Networking problem to drive you crazy..

[dbarrow]

Finishing up some minor work on daughter's machine.
Had it connected via onboard NIC and Cat5 to my network where everything worked just fine.
IP 198.162.0.6

Since it is going upstairs and I don't want to string cat5, and since I already have a Netgear wireless card in it...
Set up the wireless and turned on wireless in my netgear router. Set SSID WEP and passkey. Works fine.

But... after an hour or so, her machine vanishes from My Network on all the other machines.
Her's is still connected, still has IP 192.168.05, still accesses the other machines and network, still has internet connection.
The only way to get it to show up on my machine is to do a network repair or restart the wireless card. Then it stays on for a while and vanishes again.

Several days of trying to figure this out...
Not a firewall issue.
Not a router or card issue.

As usual, one of my first stops is the MSKB and a few searches.
Run across this
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907717/en-us
Windows Firewall may drop ICMP packets on a Windows XP SP2-based computer that has more than one network adapter

Well, this would stand to reason as I had not disabled the NIC card with status "cable unplugged"

It appears that when it came around to the ICMP ping, it was confused over the two IPs and the network just dropped it.

Disabled the NIC connection, reboot, and it has been ok since.

Nothing like a networking issue to drive you right up the wall!

[tonyd]

thanks for the tip

[compusimple]

Just thought of something.
In the old days when comcast charged for each additional computer that was hooked up, we used to have 2 network cards in the same machine. One that was on the local network and one that went to comcast. So I suspect that there is someway to keep the on board card active.

Elliott

[dbarrow]

There is a specific fix listed in the MSKB article, one you have to request them to give you. The problem seems to originate after SP2.
I ran machines with two nics before.

I didn't bother to dig further, shutting off the onboard LAN resolved my problem and I was already at frustration level.

If you have a requirement to run two Nics, I guess you can dig further and find the solution.

[kerremelk]

hi

use a short Cat5 and an old NIC, and connect it (the old nic need not be in a machine)

[Dan18960]

hi

use a short Cat5 and an old NIC, and connect it (the old nic need not be in a machine)

Most of today's motherboards come with the nic on-board. In fact, I wouldn't purchase one without it.

Video on the other hand I wouldn't purchase a motherboard WITH it on-board.

[mylanta]

Most of today's motherboards come with the nic on-board. In fact, I wouldn't purchase one without it.

Video on the other hand I wouldn't purchase a motherboard WITH it on-board.


But Dan,
You will only buy Intel boards and almost all of them have onboard video.

[Dan18960]

But Dan,
You will only buy Intel boards and almost all of them have onboard video.

LOL EXCEPT the models I buy!