Since two laptops have both shown the fault together, it looks like it
is a router problem rather than a PC or a PC firewall problem.
Since wired connections work ok, it looks like IP addresses are
allocated ok (and you get the same fault with static IP addresses).

Was the problem present before the visitors PC showed up? Ie is it
likely that the problem appeared as a result of changing the router
configuration to get the visitor connected? If so then the router
configuration looks to be the likely fault. If not then possibly the
hardware has failed, or needs resetting back to the factory settings.

Things to check:-
In the Router Configuration web page:-

1. under router Wireless.BasicWirelessSettings
1.1 - is the wireless Network Mode compatible with what your laptops
are using? (ie 802.11b, 802.11g, or Mixed?)
1.2 - is the SSID the same as which your laptops are trying
toconnect to?

2. under Wireless.WirelessNetworkAccess :-
2.1 Is it set to AllowAll? (or if not, do the MAC addresses match
up ok?)

3. Under Wirless.AdvancedWireless:-
3.1 Is AP Isolation set to OFF?

4. If these all look ok, does it work when the laptops are close to the
router? If so then this might imply interference or poor signal
strength to your usual operating locations.

5. If all else fails, you could try resetting the router to its factory
settings, and re-entereing the ISP connection and wireless parameters .
Make sure you make a note of these before you reset your router, as
you'll need to re-enter them.
In particular, make sure that you have your userid and password,
Encapsulation, VCI and VPI parameters noted down before you start,

C




ChrisR wrote:
> My sons have identically-configured laptops running XP. We have a Linksys
> WAG54G v2 wireless gateway which has worked fine until recently. Now neither
> PC can connect wirelessly, though wired connections to the router work fine.
>
> XP can see the network and attempts to connect to it automatically, but
> fails - either with a long "waiting for the network" or "obtaining network
> address". A visitor's PC had the same problem.
>
> I have tried:
> - rebooting the router
> - disabling WPA-PSK security
> - changing frequency, in case of interference
> - disabling the firewalls on the PC's (Zonealarm)
> - bringing the PC's into the same room as the router to ensure a strong
> signal
> - running the XP "repair connection" tool - just says it cannot connect and
> to contact the network administrator (I guess that's me)
> - setting a static IP for the PC's (normally use DHCP)
> all to no avail.
>
> I don't think any settings have changed or anything relevant is likely to
> have been installed; I did install a dial-up network connection on the PC's
> for use when away from home, but it isn't attempting to dial.
>
> Any suggestions please?
>
> Chris R
>
>