. Not so long ago there was no such device. It only supports a limited list of ADSL USB modems. I don't know of any routers that support USB cable modems. There may be one or more that you can locate by making use of the Google search box provided at the top of this page.

By far the greatest number of routers currently available either have an RJ45 Ethernet connection or have an inbuilt ADSL modem.

USB broadband cable or ADSL modems are a fairly recent type of Internet gateway. A gateway that is usually designed to bypass the network hub/switch component between the router and the computer connected to the telephone line or cable service in order to keep the cost of hardware itself low and to restrict the connection to a single computer. Those are the main reasons why some ISPs provide them.

If you can't find an ADSL USB router that supports your broadband USB modem, there are two available options:

1. - Use the Windows computer that the USB modem is plugged into as the Internet gateway for all other computers on a wired/wireless network by networking all of them with Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) and cables or wireless 802.11b/802.11g alternatives. Have either a wired or a wireless setup, not a mixture of the two types because it is very difficult to get a mixed media network to function. For more information on that topic, read the Q&A above this one called Mixed media networks: Why can't I get my mixed wired and wireless network to share files?

The gateway computer requires an NIC or wireless network adapter to connect it to the your wired/wireless network, and an interface to connect it to the Internet. If you have a standard Internet ADSL or cable modem the Internet connection can be provided by connecting it to a second NIC fitted in the gateway computer, or via a wired/wirelessrouter.

If you have a USB ADSL or cable modem, just connect it to the computer via a spare USB port. The gateway computer will be networked to your other computers via NICs/wireless adapters installed in each of them. If it's a wireless setup you can use a wireless Access Point (AP) or an Ad Hock network in which the wireless adapters communicate with one another without a wireless AP.

This setup allows an Internet connection to be shared by making use of the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) software that is part of Windows 98/Me/XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, which is easy to set up, and which is documented in the Windows Help files. Third-party Internet sharing software is also available, but it won't be free. If you use a router, you don't use ICS, because it shares the connection automatically with the other computers that are connected to it. A wireless router and wireless adapters (PCI or PCI Express network cards or USB dongle) installed in each of the client computers can be used instead of NICs to provide a wireless solution.

2. - Ask your ISP if it can provide you with a standard ADSL modem, or purchase one of your own that can be plugged directly into a router of the kind you named. You can then connect the other computers to the router with suitable network cables.

Internet Explorer running on Windows XP Pro SP3 brings up a privacy screen asking accept a cookie from 127.0.0.1 then locks up completely

I’ve got a notebook computer running Windows XP Professional SP3. When Internet Explorer starts it brings up a privacy window asking if I want to accept a cookie from 127.0.0.1. When I grant permission the window that comes up locks up and I can’t do anything with Internet Explorer 8 . I went into the Control Panel => Internet Options => Security => Trusted sites and added 127.0.0.1 to the allowed list, but that just made Internet Explorer close without doing anything at all. Note that if I run the Firefox browser instead of Internet Explorer, web access works just fine. I’ve run the Ad-aware and Spybot S&D spyware removal utilities several times. They did find some non-critical spyware, which was removed, but the problem still exists. I’ve run the AVG virus scanner and the TrendMicro online virus scanner, which both found nothing. I reinstalled Internet Explorer from the Windows XP Pro SP2 disk without success. I am now at a loss as to what to do to fix the problem.

Whenever you have a problem such as this one, the first thing you should do is think of what change(s) you've made to the computer that might have caused it. If you've made a reversible change that proceeded the problem immediately, try reversing it. For example, if you installed a Windows update, it can be reversed if it's listed under Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. And if you installed software, you can try uninstalling it. New device drivers can sometimes cause problems. If you want to go back to using a previous device driver, such as a graphics card driver, you can use the Roll Back Driver feature.

Even though you ran two of the best spyware-removal tools, it still looks like a spyware issue, because 127.0.0.1 is the localhost IP address of the local computer or server. Therefore, it looks as if some badly written spyware, or spyware that wasn't removed properly is screwing things up by using the localhost address instead of its home IP address. So, if you haven't already got a good firewall running on the system download and install one (Sygate, ZoneAlarm). Note that the free version of ZoneAlarm is still available, but Zonelabs is doing its best to hide it on its site so that visitors purchase the Pro version. Such a firewall will allow you to prevent whatever it is from phoning home when you're online. Note that the Windows Firewall (accessed from the Control Panel) in Windows XP cannot prevent outward-bound traffic, only inward-bound traffic. (The improved Windows Firewall in Windows Vista and Windows 7 has been improved so that it can prevent outward-bound traffic.) Also make sure that you don't have two firewalls providing real-time protection at the same time. If you use a third-party firewall, disable the Windows Firewall.

You haven't used Microsoft's yet, which can be download from http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/. Install it and then install the latest update before running a scan, which is best done in Safe Mode because in this mode Windows is running in its most basic setup. To get into that mode, when you start up from a cold boot, keep pressing the F8 key just after the first boot screen to bring up the boot menu that includes Safe Mode.

Assuming that Security Essentials was able to resolve the problem, if you haven't already done so, make sure that you install all of the latest updates from Microsoft Update, because Internet Explore is the main target of hackers and the spyware/virus programmers.

Internet access works properly when you use the Firefox browser, so that rules out a corrupt firewall, etc., being the cause. That information isolates the problem to Internet Explorer and to entries in the Windows Registry. Therefore, if Security Essentials didn't fix the problem, perhaps installing a System Restore restore point that predates the problem will do the trick. A restore point with a particular date of creation returns Windows to the state it was in on that date.

Problems such as this that can strike computers that go online at any time is good reason to use a drive-image program to create a master image of the whole system that can be easily restored. You create the image when the system is working properly and then burn it to one or more recordable CD/DVD disks (discs). If such a problem strikes, all you have to do is restore the image. All you need is a CD/DVD writer, some recordable disks, of which there are several types, and the right software.

The following imaging program is cheaper and, in my opinion, is better than Norton Ghost.

Troubleshooting a wireless network consisting of a notebook and a desktop computer

I have a notebook and a desktop personal computer. I wanted them to share a DSL broadband Internet connection, so I bought a Linksys router that has an ADSL modem, a wireless PCI network card for the desktop, and a wireless notebook adapter. I installed all of the hardware according to the instructions. The Device Manager in both computers says that the devices are working properly, but I can't make the notebook computer recognise the desktop computer as the host computer. I have tried asking the Linksys helpline, but the operators are in the Philippines, and I had a very hard time trying to make out what they were saying.

Given the poor training the operators usually receive, you might not have fared much better had the operators been in the US or the UK.

If there is a problem with the wireless settings, you should always connect at least one of the computers to the wireless router with an Ethernet network cable connected to one of its LAN ports, which most routers have at least four of. Doing that should make it possible to access the router's setup screen. But if both computers can access the Internet via the wireless connection but can't connect with each other, that is not the problem.

If you don't know what an IP address is, read the two Networking pages on this site.

If you're using Windows 95, 98, or Me, enter winipcfg in the Start => Run box to bring up the IP Configuration window. If you're using Windows XP or Windows 2000, you have to enter cmd in the Start => Run box to bring up a command prompt, and then enter the command ipconfig. If you want the Windows XP/2000 equivalent of the Winipcfg program, download Wntipcfg from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads.

If there is no address shown under the IP address heading, or it starts with 169, you have to find out why.

A wireless connection can take a while to establish itself. Consequently, the DHCP client can time out. If this is the case, to fix the problem just click the Renew All option in Winipcfg or Wntipcfg, or enter the command ipconfig /renew at the Windows XP/2000 command prompt, which you bring up by entering cmd in the Start => Run box.

Different routers make use of different IP address ranges. If there is an IP address shown by the computer you're testing, it belongs to the Linksys router. Make a note of it. It should be in the form 192.168.1.1 (four blocks of single digits, separated by periods/full stops, containing up to three digits each).

Now you need to test if the desktop computer can ping the other IP addresses of the computers on the network and sites on the Internet. In your case, there is only one other computer in the network - the notebook. It will make a single ping sound if you're getting through to it with the ping command. You obviously have to be online to use the ping command to test an Internet connection. The computer will provide the technical details of the connection, such as if it was successful and how long it took to establish, etc.

To use the ping command, open a DOS window in Windows 95 / 98 / Me (by entering the command command in the Start => Run box), and a command prompt in Windows XP/2000 by entering the cmd command in the Start => Run box.

I am assuming the router is using the IP address 192.168.1.1, but it could be a different one, depending on the range it is set to use.

Find out what the notebook computer's IP address is, and try using it in a ping command.

To test an Internet connection (while online), try using the IP address of a website, such as 195.101.94.150, which is the IP address of http://www.wanadoo.com.

To test the Domain Name System (DNS) settings, and to check that the desktop computer is translating server names to their IP addresses, enter: ping www.wanadoo.com

Spyware can be the cause of network connectivity problems

The problem may be caused by spyware that has corrupted the Windows Layered Service Protocol (LSP) stack. The spyware programmers have found out how to use it for installing spyware, but, if this is the case, and a spyware removal tool such as Spybot S&D or Ad-Aware removes it, Windows networking can be broken until the LSP stack is repaired.

In other words, a very common problem is the loss of Internet connectivity after being infected with or removing spyware. Free utilities exist that completely rebuild the WinSock software and restore Internet connectivity.

By running either of these utilities, the network will be completely reset. If you use static IP addresses, make a note of them so that you can reapply them if necessary. If you use DHCP for IP and DNS settings, there are no precautions you need to take prior to using the above-named WinSock repair software.

If the problem still exists, the next step involves checking the network file sharing. For Windows 95 / 98 / Me, right-click with the mouse on the Desktop icon called Network Neighborhood and then click Properties on the menu that is presented. Check that the components listed under Configuration include a Client, which can be either Client for Microsoft Networks or MS Home, and File and Printer Sharing Services. The Primary Network Logon can be set to Client for Microsoft Networks or Windows Logon. Both of the computers should have the same Workgroup name under the Identification tab, but they must have a different Computer name.

The above components are installed by default in Windows XP and Windows 2000. In Windows XP, the built-in firewall has to be disabled, or it must be set to permit access so that other computers can view the files on that computer, because networking involves file-sharing, and if file-sharing is blocked, network access is blocked.

Firewalls can be the cause of network connectivity problems

The name for the firewall in Windows XP used to be called the Internet Connection Firewall, but the new version that comes with the SP2 update is called Windows Firewall. To disable it or check its status, open the Control Panel => Network Connections and then right-click on your LAN connection. On the menu that is presented click Properties, followed by the Advanced tab. To check the network names (Workgroup and Computer name), right-click on My Computer on the Desktop and then click Computer Name.

If you have a third-party firewall installed, you should not have the Windows Firewall enabled, because you should only have one firewall and one virus scanner monitoring the system at the same time. If you only have a third-party firewall installed, disable it, or, if necessary, uninstall it completely, because corrupt installations of the Norton and McAfee firewalls continue to be the cause of several recent network connectivity issues.

Using command prompt network tools

If the problem still exists, you have to try using the network tools that are run from the command prompt, access to which has already been detailed in this Q&A. You have to make sure that at least one folder on each of the computers is shared or the computer won't appear in the other computer's Network Neighborhood. You can make a folder a shared folder by right-clicking on it in Windows Explorer. Enable the Share option.

The NET VIEW command works from the command prompt in Windows 95 / 98 / Me and in Windows XP. For information about the command enter NET VIEW /? fter you have entered this command, you should see a list of the computers in the Workgroup. The command NET VIEW \\COMPUTERNAME (where COMPUTERNAME is one of the names shown by the NET VIEW command) should provide a list of shared resources on that computer. If there is an Access Denied message against any of them, it indicates that there is a problem in that area, such as a problem with any user accounts used on the computer.

The sudden and inexplicable loss of their wireless 802.11b (Wi-Fi) Internet connections using Windows XP

The following is an informative news story from http://www.lockergnome.com/, which I have provided here in full instead of just providing a quote and a link, because the story might be dropped altogether or, if archived, probably won't stay in the same place, and I haven't got the time to keep track of it:

Kevin Gilmore is a network administrator at MicroDisplay, a small company in San Pablo, California, that uses several Wi-Fi access points to give employees the freedom to roam around the office with their laptops while remaining connected to the Internet.

But these days, Gilmore keeps encountering a problem that many Windows XP users know all too well: the sudden and inexplicable loss of their wireless Internet connections. As Gilmore knows from the flow of support calls, there's little point in trying to find a permanent solution to the problem.

"It will and does lose connection for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and then picks it up again, seemingly randomly," Gilmore said. "At first, it was so aggravating. And now, it's considered a normal factor of working with Windows."

Here are the symptoms of the problem: A Wi-Fi-enabled computer running Windows XP is working fine one minute, pulling up Web pages and processing e-mail. Then, for no reason, the connection drops, websites fail to come up and the e-mail flow stops. The small wireless connection icon in the taskbar says the signal from the access point is strong, so the problem isn't that the user wandered out of radio range. The icon even shows that the computer's Wi-Fi hardware is sending information to the access point -- it's just not getting anything back. And manual attempts to re-establish the connection through XP's built-in wireless configuration tool won't do the trick. Even more bizarre, the connection sometimes comes back on its own.

From anecdotal evidence, most users assume the problem is with the Wi-Fi hardware. But the trouble seems to arise from a tool in Windows XP called Wireless Zero Configuration, a feature that was meant to do away with the mishmash of software drivers and configuration utilities.

Microsoft disputes the notion that there's a problem with the way Windows XP works with Wi-Fi.

"We don't have data that suggests Windows XP drops wireless connections more than any other system," said Greg Sullivan, the lead product manager in Microsoft's Windows division. "Wi-Fi configuration in Windows XP is much different and easier than in previous versions."

Indeed, in earlier versions of Windows, users had to configure their equipment through software written by the Wi-Fi hardware manufacturers -- which aren't known as user-friendly program writers. The configuration utilities varied from maker to maker, with various manufacturers sometimes using different words and definitions to describe the same concept. Microsoft stepped in with Wireless Zero Configuration to unify the utilities and ease the pain.

Unfortunately, the feature is hardly infallible, said Glenn Fleishman, editor of WI-FI Networking News.

"The flaw is, if Wireless Zero Configuration gets funky in any way, then to the user ... wireless connectivity is unavailable," he said. "It's a tricky interaction of many different elements of this system. It's frustrating."

To some, the most infuriating part is that the wireless network connection icon in the XP taskbar doesn't display any indication at all that something's wrong. When there is a genuine hardware failure, the icon displays a small red X to indicate that the connection was lost. But with these mysterious disconnections, the icon continues to show a connection.

"It indicates that you've associated with an access point. It is possible for you to be associated without having [Internet] connectivity," said Shai Guday, a Microsoft wireless group program manager.

But most users don't have the background to parse the distinction between connection and "association" with an access point. All they know is that the icon says there's an access point with a strong signal nearby and they can't get on the Internet.

There are several theories about what goes wrong. Sometimes it's because of interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones and other electronic devices that generate radio noise, said Christian Gunning, director of product management for Boingo Wireless, a Wi-Fi connection provider.

Others say it could be because of a Microsoft software update that tries to enhance wireless security, but causes other problems with certain, usually older, equipment.

And others blame the same problem Microsoft was trying to fix in the first place: an infinite combination of drivers, utilities, hardware and software configurations.

For its part, Microsoft insists the problem is not with XP. Guday said he knows of no problems with "Zero Config" and would be "happy to look into any reports with that." And Sullivan said users can always deactivate XP's configuration utility and use the Wi-Fi manufacturers' software.

"Windows XP reduces wireless deployment costs via automatic configuration," said Sullivan. "It reduces help desks' call times for wireless networking questions due to simplified configuration."

But Fleishman said Microsoft's belief in this might be because most XP users assume the fault lies with their Wi-Fi card, not with Microsoft's operating system.

"Microsoft probably isn't getting tech support calls on this," he said. "It's almost certain the hardware makers are getting the tech support calls."

There is a way of getting lost Wi-Fi connections going again, but it involves going deep into XP's settings every time the problem arises, Fleishman said. And the fix could be a nightmare for people like Gilmore, who don't want less-advanced users mucking around with the guts of the operating system.

With advance apologies to Gilmore and other network administrators, here's Fleishman's workaround:

7. - Close the Services window. At this point, Fleishman said, the connection should come back.

For access to an article click on the Ref. Number or copy it into the search box at the destination pages of either of the two links placed in the top two rows of this table.
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base: Networking issues and problems
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base: Wireless issues and problems
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base: Internet Explorer issues and problems
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base: Outlook Express issues and problems
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base for networking problems in Windows XP
Click the link =>	Search the Knowledge Base for networking problems in Windows Vista
813936	How to set up a small network with Windows XP Home Edition (PART 1 of 8)
308007	Troubleshooting Home Networking in Windows XP
838207	List of networking fixes in Windows XP Service Pack 2
870702	How to troubleshoot wireless network connections in Windows XP Service Pack 2
928429	How to connect to a wireless network in Windows Vista
928152	You may experience connectivity issues or performance issues when you connect a mobile PC that is running Windows Vista to a wireless access point - You may experience random connectivity issues when you connect a Windows Vista-based mobile PC to certain Wi-Fi "hot spots." These connectivity issues include the following: The wireless network connection is dropped. You experience poor performance. You experience these issues if the Windows Vista-based computer is running on battery power.
932134	An outdated network router may not function correctly when you use it together with new networking features in Windows Vista - This article describes why an outdated network router may not function correctly when you use it together with new networking features in Windows Vista. When you use an older router together with Windows Vista, you may experience any of the following problems: Slow network connection speeds or Internet connection speeds Gradual loss of network performance Lack of support for new features or for networking technologies
953791	Device Manager and Network Connections may be blank after you install Windows XP Service Pack 3 - After you install Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), Device Manager may not show any devices, and Network Connections may not show any network connections. This problem may occur when an antivirus application is still running during the installation of Windows XP SP3.
314825	How to Troubleshoot Black Hole Router Issues - This article defines the term "black hole" router, describes a method of locating black hole routers, and suggests three ways to avoid the data loss that can occur because of a black hole router.
871122	Error message when you try to run the Wireless Network Setup Wizard after you update to Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 - The Wireless Network Setup Wizard and the View Available Wireless Networks feature both rely on the Wireless Zero Configuration service to provide their functionality to Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) and Microsoft Windows XP Table PC Edition 2005. If the Wireless Zero Configuration service is not available, you receive an error message that directs you to this article.
922120	Network Map in Windows Vista does not display computers that are running Windows XP - When you run Network Map on a Windows Vista-based computer, computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP do not appear on the network diagram. This problem occurs if the Link-Layer Topology Discovery (LLTD) Responder component is not installed on the Windows XP-based computer.
937097	Problems with the network, hard disk drive, or storage drivers cause a program to stop unexpectedly in Windows Vista - You start or run a network-capable program in Windows Vista. Then, the program stops unexpectedly (crashes) in either of the following cases: • When the program tries to read valid data from a remote storage medium. • When the program tries to write valid data to a remote storage medium.
329441	What to do when you cannot create a network connection after you restore Windows XP
811259	How to determine and recover from Winsock2 corruption - Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional
871122	Error message when you try to run the Wireless Network Setup Wizard after you update to Windows XP Service Pack 2
883259	How to install and configure Bluetooth devices in Windows XP Service Pack 2. - To install a Bluetooth device, you only have to connect it. Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes drivers for many Bluetooth devices. If Windows does not recognize a Bluetooth device, you can still use it by using the generic software support that Windows includes, or you can use the driver that the device manufacturer provides. To add a Bluetooth device to your computer, you can use the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard. To configure a Bluetooth connection, you use the Bluetooth Devices item in Control Panel.
883258	How to troubleshoot Bluetooth detection and connectivity problems in Windows XP Service Pack 2. - After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), a Bluetooth device that previously functioned correctly in Windows XP SP1 and that supported Bluetooth wireless devices may not function correctly. This article discusses how to troubleshoot:• Bluetooth device detection issues. • Service detection issues. • Device detection and connectivity issues.
875362	The Computer Browser service does not start and event ID 7024 is logged when you restart your Windows XP Service Pack 2-based computer
314850	Windows XP IPConfig Syntax
117662	IPCONFIG Diagnostic Utility: Parameters and Usage - Windows NT/2000
922713	Error message when you run the ipconfig /renew command on a Windows XP-based computer or on a Windows Server 2003-based computer: "The current directory is invalid"
299357	How to Reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) in Windows XP
314067	How to Troubleshoot TCP/IP Connectivity with Windows XP
283673	HOW TO: Enable or Disable Internet Connection Firewall in Windows XP
301041	HOW TO: Install NetBEUI on Windows XP
815485	Overview of the WPA Wireless Security Update in Windows XP - This article discusses the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) update in Windows XP - Home and Professional
893357	The Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)/Wireless Provisioning Services Information Element (WPS IE) update for Windows XP with Service Pack 2 [SP2] is available. [This update allows Windows XP SP2's wireless networking software to use WPA2 data encryption provided by a Wireless Access Point (WAP) or router]
306126	HOW TO: Configure Internet Connection Sharing in Windows XP
309642	How to Configure a Static Client for Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing [How to configure a host, such as a server, with a static IP address rather than allowing the host to be configured with a dynamic IP Address, which is different every time.]
309524	How to Configure Windows XP ICS for an Internal PPTP Server
318030	You Cannot Access Shared Files and Folders or Browse Computers in the Workgroup - Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional
289022	HOW TO: Edit the Boot.ini File in Windows XP
239780	Safe Mode Boot Switches For The Windows XP Boot.ini File
282866	How To Configure Windows XP to Automatically Log On a User Account
306496	HOW TO: Configure or Disable Solicited Remote Assistance in Windows XP - also see "306586" - "306757" - "306971" - "306800" for Remote Assistance information.
922376	Error message when you use a Windows XP-based computer to share files over a network: "Error: Server service not started" - When you use a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer to share files with another user over a network, you receive the following error message: Error: Server service not started Additionally, when you try to start the Server service, the service does not start. Instead, you receive the following error message: Error 126: The specified module cannot be found. - This problem occurs if the Srvsvc.dll file is missing or corrupted.
921982	You receive an error message the first time that you try to use the Remote Assistance feature to offer assistance to a user whose computer is running Windows XP - This problem occurs if the following conditions are true: • The Remote Desktop feature is not enabled on the user's computer. • The connection attempt times out before the Remote Desktop Help Session Manager service on the user's computer starts.
267643	NetBEUI Is Unable to Restore Network Connections When Returning From Hibernation or Standby Mode - Windows Me
266081	Network Browsing May Not Work Properly Over 1394 [FireWire] NDIS Network - Windows Me
220874	Automatic Windows 98/Windows Me TCP/IP Addressing Without a DHCP Server - How to Use Automatic TCP/IP Addressing Without a DHCP Server
325032	Using the Microsoft L2TP/IPSec VPN [Virtual Private Networking] Client with Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows NT 4.0
245800	Shows how to speed up a network connection: Delay Viewing Shares on an Windows 98 Based Computer from a Windows 2000 Based Computer
285189	Dial-Up Networking 1.4 Upgrade Is Available - Windows 95/98
169790	How to Troubleshoot Basic TCP/IP Problems - Windows 95/98/Me
181599	How to Remove and Reinstall Dial-Up Networking and TCP/IP Files - Windows 95/98
141698	How to Use Winipcfg to View TCP/IP Settings - Windows 95/98

Ref. Number	Click here to go to Google Groups where the MS KB articles are discussed in newsgroups
	Click here to go to the MS Knowledge Base

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