Laptop issues connecting to internet...help!

avguytx

I am helping out a (female) friend with her HP laptop that's maybe a year old and it has me stumped. Anyone who has brought their laptop over here could access my wireless network when I gave them the access code. But hers keeps saying "acquiring network address" and just keeps on trying to find it with no end in sight! I even tried a direct LAN connection to the router and basically the same thing. It "sees" the broadband connection on either one but will never connect. She has Internet Explorer and I've checked out various settings compared to mine, I've tried adding it into the network, etc. Nothing. She typically uses that Sprint Mobile Broadband USB connection but it has been working sloooowwww lately. It worked on here earlier but with crappy download speed. She needs some major updates on this thing and I'm stumped. I even did a system restore back to a few months ago but that didn't help.

I also tried the "Repair Wireless Network Connection" but it just sits there trying to renew it.

Any ideas or areas that you can point me to that I'm just wigging out on? Thanks as always!

Oh...and yes...she is a hotter than a 4-balled tomcat just so you know. It's all worth it.

fatchowmein

1. Check for firewall installed on her machine or Microsoft's internal firewall if it's an XP or Vista box.

2. Forget the wireless for now and troubleshoot using the LAN cable direct to the router. Hook it up and see if you can right click on "Local Area Connection" in Network Connections. See if you can open up "Internet Protocol (TCp/IP)". Her laptop's TCP/IP stack may be corrupt.

3. Can other machines connect to the router's switch ports? If there's already a machine connected, disconnect it and connect the laptop instead. Make sure you're not connecting the laptop to the WAN port.

avguytx

Thanks for the input! I piddled with a couple of those settings and then decided call Belkin which is the router I use. They got me walked thru where at least I can tie into the LAN and do some updating, etc. Maybe there's something wrong with the wireless part. That will be a tomorrow project as tonight, I'm going to let it do some updates.

cnjvh

Check if MAC address filtering is enabled on the router. If it is, you will have to add the MAC address of the wireless NIC to the "allowed" table in the router.

steveinaz

You need to enter her MAC address to your modems "list" of authorized users. Just look at the properties of her wireless adapter, the address will be there.

avguytx

I went to HP's support site and downloaded a new driver for the internal wireless card and now everything seems good to go. I have it sitting next to me in my office on the other side of the house from the router and it's working fine. There were a bunch of programs that were causing issues that I've removed so far that have helped too. I've tried to do a Windows update but, since last night to this morning, it won't do it. I'm sure it hasn't seen any updates in a long while. Maybe there is a back door to get it to load.

At least it's at a workable point with no popups now and will work wirelessly. Thanks for the input and maybe the Windows update will eventually work!

disneyjoe7

But MAC address filtering would only effect wireless communications not wired. So that wouldn't answer the problem if the wired up to the hub didn't work also.

petrym

To manually select MS updates, you have to be an administrator on the current log in. Also, check whether you are running DHCP on the router (to automatically assign an IP address) and if not, input an IP address and default gateway (via TCP/IP settings in the network connections in Control Panel) I run all manual IPs within my home and in my customer domains.

cnjvh

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

But MAC address filtering would only effect wireless communications not wired. So that wouldn't answer the problem if the wired up to the hub didn't work also.

Actually not universally true. D-Link routers apply MAC filters to all connections, wired or wireless (found that out the hard way!!) :eek:

disneyjoe7

Great another reason I don't like D-Link routers.

avguytx

Lol. I have a Belkin...does that help? Here's a new one for you. Since about 8am, it was working fine on wireless, when I went to connect thru her Sprint Broadband USB connection (that she usually uses), it worked thru the Sprint connection...even though it's slow. Ok, I confirm that that connection works and go back to the wireless connection thru my router and it doesn't work! Now, earlier when it finally decided to work wirelessly, it asked for the username/password for security to log on to the wireless connection. I figure it keeps it in there as my own laptop always works when I get back from traveling with it. So now I'm back to it trying to "Acquiring Network Address" again! Sheesh. Well, I'll let it sit for awhile and see what happens. It has 4 out of 5 bars of signal strength so it's not low.

avguytx

This thing kills me. After you **** around with it for awhile and let it try to acquire the network address, it decided to ask for the security key again. I have no clue what this thing is thinking. It shouldn't have to ask for it every time I wouldn't think. But I only know enough about PC's to get me into trouble. I'm an A/V guy by trade! lol