It looks like we have some good people here trying to help you.
What it looks like we need is to get the terminology down so we all understand what is being said.

If you bought network cables and there is a place to plug them into the back of your computer you do have network cards or built in network interfaces...

I saw your post 1394 and VIA... Ok, 1394 is your firewire adapter, good but not what you will be using for your network connection...

The VIA is what you will be using...

Can we assume that the downstairs computer was connected to the internet and working fine when you started this project?

Was the downstairs computer connected directly to the modem with a network cable before you added the router?

Did the downstairs computer connect to the internet through the router before you added the connection to the upstairs computer?


What make model and type of modem are you using?

What make and model of router did you purchase?

Did you use the network cable that was on the working system to connect the working pc to the router or to connect the router to the modem...?

If the existing cable was a crossover cable and you used it to connect to the router instead of using it to connect the router to the modem that might be the problem. Also some systems require the use of a crossover cable when adding a router to an internet connection... or connection to a crossover port on the router...

Which ports on the router do you have plugged into which cables/devices?
Does one of them indicate crossover or have a switch beside it?

Answer these questions then we can move on...

50 ft cat5e's lol I lovem best 20 buvcks ive ever spent. I bet you could get them cheaper. Staples, Newegg, tigerdirect, wallyworld lol. You know!

I just make my own...

I've strung miles of cat 5...

We never started a run with a used box... Always a new one...

The back of the shop was always piled high with partial boxes free for the taking...

Often they had a hundred feet or more...

I even ran quad shielded dual runs to every room for Tivo and DTV hookup and RG cross-connects ...

I have WAY too much time on my hands...

i've been away from these boards for awhile, so i'm sorry i didn't jump into this thread sooner, but it looks like it might still be active. I hate to tell ya but the 1st thing i wud of done after realizing the new setup wasn't working would have been to re-confirm that the original setup was working (which i think u did), and then, considering the error msg u were getting, i would have swapped the "old" pc's rj-45/ethernet cable with the new rj-45/ethernet cable from the new pc - if the old pc failed to connect at that pt u knew right then & there that cable was hosed - even tho it's new & even if the nic's link/speed led(s) lit up properly. if the old pc connected then u would've know it was an issue w/pc, but still needed to determine if it were a soft/ware or a h/w issue, or simply a configuration issue. if this is still an ongoing issue then i'll be happy to walk you step-by-step through t/s ur connection.

Yep, some good folk helping...Aeinstein & Thong Ispector cheers & happy new year to ya.
Although i'm pretty good at working AT a computer i'm lost when it comes to doing anything externally with them as you can see. I'll try & answer your questions. 1st of all, there is definitely network cards in both machines, i know this because i watched the progress of scans & the program said at some stage, "scanning network card" in both puters.

I bought network cables, router, & all other gizmo's required to connect both puters to the internet, from the same shop, with the new puter. I told the chap exactly why i was buying a new puter.....so we could have them both connected to the internet. So i've got everything needed to do it. Driver discs etc, & everything is new. I bought another network cable & connected both puters but it still says on both of em that the network cable is unplugged.

I don't know what the 1394 & VIA are? There is only one possible place to plug in the cable & it is connected correctly. The cable is plugged in next to the printer's connection on both puters. There is nowhere else for it to go unless i can get an oblong end into a small round hole! (met the wife)? hehe.

Yes, the downstairs puter is fine & has always been ok with connecting to the internet. It has always indicated with an icon on the bottom right of the task bar that a network cable is unplugged. Which was fine because we just had a BT Voyager 100 USB ADSL Modem connected into the puter, & a setup disk to install the modem, drivers & BT help program. It was a breeze. But no, there was not a network cable involved here, but we need to use one now.
Now that i've added the router & gone through network setup wizard several times the downstairs puter works completely fine with the router & original modem connected, along with the network cable of course. Yet, it still tells me the cable is unplugged. Then, if i go upstairs & switch on the new puter, the downstairs (1 year old puter identical to the upstais one) keeps losing the connection. So, even though both puters say "a network cable is unplugged" i can tell them "it isn't" cos why does the downstairs puter now decide to lose internet connection every 30 seconds? Turn the upstairs puter off & everything is fine with the other. The downstairs puter states that "internet connection is shared". The upstairs puter just will not conect to the internet at all, it tells me that an internet connection does not exist.
i've installed the drivers that came with the router, on both puters, & have installed BT broadband onto the new one. Is this correct? I've been through both wizards a few times but no joy.

The router is ADSL high speed internet access bridge, & the make is MENTOR, & it has 4 ports!

I cannot really answer the question whether 'i used the netwok cable that was on the downstairs puter to connect the working pc to the router or to connect the router to the modem". There wasn't an existing network cable? Don't think so anyway? Just like i said above...modem plugged into the back & away it went ok.

I don't know what a crossover cable is? He just gave me a 15 metre network cable to connect both puters & some other smaller ones for the router & modem. Thing is, we have 2 short cables which are "left over", there is nowhere, absolutely nowhere they can go?
I don't know which ports the router is plugged into which cables/devices? There is no switch anywhere. If it indicates a crossover then i don't know what to look for?

Thanks again. Hopng my next post will be a 2 liner.
P.S. Need any help with Databases? I'm your man.

ok, i'm going to tackle this 1 thing @ a time.

1), pls confirm that currently ur isp (internet service provider) cable connects to your BT Voyager 100 USB ADSL Modem which connects to ur router (confirm specifically that this is a router & not a hub; pls post make & model info), which then is connected to each of ur computers, &

1a) confirm that all of the intervening cables (between the cable modem & router as well as between the router & computers) r ethernet cables

in the interest of time i'll assume that the above is the case & move on

2) what is the ip address (internet protocol address) that the router gets from your isp? (call ur isp if necessary to find out, but u should be able to get it by checking ur router's config info; the ip address will be delineated by 3 periods (###.###.###.###), such as 170.20.0.5 (fyi: most programs will drop leading zeros where applicable, so that an ip address that is actually quadradically notated as 170.020.000.005 is displayed as 170.20.0.5) btw, u dont need to tell us the last quad (the ".5" in my preceeding example), just mark it as x's (170.20.0.xxx).

3) what is the ip address assigned to each computer (all the numbers)?
3a) what is the subnet mask assigned to each computer (all the numbers)?
3b) what is the work group name assigned to each computer?

**********
you can get the ip address, subnet mask & work group name by completing the following steps on each computer:

1) click (left-click through-out, unless otherwise specified) the Start button
2) on the lower-right of the pop-up menu click Run...
3) in the Open: box type cmd & then click OK
4) this will launch another window open, typically with a black background & white text (it doesn't matter if the colors on ur system r different) & in the window title bar just to the right of a little icon that shows C:/ u'll see something like C:/WINDOWS/system32/cmd.exe (if u typed command instead of cmd u'll c command.com at the end rather than cmd.exe; either way it's actually the same program)
5) in this new window type ipconfig/all (ipconfig /all works as well, but ipconfig / all wont work), & then hit ur enter key; this will display the pc's ip configuration info
6) right-click the little C:/ icon up on top (next to where it says C:/WINDOWS/system32/cmd.exe), which activate a drop-down menu
6a) with the cursor, momentarily hover over Edit on the menu (this will activate another drop-down menu), & then click Select All (this may temporarily reverse the colors within the window; i.e., if the text had been white on a black background it will now appear as black text on a white background; the colors r immaterial)
7) once again right-click the little C:/ icon at the top of the window
7a) with the cursor, momentarily hover over the Edit on the menu & then click Copy (dont close the window yet - just incase u need to retrieve the info again)
8) if the computer is connected to the internet open a reply to this thread & then hit ctrl-v (by holding down the ctrl keyboard button, hitting the v keyboard button & then letting go of both buttons together), which will paste the information that u copied from ur computer in the preceeding step into the reply window for this thread; add which computer this info is from & submit the reply
8b) if the computer is not connected to the internet (or if you want to get the info from both computers & make a single reply post to this thread), after u've copied the computer's ip configuration info (steps 7 & 7a), click Start
8bi) click Run...
8bii) in the Open: box type notepad & click OK, which will open the NotePad text program
8biii) paste the info into notepad (by repeating the ctrl-v operation, as detailed in step 8); after notating which pc this info is from safe the file

if ur not able to copy this file from 1 pc to the other simply e-mail the info to urself & then access ur email from the other pc.
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as mentioned in 3b above we also need to know the work group name for each computer. ther's a couple of ways of ferreting out this info, but a straight-forward method is as follows:

1) click (left-click unless otherwise stated) Start
2) click Control Panel (u may see a link that says My Network Places, if so click it & skip down to step 4 below - i think u probably will c that link, but since i'm not currently running a network i don't have it for reference on my pc)
3) double-click Network Connections
4) click the link off to the right that says My Network Places
5) click the link off to the right that says View workgroup computers

this will display an icon showing the name of the work group and then under it the computers currently accessible within the work group. if for some reason u don't c this icon (such as in my case since i don't have a network setup) u will still c the work group name as it will be displayed as the title of the window (at the top of the window, above where it says File Edit View etc).

pls dont forget to provide both the ip configuration information as well as the work group name in ur reply post!
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ok, once uv confirmed & provided this info we'll go from there! HTH

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


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

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : steve-k1mhwvfk9
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-40-CA-60-85-B2

PPP adapter BT Broadband:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-53-45-00-00-00
Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 81.153.10.xxx
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 81.153.10.148
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 194.74.65.68
194.72.9.39

sorry, haven't been around for a bit. this is the info we need, but we need it for both computers and we also need the workgroup info (3b, above)

Sory i've taken so long, it's a long story. My wife did this bit of info on the upstairs computer & i've noticed it's different to the one that i did above as there is no ip address on this one! So i didn't have to inser them xxxx this time. She couldn't email the info to herself as you suggested, as we cannot, as you know, connect the upstairs computer to the internet.

Regarding the 'workgroup name', i'll say that there isn't one. I did give a workgroup name when trying several times a couple of months ago but have forgotten what it was! I've since deleted all drivers & traces of my attempts from the upstairs computer as i decided to start from scratch. I ended up with 4 'connect to web' on the programs list & got confused & deleted & uninstalled the lot of them.

Curtrently, the router & all cables & discs are now back in their boxes.

There is something i've come across since. There are 2 questions for you. Do i check the box in internet option properties, advanced, wher it says 'allow other web users to share files & printing'? & Do i check the box in the BT internet provider property box, where it says, 'Allow other users to connect through this computer's internet connection'? I did not know about these options before. Besides, i just thought the network wizard was all that was needed.

Also, i'm still unsure whether or not i should install the router, once at a time, separately, on both computers! Can't remember if i've already tried that.
Gosh i feel like a goon. Cheers.

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

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

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : pc9
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : SiS 900-Based PCI Fast Ethernet Adap
ter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-0B-6A-71-C8-3A

C:\Documents and Settings\user>

depending on how you went about deleting the "drivers," if that's in fact what you deleted, it may have been inadvisable or it may be inconsequential; either way it's done now!

well i most certainly would not on a stand-alone pc (even if you're connecting through a router), but i don't use any type of resoure sharing programs, such as bearshare, grokster & kazza for music, which may need those settings to be selected. if you do use such a program then i would suggest that you post an inquiry on how to setup your computer in order to use the program(s) safely and securely as a separate post in an appropriate forum. if you're using the router to connect and share information between the two computers then you would need to have the files & printing box selected on both computers; you'll need to call you're isp about the BT setting (my inclination is to say no, that the BT box shouldn't care what's on the private side of the network - your computers - and the setting is to disallow/allow (unchecked/checked) public access to you're computer(s), but without being familiar with the unit that is purely a guess on my part; be safe & find out for sure from the source!).

eventually yes, but this is how i would do it:

for both computers do the following:
1) open Control Panel
2) in Control Panel open System
3) once System is open click on the tab that says Computer Name
4) copy down what it says for Computer description, Full computer name and Workgroup.

Technically the Computer description and the Full computer name can be the same for that one computer, but I would and do use different names for each. In any event they should be different from one computer to the next. On the other hand, the Workgroup name MUST be IDENTICAL from one computer to the next for each of the computers that you want to share information on and between. If this is not the case then do the following:

1) Decide what you're going to use for each Computer description and Full computer name, as well as what the Workgroup name is going to be.
2) Run the Network Setup Wizard on each computer that needs to have the above referenced information changed. I would tackle this by addressing two issues at a time: 1) making sure the information is correct, and 2) making sure each computer can connect to the internet. In that vein as a basic step I would run the wizard on each computer, even if you're going to input the same information as referenced above, but while it is connected directly to your isp - that is to say not through the router.

First you need to ensure that each computer can connect directly to the internet, bypassing the router. If not you need to contact you're isp to troubleshoot that connect (it can be SO many things that for me to walk you through t/s the issue would be very inefficient - not to mention time consuming! - so let's have the ppl who you're paying to help support connection earn their paycheck!). Once each computer can successfully connect to the internet, but before you connect them to the router, run the Network Setup Wizard to ensure that both computers are setup with the appropriate information, as discussed above.

To run the wizard complete the following steps:
1) open Control Panel
2) double click on the entry/icon for Network Setup Wizard
3) the welcome screen will open up, click Next
4) the review screen will open up, click Next
5) select the second option "This computer connects to the Internet through a residential gateway or through another computer on my network." (even though you're connecting to the internet directly with the one computer that you're running the wizard on, for now, use this setting), click Next
6) the Computer name and Computer description page will open up, change any information as appropriate, click Next
7) the Workgroup name page will open up, change this entry as appropriate (remember that the Workgroup name needs to be EXACTLY the same on both computers), click Next
8) the File and Printer sharing page will open up (since you want to be able to share files between the two computers you are going to need to enable file and printer sharing by selecting the first choice, but if you're using any internet based resource sharing programs/services you FIRST need to find out how to safely and securely use the program(s)/service(s) while protecting your computers from unauthorized intrusions), make appropriate selection, click Next
9) the information confirmation page will open up, scan info to confirm it's accuracy - hit the back button as appropriate to make any necessary correction, click Next
10) the network disc page will open up, since both pc's are running WinXP select the last choice "Just finish the wizard; I don't need to run the wizard on other computers." and click Next, and then click Finish on the last screen.

Once you have tested each computer's internet connection successfully and and confirmed that the appropriate computer name, full computer description and workgroup name has been entered you're ready to connect the router. I should mention here - actually, probably earlier in this spiel - that when you're switching the connection around you may need to reset the ip address each computer is using as well as the connection from the BT dsl modem. The most straight forward way to reset the computer is to do a normal shutdown (not a restart) on the computer, switch whatever equipment needs to be changed (i.e., changing the connection from one computer to another one, or changing it from the BT unit to the computer, to that of from the BT unit to the router to the computer, etc.), powering down the BT unit (check with your isp to ensure that powering down the unit - typically for 10-15 seconds - is the correct procedure to reset the BT, otherwise follow their instructions on resetting it instead), and then powering each unit up in sequence of connection (i.e., BT unit first, wait until it is up and running and showing a connection to your isp - check with isp help desk for appropriate indicators, power up router, wait two or three seconds and then power up the pc).

For instance, if I was using one pc directly to my cable modem and i wanted to change it so that i was connecting two of my pc's (which have been previously tested for connectivity and had their settings verified), i would complete a normal power down on both computers, ensure the router is powered down, and unplug the power cord to my cable modem. I would wait a few seconds for the modem to reset and forget whatever it had been connected to (although just a momentary disconnect should be sufficient to reset my cable modem it may be necessary for me to leave it powered down upwards to five minutes to clear up any memory cache issues, especially if the modem has been u/r continously for 30 days or more). While the modem is reseting I'll change the ethernet cables around so that I have the cable modem connect to the router and the router to each of the pc's. Once the modem has been powerd down for a sufficient length of time I will then power the modem up first, wait until the LED lights indicate it has successfully negotiated a connection with my isp, then I'll power up my router, wait momentarily and then start up each of my computers that I've connected to the router. From there I'll test the internet connection on each pc and if all is well I would be off and running.

Ok, I hope this helps! Once you've gotten each computer connected directly to your ISP and successfully connected to the internet go ahead and reconnect the router, resetting the connection as referenced above and/or as per your ISP help desk's instructions and let us know what happens!