am I being thick?

[Gracie]

Hello folks :) Some friends have a BT Voyager wireless Modem/Router. We set them up some years back and it has been fine. They have three computers connected - two Xpsp2 and one Windows 98.

Recently they decided to go for 'Talk-Talk as their new ISP because Talk-Talk are offering free broadband, but they decided they wanted to do it through the Voyager rather than pay for Talk-Talk's Livebox.

They contacted BT to tell them they were planning to change ISP's in a few weeks, but BT cut them off immediately, so they have had no internet contact for three weeks.

Recently the Talk-Talk CD arrived ( though there is some issue about BT not releasing the MAC ( or something)), and they tried to go through the cd procedure to connect. They get to a place where they are told that they will need to reconfigure the Voyager's details and put in the Talk-Talk details instead, but they don't know how to do this, so they call me.

I get there, thinking all I have to do is find out the IP for the Voyager, from one of the property sheets or IPConfig /all and the problem would be solved - but I couldn't get it from anywhere.

IPConfig /all just brought up a block of ascii characters - nothing in plain language that I could use, so something is wrong there, the support tab in network connections gave me the IP for the computer, but just a blank space for where it would have the gateway address, and nothing I tried yielded any results. I took it all off and then put the Voyager CD back in to reinstall, but it seemed to think all was fine and just got to Finish without entering any configuration menus, and if I tried to connect via new connection in Windows, it would tell me the wireless device was disconnected.

I am confused. I tried putting in 192.168.1.1 in the browser, but that didn't work either ( the computer address started with 162 I think), so I had to come away leaving a very disappointed young lad, who was sure I would do the biz for them as I have always been successful before in sorting out his computer problems.

Is there anything else I can do to help them? There must be a way I can access the Voyager - it doesn't have to be on the web to give me its own IP. Otherwise they will have to buy the Livebox from Talk-Talk, which will be several more weeks delay I understand. I feel I have let them down :(

[SnowDog]

First of all, nothing has changed - in theory - on the computer-to-router side of things, so the default gateway address should be the same as it was before. You mentioned 192.168.1.1 - are you certain that's what it was?

If you go to Network Settings then double click the relevant network icon, then choose Support, the gateway address is there.

As far as getting connected is concerned, you've got no chance until that MAC address is sorted out.

On the router, is the DSL light on and is it steady or blinking?

I don't know anything about Talk-Talk - other than a lot of our customers have had problems with them - but I can only see their disk supporting their router equipment. I can't see how running this is going to help set up this router unless you got very lucky and it is the same model that Talk-Talk supply.

To me, routers are set up in three stages.

1. Connection between router and line (DSL light?)

2. Connection between PC and router (and I don't mean just detecting it, but connecting to the default gateway)

3. Using the PC to tell the router to let people access the Internet as necessary (so entering account details and - if they're messed up - changing IP ranges)

[Gracie]

First of all, nothing has changed - in theory - on the computer-to-router side of things, so the default gateway address should be the same as it was before. You mentioned 192.168.1.1 - are you certain that's what it was?

If you go to Network Settings then double click the relevant network icon, then choose Support, the gateway address is there.

As far as getting connected is concerned, you've got no chance until that MAC address is sorted out.

On the router, is the DSL light on and is it steady or blinking?

I don't know anything about Talk-Talk - other than a lot of our customers have had problems with them - but I can only see their disk supporting their router equipment. I can't see how running this is going to help set up this router unless you got very lucky and it is the same model that Talk-Talk supply.

To me, routers are set up in three stages.

1. Connection between router and line (DSL light?)

2. Connection between PC and router (and I don't mean just detecting it, but connecting to the default gateway)

3. Using the PC to tell the router to let people access the Internet as necessary (so entering account details and - if they're messed up - changing IP ranges)

Snowdog, thanks for your input. I hoped that was the correct IP, but the computer IP I was working on started with 162. so I reckon it wasn't. I have learned since that if I had tapped in the computers IP in but changed the last digit to xx1 or xx2, that might have got me into the router configuration setup - but I think there is something else wrong anyway, because when I looked on the support tab, there was no gateway address there, and when I did ipconfig /all, I just got a block of ascii characters. and that isn't right!

I couldn't check the router at the time as it is down stairs and I was up. The owner said he had got the MAC address himself and had sent it to Talk-Talk, but I doubt that as he wouldn't know how to get into the router setup, and BT would send it direct to TAlk-Talk.

I think they are going to have to buy Talk-Talk's Livebox to get back on, but yes, the Talk-Talk disk does appear to cater for other models - that option is available on it.

[SnowDog]

If you have a viable DSL connection, then all you have to do is those three things I mentioned: connect the router to the line, connect the computer to the router, then tell the router your account settings.

The only advantage to doing it the way you mentioned is that you can use Talk-Talk's install software. Of course, the downside to that is that you also have to let Talk-Talk install a load of bloatware to advertise their name all over your machine. If you're connecting via ethernet or wireless you don't need any drivers so there's no absolute need to have to install ISP software.

Networks can be easy to setup, but they can also be a real dog to troubleshoot.

In this case, it seems strange that there are missing settings on the network, because like I said, apart from the lost connection on one side of the router, the computer side should still be as it was and the PC should be able to connect to the router. Has someone had a fiddle, do you think?

If so, there's no reason why this router shouldn't work. None at all.

[Gracie]

If you have a viable DSL connection, then all you have to do is those three things I mentioned: connect the router to the line, connect the computer to the router, then tell the router your account settings.

The only advantage to doing it the way you mentioned is that you can use Talk-Talk's install software. Of course, the downside to that is that you also have to let Talk-Talk install a load of bloatware to advertise their name all over your machine. If you're connecting via ethernet or wireless you don't need any drivers so there's no absolute need to have to install ISP software.

Networks can be easy to setup, but they can also be a real dog to troubleshoot.

In this case, it seems strange that there are missing settings on the network, because like I said, apart from the lost connection on one side of the router, the computer side should still be as it was and the PC should be able to connect to the router. Has someone had a fiddle, do you think?

If so, there's no reason why this router shouldn't work. None at all.

I am pleased that you seem to be confirming what I had thought should be the case had everything gone as it should. All the settings were there for client, service, Aegis and tcp/ip protocols.

Perhaps something has become corrupted. Might explain the missing info and the gobbledegook when I run ipconfig /all. Part of the reason I was called in was because the computer had gone into a boot loop when they had attempted to work through the Talk-Talk CD. They did not know how to get it to boot up to desktop again, so I was to fix that, which I did, and then the hope was that I would wave a magic wand over the main problem ( huh).

I don't think anyone has had a fiddle as they don't know enough about where to go or what to do, but the CD's for the Voyager setup and the Talk-Talk were both on the computer table.

When I have time in the week perhaps I will go back and replace the protocols, reinstall the adaptors ( there is an onboard ethernet as well) ( where do I get Aegis from though?) and then see if I can get the IP for the router. Is that what you would do?

thanks for your help :)

[SnowDog]

A-ha! So something probably did change.

If it was me, I'd start with a full recovery and go from there. After all, you've no way of knowing what damage/corruption has been done.

Also worth making sure the router is left switched off for a while before powering up and trying again. I know that some cable modems can take a while for the MAC to refresh and this is especially a nuisance if you switch from a USB to an ethernet connection (because I've been there several times with NTL).

[Gracie]

A-ha! So something probably did change.

If it was me, I'd start with a full recovery and go from there. After all, you've no way of knowing what damage/corruption has been done.

Also worth making sure the router is left switched off for a while before powering up and trying again. I know that some cable modems can take a while for the MAC to refresh and this is especially a nuisance if you switch from a USB to an ethernet connection (because I've been there several times with NTL).

Snowdog, put it down to a senior moment - how stupid of me not to mention it before to you.

When you say full recovery, do you mean take off all the network files and start again, or do you mean a clean install of XP? I had said to the young'un that I might need to reformat..... :(

[SnowDog]

Clean install of XP. It'll save you loads of messing around.

You don't know what files are damaged, and they may not just be the 'network files' ones.

Clean install, then focus on the network before installing anything else.

And make sure you leave the router off, and do a total reset on it before you try setting it up for anything new.

[Gracie]

Clean install of XP. It'll save you loads of messing around.

You don't know what files are damaged, and they may not just be the 'network files' ones.

Clean install, then focus on the network before installing anything else.

And make sure you leave the router off, and do a total reset on it before you try setting it up for anything new.

I have arranged to bring the computer home to work on as I can download whatever I need to from the web from here, also I will test it out on our router.

They are getting a Talk-Talk Livebox delivered tomorrow so I have to get busy tonight. I have his product key from when I updated it to XPSP2, but now they tell me the OS came pre-installed.. thank you for your help Snowdog :)

[Gracie]

Snowdog, I hope you read this. I brought the computer home and found it worked perfectly! No gobbledegook in IPconfig /all, I joined it to our network (wirelessly) and surfed, downloaded - perfect, so I did not reformat. Today I phoned up Dave, the owner, to tell him about this unexpected result, and all was revealed! He had phoned Talk-Talk yesterday, to ask for their modem, and got someone knowledgeable on the other end. He told this guy that we were having troubles getting the software to talk to the BT Voyager. The guy responded by saying that the TT software will not work with BT Voyager. But, says Dave, your software says we can use another modem. Yes, but not that one says the man, BT Voyager is incompatible with our stuff. So you were right, full marks, and all my confusion has cleared away as it all makes sense now. :) Thanks again for your help.

[jbennet]

bad luck

by the way may be of help to someone - i know on my NTL cable modem and my various routers that you pull out the power and put apin into the wee hole it resets all the settings to factory defaults