One computer on a three computer network having problems
 

We have a network setup in our house consisting of three computers in different rooms: one Windows 98 machine, one Windows XP Professional, one dual boot Slackware 8.1/Windows 98. They are all hooked into the same Netgear router with the cabling wired up through the attic and between the walls so nobody trips on the cables. The router is hooked to a Toshiba cable modem.

The Windows 98 machine recently stopped being able to get online. When my parents told me they were having problems with their computer I checked several things.
Here is what I've done so far:

1. Rebooted the machine to see if that would help. I checked to make sure the settings on the machine had not been changed, they hadn't been changed. Made sure it wasn't just one browser having problems. I also ran a virus scan.

2. I've used both Ipconfig and Winipcfg to see if it was obtaining an IP address, it was giving 0.0.0.0 so I tried releasing and renewing and it just times out.

3. It pings the loopback just fine, yet it can't find the router's IP address or cable modem's.

4. The network card has lights on the back, but they are not blinking.

5. I tried a network cable I knew worked and still got the same result.

6. I uninstalled the drivers, then reinstalled the drivers for the network card. I obtained the same result.

7. I tried hooking the network cable into the router port that my Slackware 8.1/Windows 98 machine uses since I know that one works. I got the same result.

8. I tried hooking the computer straight into the back of the cable modem with a network cable I knew worked so to bypass the router. I still obtained the same result.

9. I installed a new D-Link network card and installed the drivers. I obtained the same results with the new network card.

10. The computer also has a modem installed, so I unistalled the modem to make sure there was no conflicts between the two suddenly happening.

Out of frustration working with that machine I took it to one of the local computer stores/shops, that charges a flat fee to fix only additional would be parts, on Tuesday and told them what all I'd tried. Friday they call me and say that it is fixed, they only had to change a setting in Intenet Explorer and did some updates. I was higly skeptical because that should not cause it to have problems even obtaining an IP address. They told me they got it to work under another Cable internet service.

I was charged $65, and they told me if it wasn't working when I took it home not to change any settings because the problem was my cable modem. I took it home and hooked it up. It still doesn't work. I looked to see what they had changed, they simply changed a check mark that doesn't matter, and I found a second coppy of my network card drivers had been installed without removing the first set.

I don't believe them about the cable modem, because well I'm typing this on my computer that has a connection to the internet through that router and cable modem. I plan on going back there tomorrow since I'm not giving $65 for having a computer not fixed.

Can anyone tell me what else to check for?

Could be anything :)

Seems to be a windows problem but anyway here's what I'd do..

There's no firewall on the machine no?

First thing I'd try is in the network cards settings uninstall tcp/ip protocol in case something has buggered up the reinstall it again.

And after that Here's what I'd do even though it's a bit of a pain...

Win 98 has add/remove hardware apple ya?

Using that applet (or in device manager) I'd remove each network device including the modem, power down then physically remove everything from the machine, boot up again, power down again and add the brand new card, power up and install the driver's if need be

If it still don't work look in the device manager thing and see if the cards got an exclamation mark next to it if so see what it's saying the problem is and look in System Information see if can gleam any info from there about conflicts or whatever

If not I'd try the tcp/ip thing again and after all that if it ain't working take it back and ask the blokes in the shop to show you it working - or do that in the first place leaving everything as is the way you got it back.

Welcome to LQ.

I'm moving this to general since it isn't related to linux.

Have you tried it with a fixed IP?