Another Computer Question

[milkman]

I bought a used desktop and am using a Netgear wireless router on another desktop. I bought a generic USB wireless adapter to use on the used desktop that I just bought and when I boot up the used computer, it will connect to the AVG site and update my antivirus, but I can't get it to navigate the internet using my IE browser. If I try to manually update my antivirus it says there is no internet connection. Anybody got a clue, the used computer was used in a business and has Windows 2000 pro and came with the AVG already installed. I have used a Netgear USB wireless adapter from my laptop and it will work fine on the Win 2000 machine, I know sounds goofy. I don't understand why the generic adapter will connect and update my antivirus, but won't connect to anything else.

 

[jdbower]

A shot in the dark, but you can try the Internet Options to make sure there is no proxy defined, a lot of businesses use them and if you connect them to a network without a proxy most things won't work. It's possible that AVG has a feature/bug that will try without a proxy for automagic updates if the provisioned one times out - or you may have a virus that just makes the software LOOK like it's updating...

In an ideal world you'd have the installation disks and be able to wipe the computer and start from scratch, but I know the kind of world we live in

 

[Soundguy]

I agree with JD.. go to internet options and make sure it is even looking for the internet connection on 'the network'.. etc.

soundguy

 

[milkman]

Thanks guys, I'll dig around some more, would reformat and install XP Pro be a faster fix?

 

[Tig]

If you enter the IP address of your router does your browser connect and display the page? If it does then you are not getting to a DNS. Check your, network connection properties, internet protocol (tcp/ip) properties. Obtain DNS automatically should be checked. If that does not work you can configure one manually as a test.

 

[jdbower]

Thanks guys, I'll dig around some more, would reformat and install XP Pro be a faster fix?

For this particular problem? Probably not. To get rid of all the weird stuff that has built up as strangers used the PC? I would guess it is if you've got an XP license hanging around. If you're mostly computer literate I would recommend the reformat/reinstall method.

 

[SnowRidge]

Did you get a set of Windows 2000 discs with the machine? If you did, I would do a complete reinstall. As already mentioned, if you have a spare XP license, then that would be another option. Reinstalling would give you a known base, and would clean out anything that may be left over from the previous owner. However, that isn't going to guarantee a working wireless connection without more work.

You didn't mention installing any drivers for the USB wireless. Did you do that?

Also, the Netgear router may be blocking your web browsing from the second machine. Networking can be pretty complicated. Wireless networking can be really complicated. From this distance and with the limited information we have about your equipment, it is pretty hard to tell what is going on, other that you have apparent Internet connectivity at some level, since AVG seems to be updating.

 

[milkman]

Obtain DNS auto is checked, have installed drivers for the adapter, works fine with the Netgear adapter, installed drivers for generic adapter and it seems to update AVG but will not connect with IE. I even tried deleting Netgear drivers. When the bank sold the computers, they supposedly installed new 80 gig hard drives and installed the OS along with Open Office and AVG. I might try installing the generic adapter on my laptop and see if it will work there.

 

[Tig]

Can you get to your router management screen from this PC?
If I had to guess the address I would say that it will be 192.168.x.1
x will be 1,2 or 3

 

[hayden]

I bought a Netgear wireless router a few years ago after owning a number of lynksys devices. I couldn't for the life of me get the Netgear router to work, and I've worked in technology all my life. I talked to a couple of other people and found they had run into similar issues. I went out and bought another linksys and within a few minutes everything was working.

A few months later I went back to the Netgear router to give it another try, and after a few hours I threw it out.

Sorry to be bashing a particular brand, but this was my experience.

 

[SnowRidge]

After rereading all the posts, I have come up with the following:

You have a Netgear wireless router connected to the Internet. You bought a used Win 2000 desktop that will work with a Netgear USB wireless adapter, but won't work with a generic USB wireless adapter. What the heck is a generic USB wireless adapter? Does that mean no name, house brand, or something like that? If so, it sounds like that adapter or its driver isn't any good, or is configured differently than the Netgear stuff.

One thing I have noticed with ALL brands of wireless networking equipment. Each brand has a slightly different set of defaults. They will usually work with other products of the same brand, but often will not work out of the box with products of a different brand, UNTIL you configure everything alike.

A lot of people don't know how to do that, and then start throwing stuff out because they think it isn't any good. In reality, it usually isn't configured correctly.

Wireless networking can be really difficult to set up, especially if multiple brands are involved. Encryption, especially WPA encryption, which is a must if you don't want to be at risk, makes it even trickier to get it right.

I'm betting on the problem being a configuration issue. It could be something as simple as not all the wireless device are configured with the same SSID (Wireless Network Name), which is one of the first things that should be checked.

 

[Tig]

If his antivirus will connect and auto update then the adapter/router is working. Banks lock their OS down tight in many cases to avoid problems. Could be firewall, proxy, or just not getting a DNS
Probably would get on the net if booted in safe mode with network support. May have to manually configure a DNS. I'm curious to know if he can access the router management screens from this PC. That would give us some insight.

 

[MossRoad]

As was mentioned earlier, if your AVG is updating, your network connection is fine.

As also was mentioned earlier, you should launch Internet Explorer and go to the TOOLS pull down menu and select INTERNET OPTIONS.

From the INTERNET OPTIONS box, select the CONNECTIONS TAB.

At the bottom of the CONNECTIONS TAB select LAN SETTINGS.

In the LAN SETTINGS window uncheck everything and hit O.K.

O.K. the INTERNET OPTIONS box.

Test I.E. and see if it now works and report back.

 

[SnowRidge]

Moss, he said it works if he takes his laptop's Netgear usb wireless adapter and tries it on the Win2000 machine, but not with the generic usb adapter he bought for it.

Also, it's not clear to me that AVG is really updating. That particular anti-virus tries to update as soon as you boot, and it puts a message up saying so, but is it really getting the update? I don't know and can't tell for sure from the posts so far, but he says that if he manually tells it to update, it says there is no Internet connection.

Nowhere do I see any indication that any wireless configuration has been done.

 

[MossRoad]

O.K. So either the generic adapter is not functioning or the network settings for it are incorrect.

He should install the adapter that is working, then record all of its network settings.

Then he should install the adapter that is not working, and make sure it has the same settings as the one that works.

If it still does not work, the adapter is probably defective or incompatible.

 

[SnowRidge]

That should work, if the generic adapter can use the Wireless Zero configuration settings. It may need to install its own driver, though.

I have quite a bit of wireless networking experience, but none of it has been with USB wireless adapters, so I'm not sure what kind of factor the USB part is, if any.

 

[jdbower]

I think a bigger factor than the USB issue is that WiFi on Win2k was always a bit kludgey. Hopefully the WiFi drivers kept up with their Win2k component, but I'd guess the drivers would be much more cleanly integrated in XP if it's available. Of course, I've got an XP laptop that doesn't seem to like my home WiFi network for more than a few minutes at a time but I've been too lazy to look into it since I'm typically working wired.

If you can move the PC close enough to wire it to the router that may allow you to connect long enough to download the latest WiFi drivers and hit http://update.microsoft.com to get the latest service packs.

 

[SnowRidge]

Hmmmm. Does Win2000 even have Wireless Zero configuration? Methinks maybe not, which means all configuration data will have to be hand entered. Back to Moss's last post.

 

[MossRoad]

Well, this sounds like fun! I have a PC for my daughter that I want to use a USB wireless adapter on later this month rather than running more CAT5 wire in the house. It's XP though, so that's a plus.

 

[MossRoad]

I never heard of the term "Wireless Zero" before, so I had to look it up. Neato! I guess I've been fortunate enough to never have had that many wireless networking problems.