Need help making router find internet

[Sam1911]

Hi, all. Sam's wife writing; you were so helpful when we had major virus issues a few months ago, so I thought I'd see if someone can help with this issue.

We have a DSL cable modem for our internet connection. It works fine. We also have a Netgear router; we've not been using it recently, but it worked fine a few months ago. Now we want to network a second computer to our main one, using the router.

I've connected the router, and I think I have everything plugged in to it correctly. (Power, of course. Ethernet cord from modem to the "internet" spot on the router, then another ethernet cord from the "computer" spot on the router into the back of the computer. Right?)

Nothing happens. All lights (4) on the modem are on; all applicable lights on the router are on (also 4). But the internet won't work, on the main machine, to say nothing of the secondary one. Both say that they find a network, but it has limited or no connectivity, that it can't renew the IP address. We are running Avast and Comodo; I disabled those, as well as the Windows Firewall, and still nothing. I tried restarting the machine -- nothing. I tried doing the ipconfig/renew that I found suggested here -- nothing. I tried pushing the rest button on the router -- nothing.

I had it working very briefly two days ago, but then it suddenly quit and hasn't worked since then. I didn't change anything; it just didn't work.

Suggestions? This computer is running WinXP 5.1, service pack 3, if that helps at all. The router says Netgear Wireless Router WGR614 v3.

Thanks in advance!

-Sam's Wife

[Baxter Stockman]

Have you powered them off and booted them in the correct order?

Unplug power from modem and router.
Plug power into modem. Wait for it to boot all the way up.
Plug power into the router.

Once the router boots your internet should be good to go.

[Sam1911]

I did just try that; thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, no luck.

Here's the weird part. Out of random curiosity, I tried the secondary computer, just to see what it would do. Lo and behold, the internet works on it. I bought a cheap little USB thing by Netgear that is supposed to find a signal. It does, and it works very well. I'm pretty sure it's picking up our signal and not someone else's, because it wasn't working this morning. I tried a bunch of stuff on the primary machine, which ultimately didn't work for the primary, but the secondary one works now. The secondary machine worked before and after unplugging and repowering the modem and router. I am confused.

[Baxter Stockman]

On the computer that doesn't work. Go Start-> Run. Then type in "cmd" and press enter.

now type in "ipconfig" and press enter.
Does it give you an IP address?

Then type "ipconfig /release" and press enter.
Then type "ipconfig /renew" and press enter.

In network connections does it say that you are connected? or Limited or No connectivity?

[Sam1911]

I tried that just now. It finds an IP address when I first type ipconfig. Then nothing after ipconfig/release and ipconfig/renew -- it says it can't connect, times out, etc.

The network connection says "limited or no connection."

[Baxter Stockman]

are you putting a space in between ipconfig /release

[Sam1911]

I did put in the space -- tried it with and without, just to be sure. Nothing.

However, just because I can't resist trying, I brought the little USB Netgear wireless adapter thingy to the primary computer and installed its software. That worked; it found the signal, and so now the internet works on the primary computer, even with the router hooked up. So it won't work with the router directly, but somehow it works in a roundabout way through the wireless signal. I don't get it. Thanks for the suggestions so far though!

[handygal]

You might still have a static IP and user/password in your computer for accessing the modem. It sounds like the router is DHCP - issuing the ip for the computer -- and probably in a slightly different range.

When you attach to the wireless and hover the mouse over the icon does it say Connecting and then Acquiring IP address?

Go to the Control Panel, select Network Connections and double click. Select Local Area Network, double click, in the white area, scroll down to Internet Protocol TCP/IP and double click it. If you have numbers set in here, make a note of them and them change the selection to Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically and click ok. Click ok and apply out of that box until you are back in the network connection page of the control panel.

You should see Local Area Connection still listed there and it's notation should change from disconnected to connection to acquiring ip to connected.

Let us know if your results vary.

[Sam1911]

Thanks handygal! Yes, when I attach the wireless, it says "acquiring IP address" and then "connected." Under Network Connections, I had both a Local Area Connection and the Wireless Connection; both had IP addresses listed (same, except for the last digit), and both said "assigned by DHCP."

Something must have triggered something, because even before I followed your instructions, when I disconnected the wireless, the internet still worked through the Local Area Connection. It was already selected to "Obtain IP address automatically," so I left that, but I did change the other setting to "Obtain DNS server address automatically."

So I guess we'll see, but it appears to be working for now, even without the wireless adapter. Thanks so very much!