my roommate got a new computer for christmas because his old one was not functional anymore. because his old one didn't work we just had the internet hooked up to my computer and we've both been using mine.

now that he has a working computer we got a switch and set it up and my computer wouldn't work off it, so we talked to a guy i work with who told us we need a router, so we exchanged the switch that the guy at circuit city told us to get for a router. well, for some reason, just like with the switch, mine won't acknowledge a connection when plugged in through the router, even if it is the only one plugged in, it just says that the cable is unplugged. we've powered down the cable modem, tried new cables, turned everything off and booted everything one at a time, and it's still not working. it will only connect if i plug it straight into the modem. my roommate' computer is working fine.

i have noticed that my computer doesn't like any kind of hub, i can't use a usb hub either because it causes it to freeze.

do i need a new card or is there a setting in my computer that is fuckin with us that we might have overlooked? or what?

1/3/2006 4:12:30 PM

bttt, now that everyone's home from work

1/3/2006 11:57:35 PM

the same network card will link to the cable modem right?

1/4/2006 12:12:34 AM

yes, but not when run through the switch (which i know doesn't work anyway, but my roommate's did when it was plugged in by itselft) or the router.

1/4/2006 12:16:05 AM

does your roommate's PC link to the router? If so, check your cable.. otherwise, it may be a NIC incompatibility or something.

1/4/2006 12:36:01 AM

Can you see the NIC connector light up when you plug the cable in to a router? What about a modem?

If the answer to both is yes, it is a software issue, like maybe you have somehow managed to lock Windows to connect to just one MAC address.

1/4/2006 12:43:14 AM

yes, his does, we have switched the cables, they're good.

no it does not light up when plugged into the router, just the modem.

^ is more what i was thinking is wrong, but i don't have a clue as to which setting to look for to change it.

[Edited on January 4, 2006 at 1:04 AM. Reason : ]

1/4/2006 1:03:07 AM

ok something tells me this has to do with autosensing ports. Check the router for autosensing ports. They should be set to normal or whatever the non-loopback/direct connect/reverse setting is.

Your roommate's nic adjusts itself automatically, and you bought the wrong type of cable. So he can use it with both, whereas you have an old NIC that doesn't autoadjust. Check the router manual.

[Edited on January 4, 2006 at 1:15 AM. Reason : .]

1/4/2006 1:14:24 AM

there are no switches or buttons whatsoever on this thing, just lights and plugs. and the cables are standard cat-5 network cables.

i honestly feel that it has more to do with my computer as it did not play nice with my old roommate's router either, but would work for the most part. since about may however, it only works when plugged straight to the modem.

[Edited on January 4, 2006 at 1:19 AM. Reason : ]

1/4/2006 1:18:08 AM

^ I agree. With the info you posted, the first thing i'd try is updating the NIC drivers. If that doesn't help, a new NIC can be had for $10, and returned if that doesn't fix it.

1/4/2006 9:50:00 AM

well, i broke down and bought a wireless card so we could get rid of this 50ft of wire that runs the 30ft or so between our computers.

works beautifully now.

thanx for the help.

1/4/2006 4:24:30 PM