2 computers, 1 router, 2 wireless cards, good internet connection, no local access ----help!!!

Your problem is all on the router side, there's nothign wrong with your network but the ISP will send out a different style signal as opposed to your old one, spend some time changing the main router settings and it should run fine (had the same problem myself a while ago)

(Default place to change router settings for Linksys routers is 192.168.1.1 .. it varies per brand of router, just type that into your browser, eg: IE)

You dont have to edit the ports or anything, those don't change unless *their* host changes so you should be fine, just edit things on the first one or two menu screens about how the router runs (should be a little menu button saying Router options).

Hope this helps

When I type in the address, it asks for user name and password.  I don't know what it wants.

Try:
Username: admin
Password: admin
If doesn't work, leave password as "admin" but just clear the username field.

If that doesn't work, then you can press the router's RESET button for 30 seconds & it should then default to the default "admin" password

Is your XP firewall on...?

if so, allow exceptions for printer/filesharing.

If not....check that the wireless router allows UPNP traffic from wireless.  If you don't have control of the router's config, I would suggest contacting your ISP who supplied the router.

O.K. I got into the router settings, but not sure what to look for.  Everything under setup seems correct and it all seems to refer to the internet settings.  Nothing about the LAN setup, other then the network name.

I have turned off both my firewall and virus protections until I get this figured out.

Both the ISP and the router manufacturer are no help at all. A couple of people at Wildblue have confirmed that there is a conflict between Wildblue and Linksys (although others have denied it) so I have even gone out and purchased a netgear router, but I still have the same problem.

The network name is the same on both computers? The Workgroup is the same...or 2 computers have the same name? If 2 computers have the same name then I can understand why you are having problems. Change the name on one of the workstations.

I assume that from your satellite dish:
- a coax cable goes to your modem
- then from your modem to your router
Make sure all cables are secure & haven't been nudged loose...

Type in the modem model # into Google to search for a manual, or go to the modem companiy's web site's download section to fetch the manual
Do the same with your router, fetch the online manual: You can go to www.linksys.com --> Support --> Downloads --->etc.
Then read through the manuals.

**You have to ensure that the modem lights or other indicators are showing that it's receiving the internet signal.** Once you know that the modem has the internet, then the router should automatically work, UNLESS you need to set something in the router specific to satellite vs cable vs DSL. (I know that when I change from DSL to cable or vice-versa, I need to change router settings). Maybe the router got reset to default & you may need to re-set it for satellite.

Who installed the satellite dish? Is it a different dish than Starband? Was it professional installation (I assume it's not, else you wouldn't have this problem). If you installed the dish yourself, then maybe it's wasn't done right (maybe not pointing exactly in right direction? Maybe a cable loose?)

One thing you can try is WIRED internet connection from router to a computer. If that works, then it's a wireless setup problem. Linkys actually has an 800 number. I don't know how good their support is, but I know that D-LINK has excellent free phone support which I relied on recently to troubleshoot a wireless D-LINK card connecting to a LINKSYS router.

The 2 computers have different names.

The internet works fine on both computers.  Its the local area network that is not working.  The 2 computers cannot access each other from my network places.  Printer and file sharing is turned on on each computer.  Each computer can ping the other computer.  We just can't access the other computer.

Sorry. Forgot you'd mentioned that earlier.

Anyway, give me model # of your router & I'll look up the manual to see what could be wrong.

If you want, I can do a "Remote assistance" (Start -> All Programs -> Remote Assistance) (which I've never used) or the related "VNC" (www.realvnc.com, which I've use much) to attempt a direct hands-on approach. I can help usually between 10pm - 4 a.m EST.

(You say the companies are of no help? My experience several times has been excellent phone support from the router companies...but what irritates are half-hour hold times for D-LINK for example)

I have a Netgear Modem/Router all in one and I am joined with iPrimus broadband. I believe the model no. is NX5 or something but iPrimus also says that this modem/router is incomatible with LANs. If you ask them for help, the first thing they ask is if you have your router connected to a hub or switch. So depending on what model your Netgear router is, I wouldn't keep it for long.

Another idea would be to check both your IP Addresses (which come in the form of  xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). On one of your PCs go to Control Panel>Network Settings and click on your TCP/IP protocol in the main list provided. When this is selected click Properties. In the new screen that appears, click 'Specify my own IP Address' and pick type in an address similar to your other PC.

So if PC 1 has an IP address of  '169.255.0.1' change the IP address of PC 2 to '169.255.0.2', or something else. Whenever possible, ALWAYS keep the first 3 groups of numbers in your IP address the same in your network, changing the numbers starting from the right hand side. For your subnet mask, choose '255.255.0.0' on both PCs. Recommended that you restart both PCs after this.

If the option to get its own IP address was already used before changing anything here nd this doesn't work, I suggest you revert to your original settings here. Both PCs should realign their IP address. What's more, some ISP's require that you don't manually set your IP Address because they specify one for you for themselves (due to some security and web space reasons).

Cheers.

In the meantime your could purchase an RJ-45 'Crossover' cable. It usually is a red network cable that connectes directly between two nodes (in your case two computers) and doesn't require a hub. You could also use an ethernet RJ45 joiner to join a short crossover cable with a normal network cable (usually blue). You can see if a wired connection works without your internet. I assume that this would be a temporary solution as you would prefer wireless. Are your computers laptops or desktops?

Just checked the router - it's a NetComm NB5 ADSL+2 router (not Netgear)

I always did think Netgear was a good brand - I have a Netgear hub

Our satellite provider is Wildblue, which is a 2 way satellite.  Our ip addresses are dynamic, so we can't specify our own addresses.  

Our router is Netgear RangeMax  WPN824.  

Since the LAN was working with Starband before we changed to Wildblue,  it has to be a setting that got changed by the Wildblue setup.  

Since the internet is working, Netgear will not help, nor will Wildblue.

We can try the crossover cable, but we would also have to buy new network cards.  The problem is that's its 70 miles to town.  Nobody is headed that way for the next few days.  I know it might be my only solution, but I just don't understand why this will not work wireless.

Netgear insists the problem is with the print and file sharing because the 2 computers can ping each other, yet the print and file sharing is turned on.  Is there something we could be missing with the print and file sharing?

THAT'S IT!!!!    I was missing the NetBios on my computer.  Thank you all for all of your help.  We would have never found it.

Charna

Hey, thanks for the A Grade.  Glad we finally nailed the sucker lol. :)


INTERNET-CONNECTION SOFTWARE ADVICE

Now time for: Advice about software provided by ISPs -- software which seems to have changed a working LAN into a disaster in your case:

Don't install it. A lot of it is junk in my experience -- I ended up with a lot of bloatware & needless tasks running  on boot-up after installing the Sympatico DSL software some years ago. (And a later test of a multi-IM-network Instant Messenger released by Sympatico gave me the chills -- it was restrictive junkware & adware. But to their credit, Sympatico has excellent Internet service & phone support  :).

The Roger's Self-Healing CD though seems harmless. So advice is: don't install it except perhaps the self-healing part of it or similar.

- Have a router? Then you don't need the ISPs software -- the router connects to the Internet for you, once you tell it how to connect (PPPOE or CABLE etc.)

- DSL without a router? You do need a connection manager. BUT, instead of the Access Manager etc. provided by the ISP, much more efficient is to use a DSL connection tool such as: http://www.raspppoe.com/  ("RASPPPOE - PPP over Ethernet Protocol by Robert Schlabbachz")

- Cable modem without a router? No third-party connection or setup software is needed.

Once router or modem is sending the Internet signal to your computer, Internet is either automatic or comes with  slight change in computer's Internet settings as recommended in the ISPs setup guide.


TUNE-UP

A short tune-up guide; may also undo possibly problematic issues with the ISPs software that was installed:

Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools --> System Information --> Software Environment -> Startup Programs & Running Tasks & Services
Shows you what's currently running
- Uninstall what you don't want: Start -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs
- Disable, by opening up the various programs & going into the options, the programs you don't want starting on login. Also change some programs' auto-internet-connect options to suit your needs.
- Disable needless services (search on Google for this)
- Run adaware (http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/) to cleanup adware/spyware)
- Run antivirus (www.grisoft.com)

Good idea also is to run autoruns (http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html) & you can disable startup tasks from it too, to deal with some irritating resource-consuming startup programs.


-Ravinder Singh