Can't connect to Internet via wireless despite wireless indicating connected

Hi everyone: I’m having an extremely frustrating problem connecting to my Netgear DG384G v3 wireless router in my flat. (this seems to be a similar problem as a poster a few threads down but with a different router, I've included lots of detail)

In short:

Ever since I reformatted my hard drive and reinstalled Windows XP Pro, internet browsers do not detect a connection to the internet despite a wireless connection being detected in the network connections (and the icon in the system tray) when my wireless adapter is plugged into my PC. Connection problems only occurred after the reformat, another PC in my flat connects wirelessly to our router with no problems (before, during & after the time I reformatted; I’m posting this using his PC) and the router config settings have definitely not been changed in any way so its not a router problem. It appears that the wireless adapter is able to detect a signal from the router but the router is not sending information to the adapter (I can’t even connect to the router setup IP address 192.168.0.1)?

More detailed:

1) I wiped the PC’s harddrive then reinstalled Windows XP Pro – I thought the recovery disk would have drivers with it (like others I’d used) but it didn’t so I had to manually find nVidia chipset & 3com Ethernet controller drivers and SP1 (for USB 2.0 functionality), download them on another PC and transfer and install them on mine. I got SP2, this didn’t change anything, I changed back to SP1, still no change to connectivity.

2) When my Netgear WG111 v2 wireless adapter is plugged into a USB port, Windows recognises it as a device connected to the PC.

3) My Netgear DG384G v3 router is working normally – the power light is on, the internet light is on and the wireless light is on, all are green, the internet light blinks intermittently as normal, the other two are solid.

4) When the wireless adapter is plugged into the PC, wireless networks are detected and I can detect and connect to my Netgear router using the same WEP key and SSID as before (set at the time of router setup and not changed since). Bubble comes up with “Wireless Network Connection 2 (NETGEAR), Speed: 54Mbps, Signal Strength: Very Good”

5) When a browser is opened and set to any website the DNS error screen (“The page cannot be displayed, The page you are looking for is currently unavailable” etc) in IE, “Server not found, Firefox can't find the server at www.google.co.uk” in Firefox

6) When opening Internet Explorer, the bar at the bottom of the window displays “Detecting proxy settings” for a few seconds before the DNS error comes up.

7) The router settings cannot be opened via a browser, either by using the router setup CD or by typing http://192.168.0.1 into the address bar. The same error msg is displayed in IE, Firefox displays “Unable to connect, Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at 192.168.0.1”

8) I can connect to the router setting page in the above way using my flatmate’s wireless connection to the same router.

9) Opening up the properties of the wireless connection shows that data packets are sent but not received, e.g. after leaving the wireless connection on for 4 hours – 15000 packets sent, 0 packets received

10) I tried bridging the wireless connection with the 1394 Net Adapter connection in “Network Connections/LAN or High Speed Internet”, this had no effect. reversing this also had no effect.

11) All settings (IP etc) were set to be automatically provided, no effect.

12) I looked at my flatmate’s connection settings (IP address, subnet mask, DHCP server etc) and manually specified as many of them as I could on my connection, no effect.

13) I used my flatmate’s connection to go into the router settings and manually specify my PC’s Physical address (MAC no.) as being always allowed to connect, no effect.

14) I effectively turned off the router’s firewall (by setting it to allow incoming connections on all ports), no effect. Changed it back, no effect.

15) I removed the WEP, no effect (not likely to be the cause anyway, since I can connect to router using the WEP key as described).

16) All other functionality of the PC is 100% normal; no devices are listed as not having drivers installed in device manager. PC is running SP1, ISP is AOL though I have been unable to find the AOL CD so I’ve not tried reconfiguring with that (but I didn’t use the AOL CD to start-up in the first place when the internet worked before the reformat)

The fact that no data is being received in the connection properties thing seems to suggest that the router is not recognising the PC or some such thing that is preventing the PC access the internet connection despite detecting and apparently connecting to the router’s wireless signal. Perhaps some networking device is not working / hasn’t had software installed for it?

I would appreciate it if anyone could help, if I’ve left out any information you might need to solve the problem them please let me know. I’d also like lists of any possible things it might be (e.g. suggesting to check the firewall even though I’ve said I’ve checked it and it didn’t have an effect) just incase I’ve missed something on one of my checks that someone knows to have caused a similar problem from experience.

I’ve not yet tried wiring the router into the back of my PC since that would involve temporarily moving the PC into the living room and since the problem doesn’t appear to be with the router and it’s the wireless connection that’s giving problems I don’t see what wiring it up would achieve, even if it could connect to the net that way. Of course if I’m wrong, please let me know & why connecting to the router via an Ethernet cable could help my wireless connectivity when the router is setup and working already.

I’m all ears.

Kind Regards,
Michael Barker

An IPCONFIG/ALL was suggested on another forum - here's the results:

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Dex>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0C-6E-BB-08-B2

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 3:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 3Com 3C920B-EMB Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-26-54-12-B7-8E

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR WG111v2 54Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0F-B5-B8-54-DE
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.83.247
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :

Your problem describes mine to a Tee, except that I am dealing with two computers that are wired to the router. My router is a Linksys WRT54GS, v1.0, with the latest firmware.

The only change I have recently made to my computer was on installing the Cisco VPN client v.5.0.0.1 (??). Thinking that may have created a problem, since it is the first version to work with Windows Vista, I uninstalled it, and then this connected-but-not-communicating problem did not go away.

It is strange that I CAN get a SecureCRT (tcp) connection to machines outside my domain, however.

This is a sufficiently bothersome problem that I would hope you found a solution. Since one has not been posted, I may try to contact you through the Administrator.

-Chris Roberts
Charlottesville, VA

I have the same problem, and, after looking at several other forums (fora?), I have just joined this forum as I am unable to find the answer. I have a Dell Optiplex with an Intel PRO/1000 MT and am connected to a Netgear DG 834G v2 Wireless modem router. Everything was running fine on Win2k and then I "upgraded" to XP. About 3 weeks later I was suddenly unable to connect to the internet; IPCONFIG shows the famous 169.254.239.91.
I thought it would be easy to start the configuration on the Netgear but am unable to connect to it on 192.168.0.1.

Had a similar issue. Just posting here in case this helps.

HPDV1000 laptop
Broadcom wireless card(integrated)
Realtek NIC
Linksys Router

Could connect to internet if I was physically connected to the Linksys router(which was connected to a Speedstream 4100 router) and I could see the wireless router in my list, but when I tried to connect it would not connect(just cycled)

I DISABLED the Realtek NIC(apologies to anyone going "duh" right now) and it connected to the router like a charm.

Hope that helps.

-J

OK I didn't read all of your problem, but it sounds like you may be on the wrong subnet or IP range, If you knwo your AP needs to be 192.168.01 set your wireless adapter manually to 192.168.0.100 and make sure your subnet is set to the routers default maybe 255.0.0.0
Then try and connect again and browse your router.
You are not getting your DNS address for some reason it may be not set to automatic on your wireless devide settings.

the main thing is that you can browse the AP home page then you are on the same network range then you can look at the settings.

I still think your main problem is lack of your primary DNS

I have this exact same problem.
I have two computers and one laptop connected to a host computer running DSL, and one computer and the laptop work fine on the internet and can load pages run MSN etc. But the last computer can only show that it's connected, otherwise, it can't load any webpages, or run any online programs.

I have manually set up the IP for this computer as it worked like this and never had any problems before this. If it makes any difference, the two clients that can connect to the host are macs. A desktop and a laptop, both connected fine.

If anyone knows how to fix this I would be greatly appreciated.

hope someone is still on this subject. My wireless PCI card indicate strong signals but cannot connect to internet due to WEP Key Mismatched. However, I'm sure I typed in the correct one as the other 3 PCs in my apt work just fine on the same rounter (Linksys). Can anyone figure out why my set up cannot recognize the WEP passphrase nor code. I tried a different card and the result is the same.

Joining to say that I have the same problem. If anyone can come up with a fix for this it'd be greatly appreciated by the lot of us that are scouring google and forums for advice.

If it means anything to anyone, the Belkin wireless utility I have shows my connection as "red" after the security lock logo.

Experiencing the same problem. Somebody help please!

1. Turn off router and computers.
2. Wait around 30secs.
3. Turn on router first. after you have stable lights on your router. turn on your computer(s).
4. go to start > run > type cmd.
5. on dos prompt (black box), type in "ipconfig" - without the quotes ""
6. look for ip address: make sure it starts with 192.168.x.x where x refers to any number

that's the basic solution... there are other solutions... but let me post it in another time... gotta go... please reply if this helped.

Changes that may help to increase the compatibility of Vista with older networking devices:



Disable the IP Helper service:

1. Hold the Windows key and type R, enter "services.msc" (without the quotes) and press Enter
2. Scroll down to the IP Helper service, right click on it and select Properties
3. In the dropdown box that says "Automatic" or "Manual", set it to Disabled and then click on "Apply"
4. Then click on "Stop" to stop the service from running in the current session
5. Click OK to exit the dialog



Disable IPv6:

1. Hold the Windows key and type R, enter "ncpa.cpl" (without the quotes) and press Enter
2. Right click on each network connection and select "Properties"
3. Remove the checkmark from the box next to "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
4. Click OK to exit the dialog

NOTE: You should do this for each network connection.



Disable the DHCP Broadcast Flag:

Link: Windows Vista cannot obtain an IP address from certain routers or from certain non-Microsoft DHCP servers
Hold the Windows key and type R, enter regedit and press Enter.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Servic es\Tcpip\Parameters\Inter faces\{GUID}
In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey to be updated.
If the key DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag does not exist, use the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value. In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag, and then press ENTER. If the key exists, skip this step.
Right-click DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor.
NOTE: You should do this for each and every GUID subkey.




The only program I'm aware of that currently relies on IPv6 is the new Windows Meeting Space. The first 2 changes will cause that program not to work - but will leave all of your normal (IPv4) connections unaffected. If it causes problems that you can't overcome, simply revert back to the original settings.

Read carefully and Kindly follow steps to help resolve your issues.

For wireless connections:

1. Hold the Windows key and press the R key, type services.msc and press Enter or click OK. This should open a new window - services local.
2. Look for Wireless Zero Configuration on the list in the right pane. The list is alphabetical, so you should be able to locate it maybe third from the bottom.
3. Double-click it to open it.
4. Click on the STOP button to stop it (lower left). If it is not highlighted or is grayed out, then the service is stopped. (it should also say that the SERVICE STATUS is stopped).
5. Look for STARTUP TYPE drop-down menu. Change it from AUTOMATIC to DISABLED. then click on APPLY (lower right).
6. Then just change it right back from disabled to automatic and click on apply again.
7. Click on START button (right beside the STOP button) on the same window to start the service.

--- We are essentially restarting the windows wireless service. What we did just turned it off and on again ---

8. Close the services local window.
9. Go to Start and then Control Panel. Network Connections. If you don't see Wireless Network Connections or Local Area Connection after opening Network Connections, kindly look for Network Connections again (it maybe on the lower right).

--- We need to be on the page where you have the wireless network connections icon. ---

11. Right-click on the icon for Wireless Network Connections then left-click on Properties.
12. You should have several tabs. Click on Wireless Network Connections tab (near the top of the window).
13. Make sure you have a checkmark on where it says, "Use windows to configure your wireless connections..." or something like that.

--- Before going into the next step. Kindly make sure first that you have the following CORRECT information: (1) your own SSID; (2) Network key (if you have one) - WEP or WPA or whichever encryption you are using. If you don't know these information, kindly secure these information first or better yet, try calling your router manufacturer to help you out on this ---

14. Then on the list that shows on the same window, remove everything on the list. That list shows all the wireless networks that you have been connected to before.

--- Don't worry about deleting it. The next time that you connect to the wireless network, it will be automatically added back into this list ---

15. Once everything is removed. Kindly close the window.
16. Go back to where you have the Wireless Network Connections icon again.
17. Right-click again the icon and left-click on View Wireless Network Connections.
18. If your wireless router is broadcasting your SSID, then you should be able to see it on the list of wireless network(s) that will appear on the screen.
19. Select your SSID and hit Connect.
20. It should be asking for your network key. Type it in. In might ask you to confirm the network key. Just type it in again.
21. It will attempt to connect it. And you will get a notification that you are connected.
22. Once you are connected, go back to the window where you have the Wireless Network Connections icon we were working on before.
23. That icon should say that it is connected.
24. Double-click it. It should open a new window.
25. You should have a General tab and a Support tab.
26. General tab should say it is connected.
27. Click on the Support tab.
28. Now confirm if your IP Address says 192.168.x.x. where x can represent any number. Example: 192.168.0.100
29. If you have these confirmed. Kindly try to see if you can now get into the internet or into your network.
30. Enjoy!

OMG kewlthot, you are a saviour! I was in utter despair for many many months as I had the same problem as the others who have posted here. Happened to chance upon your post and decided to follow your instructions. I'm so happy to say that it worked! Thank you so much for your help!

I registered with this forum just to say thank you to kewlthot.

My "Wireless Zero Configuration" service was set to "Manual" and wasn't started. Starting it up and connecting to my Belkin wireless router using the Windows Wireless Network Connection client rather than my Belkin Client Utility solved this problem for me!

Thanks again, kewlthot!

Not sure what happened to make this stop working but kewlthot you seem to have fixed 2 out of 3 problems I'm having.

My xbox 360 and Vista laptop are now connected fine again. However an XP laptop I use is still not connecting properly.

It now gets an IP address and can load to the router page 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.2.1 depending on the router I test. However it still wont load any internet pages.

Do anyone have any ideas why following the same instructions it works for one and not the other? I even got someone else to read out the guide, just to make sure I hadn't missed anything....

Also...do you know why this seems to have suddenly happened to lots of PC's?

Thanks

I had the same problem.

My Wireless card (WG111T) was not obtaining an IP addres from the router. The card worked on other machines just not the one with the problem.

Tried all of the above but did not resolve my issue.

In the end changing the routers channel from 11 to 13 resolved the issue. (netgear DG834GT).

There are 10 other wiresless networks near me and i belive this was causing interferance.