Linksys Wireless network (HELP!)

[odinfire]

Scenario:

One Win XP Pro machine directly connected to a Wireless Linksys Router, 2.4 802.11b.
One Win 2000 client with Service Pack 3 installed using a PC Card Wi-Fi, 802.11b, also Linksys.
One Win XP home machine service pack 1 using a USB wireless device, 802.11b, also Linksys.

Symptoms:

The XP pro machine connected directly to the linksys router via RJ 45 cable connects fine to the internet. So does the w2k client with the PCMCIA adapter. Now the XP home with the USB wi fi adapter can not grab an IP from the router's DHCP service. I have tried EVERYTHING! I have removed it reinstalled it, tried the latest drivers, used ipconfig /release & renew, manually setting an IP address, yet nothing will allow the machine access to ping neighboring workgroup machines or browse the internet(NSlookup doesnt find a DNS server either). I contacted Linksys & they pretty much did everything I tried and nothing.
2) 0n the win XP pro machine I have a ink jet printer I am trying to share, hence I am creating a workgroup, but no matter how I attempt to workgroup these machines I can not locate the shared printer. (I setup the share on the xp pro for the printer correctly.) I have tried both manually changing the workgroup to make sure all computers have the same workgroup name & using the soho/small networking wizard win xp includes. Neither allows me to setup the workgroup.

So basically I have two problems:
1) I can not setup the workgroup correctly in order to share the printer.(I have setup a million workgroups yet this particular one eludes me)
2) The Win XP Home machine w/ the USB adapter will not communicate with the router for DHCP, or work if I manually setup a private IP addressing scheme which matches the DHCP scope of the router. (192.168.1.*)

Does anyone have anythinig else I can try before I return the USB adapter to try another? Or any quick sure fire methods to setup a workgroup for this kind of a setup?

I am at quite familiar with windows networking & tcpip yet these answers elude me.

Thanks in advance for your time,

Odin

 

[rpaverd]

Several suggestions (you may have already done these...)
1. Update to latest Linksys firmware on Router and USB adapter
2. Check to see that you do not have any other network adapter in the XP Home PC - the USB adapter will not work with any other network card configured even if it is not physically installed
3. Check to see if you have any physical communication between the USBN adapter and the access point are there any packets being sent and or received (doubleclick on wireless network icon to show this and signal strength etc.)
4. When you make any change whatsoever on the networking of the XP Home PC (or any XP version, for that matter), REBOOT - Windows XP is very flaky with regard to changing network settings (unlike Win2K, which is rock solid and reliable). You may need to reboot both the XP Pro and the Home PCs to get it right
5 With regard to the printer, try sharing using the machine name, printer share name approach, for example:
\\XPPROmachinename\Printer_sharename when setting up the client PC

Good luck!

 

[bcastner]

rpaverd,

"Check to see that you do not have any other network adapter in the XP Home PC - the USB adapter will not work with any other network card configured even if it is not physically installed"

This is absolutely not true.

"When you make any change whatsoever on the networking of the XP Home PC (or any XP version, for that matter), REBOOT - Windows XP is very flaky with regard to changing network settings (unlike Win2K, which is rock solid and reliable). You may need to reboot both the XP Pro and the Home PCs to get it right"

This also is not true. You might try the ipconfig command the next time you change settings if you are changing IPs or from DHCP to static if you experience a problem. But you should not have to reboot. For very elaborate changes in your TCP/IP parameters, use the Netsh command.

 

[bcastner]

odinfire,

A1. Return the adapter to the store; or RMA it to Linksys. If you use the cross-shipping feature of the RMA you will have your adapter in 2-3 Business Days. You have a faulty adapter. RMA:

https://ssl.linksys.com/rma1

While you are waiting, there are some things you can try, but I think it probable that the adapter is faulty.

If you installed the Linksys Client software, (a little blue square appears in your Task Tray) or your ran Setup from the Installation CD, or you ran the installation CD with the device attached, you may get it to work by disabling XP's Wireless Zero Configuration service. Right-click My Computer, Manage, Services, Services, and scroll towards the bottom of the list to Wireless Zero Configuration. Stop the service, and then disable it.

If you followed the installation manual and did not install the client software, do nothing and wait for the RMA.

A2. Printer sharing problem depends on whether you can see the other network clients in My Network Places. If you cannot see them, and/or they cannot see you, there is a TCP/IP Netbios issue. As you said all Workgroup names were identical, and all clients were Workgroup members, it is likely that some clients do not have Netbios active.

Check the TCP/IP properties of the adapter, Advanced, WINS tab to make sure that LMHOSTS is unchecked and Netbios over TCP/IP is checked. Every machine should be sharing something, anything, folder, printer, something. Everyone should logon at startup by hitting Enter or Okay but never Escape or Cancel. Then for the XP Pro machine either enter the usernames/passwords of all local users as new users, and/or enable the Guest account. You need to grant permission to the other Lan users to access the printer.

Check the Microsoft WHQL list for approved hardware under XP. Some HP printers will not work under HP, or require updated drivers. If all seems okay with compatability, remove the printer definition, and re-install the printer as a local printer on LPT1. Test that it works locally. Then edit the printer properties to make the printer a shared network printer. It should then be available.

 

[cannothandle]

odinfire,

Check your wireless connection if it is on a bridge. If it is, remove it!

 

[bcastner]

cannothandle,

The Bridge issues is a good point. But if everything was working as it should, the Bridge should not matter.

 

[ironwill]

Odinfire
Please also checked if the link light on the WUSB11 is lit up.Because basically if the link light is not On and the Link is OFF,this means that you won't be able to recieve any signals from the router.I may suggest that you better it back to the store.

Goodluck,
Julius