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DNS settings / IP config


RhBBob

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Our BT Home-Hub-3 provides wireless access for SWMBO's desktop (Win 8.1) and my laptop (Win 7).

 

Desktop Internet access is fine but today the Laptop cannot connect.  BT Help suggest that the fault lies between the Hub and the Internet but obviously that is rubbish.

 

Somewhere back in the various BT suggestions was a mention of IP settings or config and/or DNS server.

 

What can I do to check or change these settings in my Laptop ?

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  • RMweb Gold

There's a command line utility to release & renew your IP address. Rebooting a PC doesn't always do this.

 

Start -> Run -> cmd to bring up the command line interface (i.e. what looks like a DOS window)

 

then in that box I'd recommend trying these commands

 

ipconfig /release

 

then

 

ipconfig /renew

 

The DNS settings will be configured in the hub and as you've got one PC connecting OK, that suggests they're correct.

 

This page shows all the ipconfig commands

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ipconfig.mspx?mfr=true

 

You can use ipconfig to tinker with the DNS settings but my guess is they're OK.

 

Perhaps also try

 

ipconfig /flushdns before the /renew.

 

Mark

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Thanks, Mark, all appears to be working again !!

 

Having been initially unsuccessful with the 'release', 'flush' and 'renew', I entered the /registerdns command from the Microsoft site and so far so good, as they say !!

 

I was beginning to suspect 'the nut on the keyboard' was at fault  :jester:

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Seems as if I shall have to keep flushing etc., every so often !!

 

Message reads something like 'cannot flush wireless connection while media is in operation' - disappears too quickly for a screen grab !!

 

Screen grab now offers this tome !

 

'An error occurs while renewing wireless ....etc., the name specified in the network control block (NCB) is in use on a remote adapter'. Then it says 'the NCB is the data'.

 

I wonder what that means and can it be rectified ?

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  • RMweb Gold

It's possible that your home hub router has a duplicate listing for the laptop's network address (known as the MAC address). In most home wi-fi setups, IP addresses are allocated dynamically (DHCP) for a set time (known as a lease).

 

Most of the time, this is fine but sometimes if the device has been disconnected and reconnected, the data for previously issued addresses remains and confuses the DHCP server in the router.

 

It sounds like you'll need to log on to the router and check.  Each of your PCs will have a unique machine name which you can find in System Properties under Computer Name. Somewhere in the admin tools on the router will be the facility to see what's logged on to the network indentified by Computer Name. From there, you can delete the entry for the laptop and start afresh.

 

Sorry this is a bit vague, I don't know the ins & outs of the BT home hub.

 

Mark

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  • RMweb Premium

It's possible that your home hub router has a duplicate listing for the laptop's network address (known as the MAC address). In most home wi-fi setups, IP addresses are allocated dynamically (DHCP) for a set time (known as a lease).

 

Most of the time, this is fine but sometimes if the device has been disconnected and reconnected, the data for previously issued addresses remains and confuses the DHCP server in the router.

 

It sounds like you'll need to log on to the router and check.  Each of your PCs will have a unique machine name which you can find in System Properties under Computer Name. Somewhere in the admin tools on the router will be the facility to see what's logged on to the network indentified by Computer Name. From there, you can delete the entry for the laptop and start afresh.

 

Sorry this is a bit vague, I don't know the ins & outs of the BT home hub.

 

Mark

Hi

 

Unfortunately not everything will display by its computer name. You are better off finding the MAC address of the PC in question and looking for that in the router attached devices. You can get the MAC address from ipconfig /all (physical address)

 

Cheers

 

Paul

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  • RMweb Premium

I know it's not to everyone's taste, but I far prefer to use static IP and DNS addresses entered into each connecting computer manually. At least then I know that the DHCP can't foul things up.

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Interesting thread. I had a problem early this week with one machine not connecting to my network either by wired or wireless means. I resolved the issue without really understanding how or why. I suspect that I can deduce the reason from the comments above.

 

I must admit that, for the core devices on my network, I had thought of assigning static ip addresses. I have gone so far as producing a table of the values with the idea that it would be easier to block certain machines from internet access if the relevant machines occupied a block of adjacent addresses.

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Thanks to Paul and Mark !

 

I finally attached the big yellow Ethernet cable as a connection to test the message about 'local area connection cannot be made because media is disconnected'.

 

Cable worked well until I removed it to see if wireless was working; sadly neither wireless or rj45 cable will now bring up the internet.

 

BT Hub has five items as follows:-

Me (wireless)

Me (Ethernet cable)

Wife (wireless)

MSFT (probably the wireless printer)

Unknown -f4-81-39-88-04-24

Unknown - 60-02-b4-f8-a0-84

 

One of the unknowns could be the Kies server (Samsung) which doesn't show it's MAC address; this shows a small screen on start-up which wants me to switch because an application is busy.

 

A complete mystery but I shall re-boot and try with the Ethernet cable again !

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No internet at all now - even the Ethernet cable doesn't work !!

 

Wife's PC is fine !!

 

Please don't waste valuable time as I shall probably visit the computer repairs folks in Horncastle !!  

 

However thoughts and possible solutions are always welcome !

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  • RMweb Gold

Do you use any antivirus/Firewall?

 

My Win7 auto-updated overnight and my Norton Firewall then threw a hissyfit this morning, with similar problems to DNS issues regarding web browsing...running update on Norton seems to have sorted it.

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Well I went with the BT Help idea to use WiFi with Fon and when it connected, BT asked me if I was at home which I am !  It then tells me I should be using my Home-hub and promptly re-connects me to the Hub....

 

Nine minutes later, we are still connected .....ooo  :O

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Well I went with the BT Help idea to use WiFi with Fon and when it connected, BT asked me if I was at home which I am !  It then tells me I should be using my Home-hub and promptly re-connects me to the Hub....

 

Nine minutes later, we are still connected .....ooo  :O

 

No ! Spoke too soon !  We are disconnected again

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Well I think we have solved it !!

 

Yes, I do mean 'we' as I would never have 'attacked' the DNS department without your help !

 

I went to the BT Forum and they recommended changing the DNS to the 'Google' settings as follows:-

 

Use the following DNS settings  8 .8 .8 .8

Alternate DNS settings              8 .8 .4 .4

 

In Wireless Connection Properties, untick the IPv6 as these settings are using the IPv4

 

I should have remembered these Google settings as I have used them before.... :jester:

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