Hi Danny,
I had trouble with my Linksys BEFW11S4 Router while
trying to do Video Conversations in Messenger 5.0. I
finally fixed the problem with the steps outlined below.
Not sure if this will apply to File X-fer and Voice
Conversations, but it might be worth a try. Like you, I
have Windows XP (SP1) on my PC.
First, try doing the File X-fer and Voice Conversation
with the router out of the loop, if you can, by
connecting your PC directly to your DSL or Cable Modem.
If this works, it's most likely your router and/or your
PC configurations that are not correct.
For Video Conversations, Messenger requires that the
router support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), since
Messenger wants to dynamically open ports on the router
(that's a function supported by UPnP). Not sure if Voice
Conversations need this, but I suspect they might. Many
Linksys routers now support UPnP if they have the latest
firmware. Your mileage may vary, depending on your model
of Linksys router.
Here are the things I checked and the steps I followed
with my Linksys BEFW11S4 and my PC:
1) Make sure you have the latest firmware on the router
(you can check the Linksys web site for latest firmware
version).
2) You must Enable the UPnP setting on the router. On my
Linksys BEFW11S4 Router, the UPnP Enable/Disable radio
button is located under the Password tab, in the router
configuration pages (you didn't mention which Linksys
router model you had, so this may be different on yours).
3) You will need to make sure that Universal Plug and
Play (UPnP), as well as the Internet Gateway Device
Discovery and Control Client, are installed on your PC.
To check, go to Control Panel, Add or Remove Programs,
Add/Remove Windows Components, Networking Services, then
click on Details. Make sure Internet Gateway Device
Discovery and Control Client, and, Universal Plug and
Play, are both checked. If not, check them and click OK.
This will install them.
4) Now check to see if the Linksys Router icon has
appeared in My Network Places (click Start, My Computer,
and under the sidebar, Other Places, click My Network
Places). Then check to see if the Internet Connection
icon has appeared in the Network Connections window (from
the My Network Places window, click on, View network
connections, under the sidebar, Networks Tasks).
5) If the Linksys Router icon and the Internet Connection
icon both appear, then you are probably "good to go". If
not, continue with step 6.
6) Check to see if the Universal Plug and Play service is
running by going to Control Panel, Administrative Tools,
Services. Scan down the page looking for Universal Plug
and Play Device Host.
7) Check the Status column to see if it says Started. If
it is not Started, go to the Startup Type column and
change it to Manual by right clicking on it, going to
Properties, Startup Type and from the drop down box
select, Manual, and click OK.
8) Now scan back up the Services page looking for SSDP
Discovery Service. Check the Status column to see if it
says Started. If not, go to the Startup Type column and
change it to Manual by right clicking on it, going to
Properties, Startup Type and from the drop down box
select, Manual, and click OK.
9) You may have to reboot your PC after making these
changes. After your PC reboots, you should see the
Linksys Router in My Network Places, and the Internet
Connection icon in View Network Connections.
10) If this fails to work, try uninstalling and
reinstalling Universal Plug and Play, and, Internet
Gateway Device Discovery and Control Client. Also, try a
hard reset on the Linksys router to make sure that all
previous settings are gone, then enable UPnP (this is
done on my Linksys router by holding down the Reset
button, on the back of the router, for 30 seconds).
Post back and let me know if any of this helps. Regards.
--Tim
