Windows 7: Internet sharing issue

First, I know there are several similar issues posted. That being said, heres what I amy trying to do. I have a dell optiplex gx270 desktop with 2 ethernet cards (intel pro/1000 mt and ADMtek an983), a hp dv6815nr laptop using wireless, a us robotics maxg router and a novatel ovation ev-do broadband usb stick.

While runing xp on the desktop, I was able to connect one ethernet card to the uplink on the router and share that with the usb stick to have the whole network online. the second ethernet card allowed the desktop to communicate with the rest of the network.

After upgrading to Windows 7 on the desktop, the same configuration no longer works. Additionaly eaiter ethernet card, when connected to the uplink on the router, shows unidentified network and access type no network access in the network and sharing center. Any suggestions on getting this to work?

Hello Zalantar, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums!

You have several pieces of hardware described in your post but I am not able to see how they all connect together. If you wish to provide some additional info perhaps we can help?

You have a desktop with 7
A laptop with ?
A router?

I have experienced similar symptoms with Internet/Network access with 7 and the fix was to do a reinstall.

Otherwise, we would need to know if your network cards are showing exclamation marks in Device Manager, If you can create a new network connection in 7, and whether your network is a Public, Work, or Home?



You can also try the network troubleshooter



Please let us know if we can help?

Cheers!
Robert

Both computers are running Windows 7. The router is a US Robotics Wireless MaxG router. No exclamation marks in the device manager. All current drivers installed. I have 2 NICs installed on the desktop. One NIC is connected to a LAN port on the router to allow the desktop to communicate with the rest of the network (laptop, PS3, etc.). the other NIC is connected to the WAN port where normally a dsl/cable modem would connect. Since I don't have dsl or cable internet available where I live, but do have 3g cellular service, I am also using a Novatell 3g USB stick. The internet connection created by the USB stick is shared with the NIC connected to the WAN port. With WinXP, this allowed the router and all connected to it to access the internet. Unfortunatly, the same configuration with Windows 7 is not working. In the network and sharing center, all the network connections show. the USB stick and LAN connection both show thier network names, but the WAN connections will only show unidentified network and no network access

So your issue is really with the "Internet Connection Sharing" of Windows 7.

Personally, I have never used Internet Connection Sharing, never could get it to work and a router was a cheap and easy substitute. In your case, I don't see how to connect your Novatell 3g USB stick to your current router, or if it would even work connected to a router with a USB port.

In the normally conceived Internet Connection Sharing Setup, the Internet connection sharing computer takes the function of a network router to the other computers sharing the Internet connection. Perhaps a start would be to remove the router from your setup and see if you can get your laptop to share the connection directly connected to the desktop. Once achieved, then maybe the router could be returned and made to work?

I would suggest you will want to Google and learn all you can about Internet Connection Sharing and Windows 7 from MS sites and those who have successfully set it up.

Otherwise, I would be curious to see if your 3g USB stick would work connected to a USB enabled router?

Cheers!
Robert

The USB stick is conencted to a usb port on the desktop computer. Aqain worked well about 95% opf the time the computer was running when using win xp so must be a difference in the way the network traffic is handled on Windows 7. While the router I have does have a usb port, the usb connection on it is soley for using a usb printer on the network. Dont currently know of a router that would allow me to connect the usb stick direcly to and be able to dial out on the cellular network without getting a router with cellular 3g built in already. Frankly doen't have the extra funds to go that route right now