Funex <funex@funex.arg> wrote:
> Thanks in advance for any help you guys have.
>
> OK. The computer running is win98SE, all patched up to date.
>
> Socket 478 Celeron 1.7GHz.
> MSI 651M mainboard
> AGP4x video card (geforce2 ti) in AGP slot.
> diamond monster sound mx400 in PCI slot
> Linksys Wireless PCI card connects to Linksys home wireless router.
> 256Megs Dimm memory.
> floppy
> zip IDE
> hard drive 30GB western digital IDE.
> 300watt power supply. came with the case, which is MicroATX.
>
> Everything's working great, until all of a sudden, no internet access.
> No network connection. Everything else works, solitaire, the
> calculator, everything. But no network. I reinstall windows, thinking
> it's bad DUN or something. No work.
>
> OK. So, I troubleshoot, and put in a wired network card into the same
> PCI slot as the wireless card. No access. Fine. I'll do it the hard
> way. Reformat. reinstall win98, same problem!
>
> I took out the sound card, and moved the wired network card into that
> PCI slot...success! Well, sort of. Now I have wired access. But I need
> wireless. So, move the wireless card to the new slot and failure. No
> network access. Swap back the wired card, access.
> Put both cards in at the same time...access through the wired
> connection only.
>
> Fine. Its a bad wireless card I think. I happen to have a wireless PCI
> card (new belkin in a box) lying around, so I pop it in, and....no go.
>
> I should mention by the way that both cards did find the wireless
> network SSID, allow the entry of the WEP key, connect to it, and show
> 'green' connections. But no network access!!!
>
> So. Is it the motherboard? two bad wireless cards? One new in a box?
> Also, I have a laptop, running a wireless PCMCIA card, and it's
> working fine...so I know the "network" is there and working.

> It confounds me. What am I missing here? Wired works.
> Wireless doesn't? Could a motherboard fail like this?

Unlikely and the wireless sort of works anyway which makes it even less likely.

> Anyway, thanks for any thoughts you guys might have....

I'd check that you do have the WEP setup properly, if
you managed to stuff that up with the new wireless card,
that would produce the symptoms you are seeing.

The other thing to check is what you are doing firewall wise.

Some like zone alarm particularly can selectively stomp
on the net access and produce effects like you are seeing.
See what happens with that turned off.

Can you move files between the laptop and desktop ?