Windows 7: New router - 1 laptop will not connect on startup ?

Have a home network with wireless printer and 2 laptops and other wired devices connected. On the downstairs laptop (Win XP Pro SP3) when I turn it on...I always recieve an ip address of 168.254.x.x ?

Relativly small 2 story house (1500sqft) Router is upstairs in office...one laptop is downstairs.



The manual says "Note: If your computer’s IP address is shown as 169.254.x.x: Windows and Mac OS generate and assign an IP address if the computer cannot reach a DHCP server. These autogenerated addresses are in subnet 169.254.x.x. If your IP address is in this range, check the connection from the computer to the router, and reboot your computer."

If I repair/refresh the adapter once or twice...then the correct ip is found ?

However...the other 3 wireless devices have no problems logging on at startup ?

Any suggestions on how to eliminate the constant 192.168.x.x ip error on the one laptop ?

I have moved and rotated the router but same issues on this laptop...?...my old (circa 2006 Netgear WGT 624) connected with no problems...Why would my new and improved WNR be having issues...supposed to be an "extended range router"

Do the router signals/waves bounce off objects like radio waves...or do they travel in relatively straight lines ?

Would assigning a static ip to this ( and/or all 7 devices on the network ) eliminate this issue ? Also...channel on my WNR3500v1 is set to auto...would designating a channel help with this issue ?

Trinaz, review this linkif you like: 3G Usb broadband connection

Sorry...but I don't understand the bulk of that post...except that the troubled laptop will not connect normally when I move it upstairs even at about 20 ft distance ?? I still get the 168.254.x.x when starting up ?

The laptop has a built in wireless adapter and I had no trouble with the older Netgear WGT 624.

Are you indicating it's something to do with the New router being an "N" series router ?

Thanks...TR

If you have an Ethernet connection on the laptop I'd consider using that to establish connectivity with your router and having it assign an IP via the DHCP service it has. Check your router's client table and see what IP it is using and assign it as a Static IP in the router then disconnect the Ethernet and disable it and assign the IP manually to your wireless adapter settings and you should be fine, sometimes connections are lazy and need help this usually sets things right.

Trinaz, the laptop in question? Is it a dual boot? Your attached specs are confusing. Are these specs from the laptop in question?
Also, may we have the model of your router?

Trinaz, depending where the hub router is located you are subject to radio interference from tv, fridge, walls etc. But if you had no problems or issues with the old router why switch?

No..the laptop is XP Home Edition SP3....the XP Pro SP3 on my specs is my previous XP setup/drive..etc. I did not set up a traditional dual boot when I moved to Win 7...but can boot to either via bios settings in my desktop box.

The XP of this post is my stand alone laptop XP Home Edition SP3

My understanding was/is that the WNR3500v1 has a much faster wireless throughput than my old Netgear router and laptops have now. Laptops are older and have a 58mps max wireless adapter built in. I also bought 2 Netgear WNDA3100 USB Wireless N adapters that I was told would increase my laptop wireless throughput on the 2 laptops from a max 58mbs up to 108mbs ?

I have not connected and/or installed the software for the new USB N adapters yet.

Thanks...TR

In the for what it's worth catagory...got everything running fine now and at over twice the original speed of the problem laptop.

My laptop ( Toshiba M65-S909) came with a ton of Toshiba utilities and stuff...1 of these was a wireless utility called ConfigFree. Have always had occasional connection problems with this...but over all was helpful.

Decided to uninstall ConfigFree via Control panel.....install the new WNDA3100 USB Wireless N adapter's software...and then install/config the new usb adpater....smooth as can be and I've gone from 58mbs at best to a consistent 130mbs for on-line activity !!

Also...laptop connects/no drops/even before XP fully loads...from anywhere in the house...including back yard patio area...nice !

Strange that old Netgear WGT 624 would connect without issues...but the new WNR3500 had so much trouble with the ConfigFree software ?

Thanks to all the tried to help...

TR

Ok...have tried everything I can think of and could find to troubleshoot in this group.

I have a network at home ( not a Win 7 "Homegroup"... problem machine was previously in it's own HomeGroup and that was discussed & removed in the following post:
http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/93853-cant-leave-unwanted-homegroup.html#post811038 )

Now prior to removing the HomeGroup from this one Win 7 Pro desktop (MARYANN-PC )...I could access all network places...including MARYANN-PC...from any PC/laptop in the network.

After removing the one problem desktop (MARYANN-PC) from the inadvertent and not wanted "HomeGroup" only on MARYANN-PC via the above forum link...I now can access all PC's/laptops..printers...etc from MARYANN-PC...but can not create any incoming connections to MaryAnn-PC from any of the other Network computers ?

I always get the attached manetwork.jpg error when trying to connect in-bound PC's/shared folders on MARYANN-PC from all other pc's/laptops ?

Here's a shot of the entire network in attached allnetwork.jpg. The NetBIOS machines are XP Pro SP3 and/or XP Home Editions SP3 machines.

Have checked line by line the permissions on both HOME_DESKTOP and MARYANN-PC (both Win 7 Pro machines)...and they are exactly the same as far as I can tell ?

Again I can access all shared PC folders from/outward MARYANN-PC...but can not access into the shared files/folders on MARYANN-PC..always get the attached error manetwork.jpg.

Here's the shared folders on MARYANN-PC jpg: ma.jpg attached

I can access all shared files from MARYANN-PC to/on other machines as: maryann-pc.jpg attahced...

can not access shared folders/files on MARYANN-PC from any machines ??

Can ping MARYANN-PC via name or IP address from all other machines ??

Please help if you can on what I am missing in MARYANN-PC's setup and or my home network setup ?

Thanks...Tim

Make sure the permission are correct?