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Network Mystery!!! Please Help!

Okay, this problem has driven me to my wit's end! I know there just has to be something incredibly simple, but I am totally missing it!!! I have an IBM T20 laptop that has the built in 3Com mini-PCI network/modem. Now, I just did a clean install of Windows 2000 & Windows XP (seperately, just for troubleshooting purposes). Upon completing the install on both of them I would power it up, go to connect to the internet & it would load one page then not time out on everything else after that. Now, here is my network scenario:

In a network closet (AKA linin closet), I have a cable modem hooked up to a 5 port Siemen's router. Then from there all of my network cables are routed up into the attic & then into each of the rooms. In my room (where the laptop is) I have two cables, one for my laptop & one for my desktop. My room is literally like 20 feet from the router...so, the cable only is about 30 feet long. That is my configuration.

Now, thinking that most definetely it had to be a wiring problem, I disconnected my desktop's network cable (which I know works well) & hooked it up to the laptop..I was able to get an IP, but then same problem!! So, getting totally ticked about it I put in a PCMCIA network card (Intel Pro 100) & booted up to that...NOTHING!!! It just seemed that everything was wack on it!! So, one day I decided that I wanted to listen to music in my family room (which has no network jack), so I took my laptop into the family room, put it on the table & then decided that I would give it a shot to run a network cable from the router to my laptop (50' cable). So, upon doing so, I was able to connect to the internet & everything was all working!!!!! So, now I have gotten just completely fed up with this...I have no idea what the problem could be!! It isn't a wiring issue as obviously my wiring works since I have 3 other desktops working fine on the same wiring! Does anyone have any ideas? I have tried to change my speed to 100-full, 100-half, 10-full & 10-half (on both network cards). I tried to connect both network cards to two seperate cables & bridge the connection...and it worked for a few pages longer!! So, does anyone have any suggestions? And no, it isn't the wiring.

Due to the lack of answers i'll just add some questions!

Have you tried exactly the same network cable from a different room, or even loose from your router (ie away from any other cabling).

It could be some kind of data loss caused by the cables crossing or being too near to a power source. The cables themselves won't generate any kind of electronic field (twisted pair stops that) but due to the low voltages used the 'signal' can be easily upset by mains power cables or power adaptors.

ASKER

Like I said though, it isn't wiring...the exact same cable works fine on my desktop...which is why it can't be cabling. That's why I am so confused.

Here is your incredible simple answer....

reboot your router through the router setup....

ASKER

I've done that several times

Have you tried the laptop at the other pc locations in the house? You say you can take the cable in your bed room that you plan to use the laptop on and plug it into your desktop and it works fine? Have you tried to reload the driver on the network card? Next time you plug it in try a ipconfig /release, then reboot. If it does not pick it up automatically, then ipconfig /renew.

Also, you are running DHCP, and each computer has its own IP, and on the off change I would check all the MAC addresses to make sure you dont ahve a conflict.

ASKER

I'm sorry...I thought I explained all of that well enough above...yes...I tried it at different locations....this is a brand new fresh install of 2 different operating systems...brand new drivers...everything. It is DHCP...as I said it gets the IP address fine. And then...at the end, if I take it...out into my family room with a 50' cable, it works fine (on the same router...nothing changed).

It must be those NIC card / Cable / OS compatibility issue.
Check your cable. It might be in a bad angle, loop, or too close to power source. Windows 2000 and XP took network seriously not like Wins 98 or ME. Any disturbance on the network, it might not work.

ASKER

Did you read any of the above posts before posting?

Tried 2 different network cards...2 different OS's...CABLES ARE FINE.

I don't know if this is your answer, but everything can be tried at least once. Some NICS (like maybe the one on your PC) can detect, and autoconfigure ethernet connections. I mention this only because you say you have a 5 port router and most of the home equipment built by Siemens is 4 port, with an uplink port. Use the exact same port that you used to plug into for the family room, and plug the laptop cable that comes from the bedroom into that port. You know it worked with the 50 footer to the laptop, so the 30 footer on the exact same router port has to work. If it does not, then it has to be a cable problem, or a "cable routing problem" meaning that in the attic ,it is running parallel to a source of interference. If it works, then you were using the uplink port or a bad port on your router. If you were using the uplink port for the bedroom or the cable running to the bedroom for bothe the PC and the laptop are the crossover type, then the PC Nic has the ability to auto configure and the laptop does not. I hope this solves your problem. Good Luck!
Stewart

I don't know if this is your answer, but everything can be tried at least once. Some NICS (like maybe the one on your PC) can detect, and autoconfigure ethernet connections. I mention this only because you say you have a 5 port router and most of the home equipment built by Siemens is 4 port, with an uplink port. Use the exact same port that you used to plug into for the family room, and plug the laptop cable that comes from the bedroom into that port. You know it worked with the 50 footer to the laptop, so the 30 footer on the exact same router port has to work. If it does not, then it has to be a cable problem, or a "cable routing problem" meaning that in the attic ,it is running parallel to a source of interference. If it works, then you were using the uplink port or a bad port on your router. If you were using the uplink port for the bedroom or the cable running to the bedroom for bothe the PC and the laptop are the crossover type, then the PC Nic has the ability to auto configure and the laptop does not. I hope this solves your problem. Good Luck!
Stewart

ASKER

Nope...sorry.

It is a 5 port router (no uplink, even if it was, I am only using 4 of the ports at a time)...that wouldn't explain why I can take one cable, hook it up to my Windows 2000 desktop & have it work fine, then move it to my Windows XP or Windows 2000 laptop & have it not work. The cable routing once again is not the problem...it works great for my desktop on the exact same cables. And auto-configure what?

Sorry about the double post. Ihave a lot of thing going on at once here...

And it always works in the living room, and never works in the bed room? There is never anything inbetween?

ASKER

Always & never

Well, I think you have a ghost that does not want you to use the lap top in the room.... there can be no other answer...

The autoconfigure would be a fuction of your Nic in your PC. Just keep an open mind and try what I suggested. It can't hurt you, it can only eliminate a possibility. Set it up "exactly as I said" Bro...It might work.

ASKER

What do you mean set it up exactly as you said...I'm saying it is setup exactly as you said.

dID YOU CHECK THE MAC ADDYS?

ASKER

How would I go about doing that? And if that were the problem would it work in the living room?

Take the cable that you would normally plug into the laptop in the bedroom,and plug it into the laptop. You know, The one that is giving you problems. Now go to the closet and plug the other end of that cable into the port you used on the router for the temporary livingroom connection. If that doesn't work then there is no other possible explination besides your cable makeup, or the fact that it is running past an interference source in the attic.

I am just saying make sure you dont have any conflicting mac's, it probably isnt the problem, but as you can see we are running out of options.

run the dos prompt and type ipconfig /a
that will give you a read out of all the networking info on your machines including ip, mac, default gateway, subnet mask. All that needs to be checked.

ASKER

How would I change the MAC address though...isn't that built into the hardware

ASKER

sbooher: I did do that...since it is only a 5-port in order for me to get the cable into the living room it requires that I unplug the one that was in my room at the router. And I really don't think it is the cabling simply because I can trace it myself & see that there is no interferance (unless wood & drywall could interfere). I goes out of the closet (through the ceiling) over the hallway (with just insulation & joists) & right into my wall. There is no ducting, electrical or anything within 10 feet of it.

That's why I am saying this is a mystery...and just wanted to know if someone had every heard of anything like it. I am not an amateur...I have wired a 3 story 375 termination without a single problem...so, I think I would know if I were getting interferance. I could get a fluke tester out to my house..but that's going overboard...I'll go wireless first.

Yes the mac addresses are typically burned in, however I have heard of instances where some manufacturers made cards where the mac could be flashed and changed. This can cause problems, especially in a large network. But I would check all that anyways, it is the next logical step if you are absolutly sure there are no cable problems.

I didnt read any of the above...so try this...

Can the computer your having problems with get on the internet, when it is the only computer on the router?

if so.... then

manually set the ip and gateway....

ASKER

Yeah, I originally set it up as the only one on the gateway...I think I am going to just go wireless...it will save me a lot of hassle I think. Thanks a lot for your input..and if you think of anything else, please don't hesitate to post it.

Flash the rom on your router

Unless you have a TFTP server laying around I wouldnt flash the rom...

ASKER

I actually already did flash everything possible on the router...it is fully up to date now.

I don't buy the mystery thing, but it centainly is interesting. The only other thing I think you could do is string the fifty footer from the closet to the bedroom and see if the laptop works in the location where you want to put it. If that works, then what else could it be besides the cable?, the wall jack etc. I know you plugged your pc into it and it worked fine, but the transport media is th "only thing you changet to that laptop that made it work.
Stew

Why rrhunt28? please tell me in GREAT detail why you wouldnt flash the rom.

The rom is where the boot instructions are held, depending upon the router it may cause more trouble than its worth.

ASKER

Siemen's ROM flash has a whole process you go through & is very quick & easy.

IC, that is good, yours allows a flash, yet keeps a basic instruction set.

I tend to agree with sbooher, if nothing changes why does one computer work in one location and not in another? If every port on the router has been tested and work, and every cable has been tested and works... And the laptop can be taken into another room and works... It makes no sense. There has to be something else changing. When you plug your desktop in the bed room is it in the exact same place as where you plug in your laptop? Have you tried moving the laptop around in teh room. Maybe in the location in which you plug the laptop in the cat5 cable comes in contact with some interferance, ie. power line, ac, microwave, tv... something?

Well, I think there must be another answer than "a ghost"...though this is a real stumper...

rustyrpage:
Have you swapped ports on the router to test? What if you hook up the cable for the laptop to the desktop, does it work OK?

Very strange problem...

-dog*

Your telling me...

ASKER

Yeah..I did swap out ports on the router...and yes, it works fine on the desktop...I guess the next step would be to try another laptop.

I am also going to try to replace the on-board network.

I thought you tried using a PCMCIA card already? After losing connection, can you still ping or access other PCs on your network, or is the link totally dead??

-dog*

You don't mention it so I'll ask.
Have you checked the Event log in XP or 2000 for an error message?

ASKER

Yeah, I checked the event log & it's clean.

Dogztar, yes I did try a PCMCIA network (as of this weekend I tried 3 different ones, including a 10mb one)& none of them worked. I was just thinking that since the "on-board" mini PCI one was unable to be disabled in the BIOS that maybe it was causing conflicts of some sort.

YOu mean a half slot pcmcia? Or do you mean that the notebook has its own network plug?

ASKER

The notebook has it's own network plug & modem that are powered by the mini-PCI on-board network card.

So is the onboard one not working either? Yes you could have problems if it is running at the same time. The most common problem would be probably that you where trying to use the same com port. YOu might try changing the com port on the card your usign see if that helps.

ASKER

Please read prior posts about this. I have tried it alone, then I have tried it while disabled (through Windows)...there isn't a conflict...if I plug a cable into both the onboard & a PCMCIA plug, then it works for a while longer...but then quits.

Does it still ping other machines, or is the link totally dead? Does your router have any options to view a log of activity (may not be enabled by default)? I think interference was mentioned above, are you sure that there is no unusual electrical/magnetic interference?

-dog*

ASKER

I am 150% sure there is no interferance...otherwise this wouldn't be a mystery. I can trace the wire from the closet into my room & there is nothing within probably a good 8 feet on any side. It can ping the machines up until the link goes dead...then it stops anything pertaining to the NIC.

It can't be your "on-board" mini PCI, because it works in your family room for listen to music. Please read your original question at the top.

ASKER

Sure it could be...there could be some sort of fault tolerance or something of the sort....basically it couldn't be anything according to that logic. But it would make more sense that it is the network card than it being the wiring...the wiring I have a way of testing otherwise (by hooking it up to the desktop)...whereas the network card I have no other way of testing.

Did you try hooking it to ALL ports in the router both in the bed room and in the family room?

ASKER

Yes

And it works in the living room every time, and does not work in the bed room every time?

If you have a link hooked to your desktop and it is working, and have the lap top out in the family room to a link and it is working fine. Then you take them unhook them, switch the desk top line to the lap top in the room it should work period. If it does not you really do have a mystery.

ASKER

Which has been established already, thus why I called it a mystery, not a "I don't know how to wire a network" =)

I have done every imagineable switch in the book...switching cables, re-terminating wires, re-running the wires with new wire (Cat 5e plenum rated wire for fire code), switching ports, switching everything out...but it still remains that the laptop only works in the living room/family room but never works in the bedroom...I'm baffled.

And I am guessig you open up the dos prompt and ping one of the hosts, or the gateway and get nothing. And run a tracert to make sure you get nothing. And ping the loopback on the network card to make sure at that given time, in that given place it is working?

But your network card works in the family room but not in your room.

The logic is switch and network are fine. It must be your network cable or wall mount plug. Maybe the network cable's plug is not total mount (the plastic mount comes off) on your network card.

How do you network from switch to your room's computer?
Is it:
1. switch to network cable to wall port to wall port to network cable to computer?
2. switch to network cable to computer?

You can try to run a network cable from the router to your laptop (50' cable) in your room to check for fault tolerance.

make sure the network settings on both of your os are similar. and installed correctly. sometimes it happens to me when i have two operating systems installed on my computer. sometimes it can browse sometimes it doesn't. i checked first the protocols if it is similar to other computers. if you can ping the mac address of the router it will have no problems but if it can't still browse, try to restart your laptop

Voltz:
You obviously have not read the question and subsequent responses; if you had you would know that rustyrpage's onboard NIC works in a different room, just not in one room on a certain cable.

-dog*

ASKER

Also Voltz: I don't have two OS'es installed...I have installed two different OS'es (clean install each time with just one on it).

TomLai: I connect via Cat5e cable that I have terminated at the router (which is about 1 foot away from the roof) then from the router, I have a hole into the attic, where it travels a few feet across the hallway into my room (I have vaulted ceilings so it goes right into my wall), I then ran it down the wall & then across the floor over to my computer/laptop where I plug it in with a normal termination. There is no jack or anything of the sort.

Try to re-terminate the cable. It might be oxygenized on the cable plug.

ASKER

I did...3 times.

I enjoyed reading this question with all your posts. :) Just wondering, did you get a chance to try the 50' cable (that works with your laptop in the family room) in your room?

ASKER

Yeah...I did...and it still doesn't work...so I give up!

Your house is possesed and the source is in your bed room somewhere near your lap top, you should sell the house and move, and get rid of the lap top just to be safe...

well i thought you have the two os both installed. my mistake, but another suggestion is to try to remove your 50' cable from its current position in your house (maybe this one is hard to do) and then try to connect it directly to the router just to find out whether your cable is the one causing your problem. its worth a try. BTW, check if the color coding of your UTP are correct.

ASKER

The color coding could be whatever just as long as it matches on both ends...I am not a novice with networking, I did all of the networking in this house myself otherwise I would be questioning how the wiring is too...but from what I can see (and I have rewired several times now...with a different type of heavily shielded cable (supposed to be able to be run right next to a generator and still not have interference)...still same stinkin' problem!! I give up!

i think its your cable rusty coz the same thing also happened to me that i made a cable by my self and didn't follow the standard coding, i can surf the net and sometimes i can't, eratic pinging from computers and just like your problem with your laptop being in your bedroom.

http://www.bluemax.net/techtips/networking/Wiring_Tips/Wiring100TX/colorcodestandards.htm

check out the site and see the standard for utp color coding. your problem is not a mystery man. you just need to look for the cause before the solution

good luck

rusty, sure sounds like a 'feature' of your house.

Nice to see some of the comments and things to try, but i'm sure you'd tried most of the standard stuff yourself anyway!

Now rrhunt28's comment about ghosts might not be as mad as it seems... Bear with me here!

The location i work in contains lots of old listed and registered buildings, lots of victorian estate houses etc with amazingly thick walls (we've even come across secret passages while running network cable!)

I have come across rooms which have some kind of strange magnetic field or something else, rooms where laptops won't turn on, microwaves won't work and where mobile phones turn off as soon as you enter...

Yes see I am not mad and I have proof.

I would love to see a ghost house.

I have tried all kinds of stupid stuff at nite in grave yards that I was told would bring ghosts. And I have not seen one yet.
LOL

ASKER

There you go....here's your chance....100 dollar admission to Rusty's house....one day & one day only. Friday the 16th...doh!

OK, thats it . You guys have convinced me. I'm callin Shaggy and Scoob and we are commin over there Rusty!!....LOL

OK, thats it . You guys have convinced me. I'm callin Shaggy and Scoob and we are commin over there Rusty!!....LOL

are the ghostbuster guys still alive?

I have to tell you man, at the point in time where I hooked up the exact same cable, to the exact same computer, on the exact same port in one room and it worked, then didnt work in another room.... I think you have us stumped. The only thing that makes sense is that something in the room is causing enough of a magnetic field, or microwave/radio interference.... But you say there is nothing in the room like that, and that the other computer works fine. Just to run down the list though make sure there is nothing like a fan or ac unit near the cable anything with a motor. Make sure there is nothing that sends out radio waves near by like a scaner, cb, things of that nature. But... I am truely stumped.

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ASKER

Why was this question PAQ'ed?

PAQ'd just means that your points were refunded and the question was saved for others' future reference. if you wanted to award points, you could have done that prior to requesting it be deleted. Generally, the moderators don't delete a question unless no useful information has been revealed; in this case where numerous ideas were proposed, PAQing makes more sense in case someone else has a haunted network :)

-dog*

rustyrpage,

I PAQ'ed the question because it appeared to have information that might be helpful to someone with this problem in the future, even though it did not answer the question.

DX