Router/TCP|IP HELP please!

[synthz]

Hello...

I had a problem with my router for the past few days. I installed the wrong firmware given by my ISP helpdesk. And i can't access the admin page anymore to install the right firmware. I used a tool called Look@LAN to find the IP address for the admin page manually. Turned out the router is still visible (192.168.1.1) when i do a scan but somehow the admin page is destroyed. There's no active services when i did a port scan. So there's no other way around it besides buying a new router :(.

So i bought the same exact model (Netgear DM602) and plug it in. Now i can get a line-sync signal. Everythings looks alright. I've already changed back my IP to be automatically detected. BUT when i try to go to the admin page(192.168.0.1) to put in my account details, i'm just getting "Page cannot be displayed". This is really strange, cause this is a fresh new router. I've tried few different IP to get in like 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.25 or even 192.168.0.100 but still can't get in. This is very frustrating. So then i tried to change my IP back to 192.168.0.25 just like last night when i tried to troubleshoot the old router. I can get in the admin page!!! I put in my user/pw and check if all the settings are correct, then apply. I still don't have net connection!! :((( Then i'm thinking, maybe this is because the IP isn't auto-detected. So i changed it back to be auto-detected. Still no net connection! And i can't get back in to the admin page if it's auto-detected, but the manual says it has to be auto-detected. I'm really confused...

After thinking for 45 mins, i remember i installed another WinXP in the same machine, but it's naked, no s/w at all. So i tried the OS anyway, suddenly i can get net connection!!! No need to adjust any settings at all! (Well, probably the user/pw was already inserted at my previous attempt in the other XP OS). So that's how i can post this message. But i wanna go back to the other OS and fix the problem. I think this problem occured because all the things i've done to troubleshoot the old router.

I know this sounds complex and confusing, but i hope somebody can help me....

[Samuel]

Have you checked your hosts file? Maybe you have some sort of proxy software on the machine that cannot connect that has altered your hosts file.

Also, it's possible the tcp/ip stack has become corrupt either by hardware damage, or software tinkering by spyware etc.

Try removing the connection totally from your control panel and reinstalling your network card. If this doesn't sort it, uninstall it and remove the network card entirely and put another one in.

[synthz]

Thanks for the assistance Samuel...

Uhmm..what's a 'host file'?

As far as i know i'm not using using a proxy... (if by proxy you mean the ones in IE tools/options

Try removing connection... do you mean delete the LAN from my network connections window? And my NIC is build inside the mobo.. so i don't really have a NIC.. but if it's the LAN how come that same LAN is working with the other XP OS?

[Samuel]

What's a hosts file

A hosts file is a small ascii document within your operating system that can be tweaked to resolve a host somewhere other than where your ISP's DNS system tells your operating system to go. Example, I can point cnn.com to a local ip here on the lan and my system will never go to the remote IP, just the local one as the kernel looks to the hosts file. It is a file with no extension, editable with notepad. Search your windows directory and open it with notepad and inspect it for odd occurances.

By proxy, I mean proxy type software that might be clogging the operating system with useless functions to try to :Protect you:. But, you say you've install a firmware in an external device so not sure how your system can be affected by the firware change on your router, or even a new router (Or I misunderstood your question and comments).

Yes, delete the lan connection from your network connections window, recreate. Also check the DNS settings to make sure its using the router's ip as the DNS and gateway.

Last answer, because this os is screwed lol

[synthz]

Samuel... i have to do all of these in that 'screwed' OS right? :)

For the host file.. you said there's no extension, but does it have a common name i can put in the search parameters? or do you know which folder is it normally sitting in? It's just there's too many files in windows folder for manual searching, that's all.

Proxy - oh ok, i understandnow. Yep, the firmware was installed in the old router (external).

I'll recreate a new connection in the 'screwed' OS. For DNS settings, isn't it also supposed to be auto-detected? I'll compare the DNS and the IP.

Screwed OS or screwed LAN? :P

I couldn't delet the LAN connection.. it's like it's permanent or something..
I tried click the repair button, but i'm getting "couldn't renew the IP address"
I also tried creating a new network (SOHO or something) but that's unrelated i think..

[Samuel]

Yes, in the screwed os, that's the problem here that's started the thread?

It is called a hosts file. That is its name, hosts

That the connection cannot be deleted leads me to believe something is amiss in the tcp/ip stack, that the kernel is damaged. You might do everything you can only to find that reinstalling the OS is the fix here, but one option is to remove the protocals from the operating system. then resintall them.

[synthz]

I found the hosts file...

# Copyright (c) 1993-1999 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

127.0.0.1 localhost

sounds like i need to reinstall all my s/w in the new OS huh?

[Bobert]

Doesn't look like there's anythinig wrong there...

[Samuel]

Well it sounds like your network drivers are stuck. Do you know how to enter the operating system during "Safe Mode" ?

You could try removing the drivers and reinstalling them on reboot after removing them while in safe mode. I've seen this with XP/2000 before, the network staff becomes corrupt and holds onto the network drivers.

[synthz]

I can go into the admin page w/ the screwed OS now.. don't know why...

Oh my god!! Turned out the culprit is Zone Alarm firewall!! I did some DNS test thru pinging sites straight from the IP and i can see complete sites. That's weird... Starting to sounds more and mroe like DSN problem. It's like the system can't translate IP into words... Then my friend suggest me to disable the firewall. Windows firewall was ticked at this point, so i disabled that. Still no connection, and I disabled Zone Alarm. Suddenly it works!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!! Which means Zone Alarm is the culprit, but it's weird cause it's never doing this before. I also installed ZoneAlarm in the new OS and it doesn't do this.

So i uninstalled & re-installed Zone Alarm and everything goes back to normal... except the internet outage :( I probably need to upgrade the router firmware to fix this *yikes!* but it's not necesarilly will fix the problem....

Thanks for all your inputs Samuel!

[Samuel]

Glad you sorted it.

[Bobert]

I tend to stay away from software firewalls, I've had nothing but problems with them...