Trying to Connect to a Home Network

My System:

Windows 2000 SP3
P3 800Mhz
256MB RAM
20GB Hard Disk
D-Link DFE-530TX PCI (Rev-C) Fast Ethernet Adapter

Web Browser: Internet Explorer 5
I am trying to connect to a network set up at my home through a router. There are currently 2 computers on the network and mine is aiming to be the third. The 'main' computer - the one which the router is set up on is running Windows2000 SP3 and the second comp on the network is WindowsXP Home.

I was connected before, but my computer crashed and I had to do a clean install, in the process i lost all my settings & preferences etc.

I managed to get the driver for my Network adapter off the internet and it is working - once I plug the cable into the network card, the two small computer screens in the bottom right of the screen on the taskbar state that there is a Local Area Connection at 100.0MbpS.

I can ping the router and get 4 reply's.

Despite this fact, however, on opening Internet Explorer the web browser trys to connect to the IP of the homepage ( i dont know how it knows this IP address - www.msn.com in this case). While it is attempting to connect to the IP of the page the lower of the two small computer screens (depicting bytes sent) is 'lit up' (a rather fetching shade of blue, but thats beside the point). It also states that there have been a certain number of bytes sent and recieved.

I dont know how to get on to the net. My system is registering on the router (this i can tell due the fact that the number of the port that my computer is connected to on the router is 'lit up').

I have been trying to set the properties of this Local Area Connection and they are thus:

Client for Microsoft Networks
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
these above properties have all got a check box next to them and are ALL CHECKED.

on double clicking Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) (or going to the properties of it), the radio button is set to 'Obtain IP address automatically'.

Immediately under this radio button is another radio button 'Use the following IP address' which is unselected and hence, the three boxes named IP address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway are disabled.

Of these, IP address and Subnet Mask are both blank, but the Default Gateway has been set to an IP address, this was achieved through Advanced settings by adding a default gateway.

I havent included the actual IP address, but can say that the final number of the IP currently is 3 (it doesnt allow me to connect to the net) I have tried the final number as 1 but that doesnt work either.

I hope that someone can analyse this situation and tell me where i am going wrong, im a a newbie when it comes to all this and would greatly appreciate any help some one could offer.

Thanks Alot!!!!!

T

 

Log to this page it has a lot of links to instructions to Windows Network Settings, and Sharing.

Link to: Windows Network - Installing & Sharing.

 

I had and have a similar problem; but was able to create a workaround. I still can't connect to my network in the traditional way.
This is the way that I worked it out.
Bring up the DOS prompt on each of the machines and type ipconfig. This will give you the ip addresses to each machine. Try to ping each machine to see if you get a reply.

If you do, go to my network places and search for the ip addresses of the machines. (At this point, I chose to map the drive.)

Maybe this will help.