Internet Explorer 6 Problem?

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I have a Packard bell lap top and have recently upgraded to a Belkin wireless network card which shares my broadband connection with my desk top pc via a Belkin modem/router upstairs in one of my bedrooms. I have no problem with the wireless link which shows that it is connected via the router. The problem I'm having is when I try and connect using the lap top. After double-clicking the IE icon on the desktop. I get a 'cannot find server message'.
I have tried changing the default address, with no luck!
I am running the lap top on WinXP and my desktop runs on WinME and is running perfectly and connects to my homepage every time.
Please can somone help?


Edit (J): Moved to Internet forum

 

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Click Tools>Internet Options> Connection> and if see your ADSL connection in there, select it and click on "Always dial my default connection". If not, then select "Never dial a connection" and IE should automatically pick up the ADSL connection.

Let us know how you get on.

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Well, your first problem is that you are using pack bell but that's besides the point. Can you ping the default gateway by ip and can you ping an Internet host by domain name? It sounds like you may be having a DNS issue. Try entering an ip address of an Internet host in the browser address bar instead of the URL such as:

Http://66.102.7.104

and see if that works (it's Google).

 

Do you have connectivity between your laptop and desktop. In other words, can you drop to the command prompt and PING the IP address of your other computer? Are your computers configured to automatically receive IP configuration from a DHCP server or have you manually configured them.

On XP you can run cmd and type ipconfig /all at the command prompt to see how it is configured.

From memory, on ME you need to run command to get to the prompt and the type winipcfg to see how that is configured.

Post the results here as it will help us help you.

 

Yep! Ican ping to ISP & the URL worked to Google. But if I type www.Google.com I get the infamous 'Cannot conect to server' message. Many thanks for your input.
Also my packard Bell was working perfectly before I added this Belkin nonsense to it. So I can't blame the Pc. I'm getting very close to returning the router and wirless adaptor from whence it came. With the aid of my size 9 boot of course!
I didn't get much help from the Belkin help desk, which incidentally is in Bangalore,India.
They took me through the connection stages in the Internet Explorer Tools>Properties>Connections etc.
And also went through various command promt instuctions as well as logging on to the ISP and checking the setup.
After that they reckoned that there was a problem with IExplorer and that I should contact my computer supplier. The annoying thing is that it was the Belkin product that caused this problem in the first place. The problem is still there alas.

I have also tried system restore - no luck.
Is there any way to reset my DNS settings? Cheers Welshwizzard.

 

If its DNS problems you need to contact your ISP to get the DNS servers from them and they will tell you where those need to be put...since your able to view a web page via its IP address then this will be the solution...

 

Yeah, sounds like a DNS problem.
You should be able to get your ISP's DNS settings from their website.
Once you have them, go into your routers setup, usually 192.168.0.1 from a browser and check the DNS settings are right.
You could select 'get DNS automatically from ISP'. (Depending on ISP though)
If DNS entries are wrong or empty, then enter the primary and secondary DNS servers.

If this fails, next thing to do is try your old broadband modem directly connected to your computer.

See if you get the same problem.

Neall

 

This is nonsense

It is definitely a DNS issue, DNS resolves FQDN (fully qualified domain names) ie www.google.com to IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. That is what is not working in your set up!!

If you did as I asked earlier and posted the results of your IP config we could give better advice.

You could also install Opera or Firefox or any other browser *if* you really wanted to eliminate the possibility that it is a browser issue. You would not need to contact the computer supplier.

 

....contact your computer supplier? blimey whatever next? who did u say your ISP was again? I would love to talk to them...contact your computer supplier...yeah right...unless of course they meant Microsoft themself...but then again I cant see that one working either...like Bluerinse says its clearly a DNS problem which is what I first stated and also try installing the other browsers just in case....*walks out of the room still laughing to himself!!* computer supplier...gotta remember that one...sorry to laugh but it is funny...but on a seroius note since you say the problem started since u got the Belkin router, it clearly needs configuring and that means a) u will need contact belkin for help on that and b) once u get the DNS servers from your ISP input them into the router itself (not the PCs) and all your troubles will be solved......

 

I was wondering when someone would get around to requesting this. (I hadn't seen your first request.)

The first thing to do in troubleshooting a problem that gives the error the OP describes is to get the ipconfig printout and then check that info against the ISP's dns servers. That's the very first step.

Start at the basics and work out from there. That's the first rule of troubleshooting and it hasn't been followed on this thread.

 

Yes I did go through all the ipconfig etc. routines with the various help desks, who'm all but one, thought the problem was with the DNS server issue. This was incorrect. BT's DNS Servers were working fine and they could not understand what the problem was and suggested I contact my computer supplier which is what I did. My computer supplier then suggested I look at the configuration of my firewall. After tweaking the internet access configuration within this firewall I was able to gain access to the web with no further issues. 'I won't mention the firewall software, as I don't want to get in to any SYMANTEC's with anyone.
Many thanks to you all for contributing to this thread.

WELSHWIZZARD. Sorry BELKIN for rubbishing your Hardware.

 

Hmmm.... I'll hazard a guess as to what you finally found as you hadn't even mentioned that there was a firewall on the laptop until now.

I'm guessing that somewhere in the mix of hardware changes DNS began to be sent to your laptop as UDP rather TCP packets. Then your software firewall began dropping them as UDP isn't stateful. You ended up having to reconfigure your laptop's firewall to accept UDP packets on port 53.

 

It is always a good idea as a *first step*, to disable personal firewalls if you are having connectivity issues. They can cause issues with printing, file sharing and Internet access because they are designed to block certain types of communication.

If connectivity is restored once the personal firewall is disabled, you then know where the problem is and so you can re-enable the firewall and focus on it's configuration.

 

so all that time it was the firewall...well thank god its sorted...