Connecting to the Internet with Windows Vista?

Question

I am attempting to connect to the internet with a laptop with Windows Vista. My working laptop is on a wireless network with XP and I am not sure if it is a security setting or if it is an ip issue or if it is ipv related. I am connected to the network with the vista computer just getting limited connection when trying to connect to the internet...

Thanks

Answer 1

Your Vista computer connects to the network, and how did you determine that, when you say that it gets limited connection when you try to connect to the Internet.

When you connect to the network, bring up a command window and enter the command ipconfig /all. If your router is giving you an IP address then it should be 192.168.y.xxx, where y is most commonly 0 or 1, and xxx is probably in the range of 100+. Then you should be able to access the Internet. If it is 169.x.x.x, which is the one that your PC gives if the DHCP server on the router is not providing an IP address. In that case you will not be able to connect to other computers on the network, or the Internet. So you have a proper physical or wireless connection to the router, but the router is not giving out an IP address. There are many possibilites that will cause the problem, but the two most common will be that the router is set to allow only computers with a MAC address in its allowed table, or the router limits the number of computers that can connect. Check that setting.

Answer 2

With absolutely no specifics in your question (router brand, laptop brand, wireless protocol settings, etc. etc.) I'm guessing that you have an incompatibility either in protocol or hardware. Try setting the router to wereless-g (only), and see if that helps. Wireless-n products from different manufacturers don't always play well together, but wireless-g is mostly stable and reliable.

Answer 3

pcs suck