<DIV class=ForumPostContentText id=_ctl0__ctl1_bcr__ctl0___PostRepeater__ctl1_PostViewWrapper>I have a bit of knowledge (i know this can be dangerous at times) but i have a couple of problems that are beyond me.


I have a cable modem which is connected to a 3com TP4 combo hub.

My main pc is connected to the hub with a straight through RJ45 cable and all works fine.

I have 2 laptops which I also want to connect to the hub, here is when I’m getting problems.

I’ve read the user manual for my hub and it says to connect to all pc’s using a straight through RJ45 cable.

I connect the first laptop with the correct cable and run the network wizard in windows (choosing ‘connect via a hub’) and after I reboot it, it says ‘limited or no connectivity’ and I don’t get access to the internet. I’ve tried the fix from http://www.pchell.com/support/limitedconnectivity.shtml but no joy.

When I connect the 2nd laptop up with a straight through cable (and run wizard) it says ‘Network cable is unplugged’. I know the network card works because I can connect the 2 laptops using a crossover cable and the ‘Unplugged message’ disappears.

When I connect the second laptop with a straight through cable the warning lights light up on the hub. The user manual for the hub says:

Alert LED continuously lit. There is either continual
excessive use of your network (over 80%) or, more likely, a
10BASE-T port has partitioned due to a loop in your
network (in which case the corresponding Port Status LED
will be yellow). Examine your connections and remove the
loop. Each piece of equipment needs only one connection
to your OfficeConnect hub.

I’ve not got a clue what this means,

is there a dhcp server in your network? where do the pcs get IP addresses from? is the pc that works set up with a static IP, or does it receive its IP via DHCP? look at the tcp/ip settings of the pc that works and compare them to the settings of the laptops that don't.