Recently my wireless router has been having issues. It's been having 'issues' for a long time, but I have been losing my connection rather frequently over the past couple of days. One of the issues has been a 'wsacancelblockingcall', about some other issues in the eventviewer it is suggested that problems might be due to a service running as user when it should be running as system or vice versa. DHCP, tcp issues. The network card (either the router's or the computer's) keeps getting rediscovered. Typically the connection is lost and the comp keeps trying to get a new network address, which takes time. Lots of stuff, not in English. Setup: single computer wirelessly connected to router, wired connection between router and modem. No other devices in the network. WIN XP SP3. I have another setup that is not connected to his network at all. Since I've been getting the infamous 169. IP address assigned to my router which also happened to my previous router shortly before it got bricked I decided to flush the NVRAM, reinstall the firmware, followed by a full reset. No problems thus far. I've been doing the 'flush NVRAM, full reset' routine more often but considering the way things have been going lately I decided to reinstall the firmware too. It's holding for now ... Some of these issues are old. What is new, is that I seem to get these connection problems more often when I keep several tabs open at the same time ! Usually I use Opera. It's weird. Viewing a single page with IE7, no problem. Tabbed browsing in Opera... Just a coincidence ? Keeping several tabs open in Opera while running the Avira suite can exceed the use of more RAM than the available 512 MB.
Hey Fly, as a recently-retired networking guy, it would be my pleasure to help you today. Please tell me the following: 1) Your router brand, model number, firmware version, and approximately length of time you have been using this router. 2) Your computer's wireless NIC brand, model number, and driver version.
It's a Sitecom router. Since I'd rather not have all this stuff out in the open, I'll send the details by PM, all right ? Maybe it's not 'personally identifyable' but I'd rather err on the side of caution. I'm not part of the Facebook generation.
I advised Fly to update the drivers for his wireless adapter; he is running the drivers as shipped by the vendor, and there have been several updates since then. His moto has been "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it", which is fine, but in this case, it is broke and needs fixing.
No but you are providing advice on a "forum" - a venue designed and put in place to encourage "open" discussions and participation by all so EVERYONE has an opportunity to learn, share, and participate. Providing (or accepting) advice via a PM is bad idea!!!!! You have no idea who this kdcdq character is (no disrespect meant - just making a point). Forums allow for others to verify facts and ensure members are not being led astray, intentionally or by negligence.
Bill_Bright, I understand you all right. Are you a moderator now ? As I see it, people are allowed to decide what they share and how they do that, by posting or by sending a PM. Bill, I am not an idiot and I would never accept advice blindly. 'You have no idea who this kdcdq character is' True to some extent, but I checked a few of his prior posts. I have had many fruitful discussions by PM. Perhaps you miss out on a lot Bill, by sticking to the open forum and not entertaining PMs. Btw, the firmware of my router was up to date, just not the firmware of the adapter. Whether updating the adapter will make a difference remains to be seen.
Thanks for backing me up Fly! I am who I say I am; a recently-retired networking guy who has been working with/on computers since 1972, and a ten year member of Wilders. BTW Fly, your latest post has a minor error in it; the driver updates that your wireless adapter vendor has will update the adapter drivers, not the adapter firmware. Also, if you wanted to help isolate the problem area, you could connect your machine directly to your router via an Ethernet cable. If your network issues go away, that would point us to problems with your wireless adapter.
I am just saying, the purpose of forums is for all to participate and have an opportunity to learn. I did not question your credentials - in fact, I made it point in saying no disrespect meant. But note you saying you are an expect does not make you one. These forums are anonymous and frequented by bad guys just as easily by good. You can follow the link in my sig to see if you feel I might be qualified (or anonymous) or not.
Bill, I meant no disrespect to you either. I have followed your posts for some time now and find them to the "spot on" pretty much every time. The best to you and yours...
Thanks. I hate being wrong so I tend to verify my facts (with my friend, Bing Google) before posting to ensure I really do know what I am talking about (or at my age, forgotten what I was talking about! ). Again, the point of forums is so everyone, now and those in the future coming to this thread via a search, can learn too. There is nothing that can be said by PMs that cannot be said in a public post - except personal information and that is not needed to help someone setup a network or fix a computer. I note many forums expressly forbid technical help being solicited or given via PM in their rules - not just to keep the spirit of "open discussion" alive, but to ensure proper advice is given and just as important, that the OP is on the same page. Sure they are. But you posted your question in an "open forum".
This is what Fly shared with me via PM: 1) The brand and model numbers of the router and wireless adapter in use. 2) Firmware version in the router. 3) Driver level of the wireless adapter. While none of this information is normally considered confidential, it was his/her choice not to put this information in this public forum, so I will not do so as well.
You may be right about the firmware. Although, on the other hand the new 'driver'/utility (?) gives both the utility and driver version, AND ALSO the firmware version: 0.20 I never paid any attention the any previous firmware versions, if any. Actually, how does one update the firmware ? Just curious. I'm not too keen about connecting the router to the computer. Actually, I did that when reloading the firmware. But what would it accomplish ? It's a different type of connection. Anyway, I tried that when I was troubleshooting my previous router and I kept getting the 169. IP and shortly after that the router was bricked. Anyway, I seem to recall that the IPSEC error (see PM) just remains when I use a direct wired connection between the router and the computer.
The purpose of the forum is not just learning, but also giving and receiving help. This forum has its own rules. What can and cannot be said is subjective. I just don't feel comfortable giving out all the specifics about the brand/type/software and hardware details, nor do I need to. Call me paranoid. Erring on the side of caution is just easier. What if at some point a screenshot is required ? I would not feel comfortable posting that out in the open, even when heavily redacted. For those with the skills, resources and motivation a lot of 'personal' (that's open to debate, of course) stuff could be gleaned from seemingly innocuous stuff. 'Default deny' is a great and simple security AND privacy policy. [/QUOTE=Fly]As I see it, people are allowed to decide what they share and how they do that, by posting or by sending a PM.[/QUOTE] (What's the issue with quotes within quotes ??) Yes, so what ? Should I start by bothering people who I know or do not know by PM ?
I have never seen wireless firmware and drivers in one update before; you learn something new every day. Yes, I saw that the vendor update in question supplied both the utility and driver update in the same package; I wasn't sure if you wanted/needed the utility part of the update. And, YES, a direct router connect via an Ethernet cable is a whole different connection type; it uses your computers Ethernet adapter (which has it's own firmware and drivers) to access the router, rather than going through the wireless adapter.
Fly, I just noticed your PM; thanks for the heads up. I am tied up for a bit but will try to respond to your update this evening.
Fly let me know via PM that his system and related networking appear to be working well right now after he installed the latest driver in his networking wireless adapter. I'm glad to hear it.
And I am glad to hear the solution was to update the adapter's drivers. That is useful information others can learn from, should they encounter the problem themselves, or if helping others. Thanks for posting so everyone had a opportunity to learn something new, or confirm their suspicions.
