My teenage son has seen the XP Media Center operating system
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx,
but he
sleeps for several more hours. Meanwhile, I'm going to guess a bit here in
offering you some "free advice." Take it with a grain of salt. My hunch is
that the commonality of Win2K Pro and XP Pro and XP Home will extend to XPMC
and we can get you going on that laptop in your home office..
I presume you are logging on to the laptop with "administrative" privileges.
You can't set IP parameters if you are a lesser user.
So right click on that LAN, and get into the TCP/IP properties. You can
always go back to allowing "automatic" settings, so let's set the IP
parameters manually; i.e., statically.
I'm guessing that your DHCP server (i.e, your multi-purpose router) offers
leased IP addresses starting at 192.168.1.100, and works up from there.
This is typical. So assign an IP address to the laptop that is at
192.168.1.91, which won't conflict with some other device "unwittingly."
IOW, YOU are now in charge of IP address assignments, so be sure to NOT use
that identical IP address in some other device, statically. Your DHCP
server won't bother you on this, because it will always assign addresses at
'100 and above.
The point is that each IP device in your network must have a UNIQUE IP
address, of course.
Assign the subnet mask as 255.255.255.0. This must be common to all devices
on the same ip "network." The "intranet" (interior network of your house)
will be comprised of one "network" according to TCP/IP. 192.168.2.0 would
be a different network, thanks to the subnet mask you are given, which is
completely satisfactory and well-assigned.
Assign the default gateway as 192.168.1.1. (This is the IP address of the
router, on the "intranet" side of your router. Yes, your IP network is
known as "192.168.1.0") Computers connected within that inner net must know
the router's inside address, so they can direct all "outer" inquiries to the
router, for forwarding to the "internet."... i.e., the outside world. BTW,
the far side of your router has an entirely different IP address, which we
need not concern ourselves with.
Assign your DNS addresses manually. Plug in 207.217.120.83 as primary,
207.217.77.82 as secondary. You could also manually place these numbers
into many routers' DHCP server charts, for assignment to appealing ip hosts
like your computers, but that is a lesson for another day.
Save this and you should be good to go with that laptop. You should not
need to reboot, but it takes a minute or so for the computer to adjust.
Go to a CMD line and type "ipconfig /all" to see the new settings in effect.
You might ping 207.217.120.83 from the command line. If ping succeeds, you
are successfully communicating with the DNS server at that address, which is
"out there" somewhere.
You might have a problem if you take this computer to work, where the
network is a different one. But as I have said before, it's best to work
from a position of success, and then work backwards to a fault.
Let me know what you think of this advice.
I suspect your laptop is "confused" and needs this sort of manual treatment.
Possibly, you are getting "something extra," unwittingly, from a neighbor's
wireless network? It might even be that your neighbor's network is the same
as yours, since you are both using defaults provided by your router
manufacturers. In such case, it would be advisable to change the network
number that your router (i.e., DHCP server) employs. Most people never do
this; I am not intimately familiar with your Linksys WAT54GS but that seems
to be a very, very commonplace device, eminently configurable.
Always password your router(s) uniquely, so neighborhood pranksters can't
surreptitiously enter.
See also my reply to PSUFAN 12/30/07.
--
Sent via OE by John, from MERCURY
Tj Jones said:
Thanks for answering John,
My system is a home system with a pc (winxp home sp2) and a laptop (winxp
med ctr). My router is Linksys WAT54GS with proper card in laptop and usb
wireless in pc. I have a dsl modem model 660 thru my isp provider (Embarq -
Sprint).
I have had problems since I installed network in Aug 07.
Linksys techs tell me to leave TCP/IP & dns set at automatic. The pc
downstairs is set that way and does not change, always connects. The TCP/IP
settings change every time i start the laptop. Both settings change to (Use
the following) with the IP being correct and the DNS addresses are blank.
This is whether I have settings at Obtain Automatically or whether I have
typed in all correct addresses (under advanced) before I shut down the last
time. Something other than myself resets the defaults in the laptop with
each start on the laptop but not on the pc.
I have to reset the network and the TCP/IP with each start, then doesn't
always connect with network. I am not well-versed with terminology nor
settings, but learn as I am exposed.
pc settings ip add: 192.168.1.101, laptop is 192.168.1.102. default is
192.168.1.1.
when laptop doesn't conn w inet, cmd > ipconfig = no ans. ping 192.168.1.1
= no ans. Hardwiring laptop to router doesn't help. If you need more info
to help, please ask.
Thanks for the help, Tj
