Windows 7: Dual Network Problems

SO i have two NICs in my computer, one embedded and one PCI e. The integrated one connects to my school network which has internet and the PCie one is used to connect to my little network in my room. On that small network is where i have my 2TB NAS device.



SO if both NICs are enabled, i cannot access the internet, although it clearly states that "Network 2" has internet access. This is the integrated one.

however, if i disable my private network, then i can surf the web just fine.

I would imagine that i need to switch the connections, making my school network "Network" and my room network "Network 2" but i have no idea how.

any suggestions?

Here is my ipconfig

Yeah, knowing your IP settings would be a big help here. I have multiple NICs on my machine as well. In fact, most machines have multiple NICs. So I don't think it is because you have multiple NICs.

Also post the IP settings of your NAS. While we may not need it, I have a feeling we may do need them.

The usual culprit is each ethernet NIC having a default gateway. Windows will get very confused and won't know where to send traffic. As a results it'll end up sending traffic that should go to the internet to the wrong NIC.

Normally the easiest way to resolve it is to remove the default gateway from the NIC used for the NAS. In this case you have it set for DHCP so it's probably getting an IP address from the NAS itself.

You could try setting the NIC to a static address outside the NAS's DHCP range or disable the DHCP service on the NAS if you can. Set all the same settings but leave out the default gateway.

sounds good redbirddad, but i should mention, that the Nas is connected through a router. It's a NETGEAR WNR3500

That explains where the DHCP address came from. You can still use a static address though. Just use one outside the router's DHCP range.

Give that a try.

What does DHCP stand for? and where would i change that?

I'm assuming your NAS is connected through the NIC that has the IP address 192.168.1.x.

Before we recommend anything, mainly another network, we need to know if the router your NAS is connect to is connected to anything else. It's unlikely turning off the routing function on your router will affect your network, but just in case.

If the router isn't connected to another network, then we are in the clear. Depending on your router model, you need to turn off the routing function. Usually there is a setting that switches the router to "bridge mode."

You don't really remove it. Do you know how to configure IP settings?

Network and Sharing Center => Change Adapter Settings (look on the left).

Right click on the adapter, Click Properties, Look for Internet Protocol Version 4. Click on it then click Properties. The default is Obtain IP Address Automatically (DHCP). Select Use the Following IP. Put in IP Address and Subnet but leave out Default gateway.

He doesn't need to turn off the router. For this test he doesn't need to even touch it.

Well, here's the whole network configuration

Integrated NIC:
gigabit LAN to a small netgear switch which connects to the schools network.

PCIe NIC:
Gigabit Lan to my WNR3500. Connected to that is my NAS from Iomega.
desktop is reserved at 192.168.1.2
NAS is reserved at 192.168.1.17

As for bridging the connections, im not sure if that's the best idea. I'm not supposed to even have this router but i need it. i tried to just use a crossover to connect to it, but that wouldnt allow me to connect my laptop or anyone else's computers up to my NAS for troubleshooting purposes.
The Network Operations Manager is quite strict, because this school has alot of private data throught its networks, and if i were ever to turn on the wireless in this router, they'd kill my internet.