[Merged] Connection problem - IP address 169.

[Moominpappa]

Yep, tried Robin's page and tried most of what seems to apply. I can see that son can't have put correct MAC address into the router because he didn't keep a note of the MAC address for either machine before he started, (d'oh - but then he's the one who did computer studies at A level, hence my naive trust!)

Even with all his fiddling around, I can't see that he could have cloned another MAC address into the NIC on either PC so I can only assume that what shows up in ipconfig/all is what it was before the router installation.

Either way, the STB has recognised the MAC's previously for both machines when they have been the sole machine using broadband. It concerns me that son's machine couldn't subsequently access broadband after we'd set up the Evesham machine. I see from Robin's web-page that the NTL server use to only recognise one MAC, but as the page goes on to say, that is no longer the case, and Tech Support have confirmed this. However, I have followed Robin's suggested procedure for de-installing one computer and replacing it with another - all to no avail.

The complicating factor from my perspective is that neither machine can now be set up with broadband - it seems too much of a co-incidence that there would be the same hardware glitch on both.

It's a pain in the A*** - every time I try something I have to break the dial-up network sharing that I've set up, turn off set-top boxes, etc, all with three kids and a wife who either want to be on the internet or watch cable tv breathing down my neck! My usage bill came to £150 extra last month plus a rental for a BB connection that I can't connect to! I've even tried getting local firms out to come and have a look - as soon as I tell them its NTL with a set-top box they run a mile.........

Originally Posted by Moominpappa

Yep, tried Robin's page and tried most of what seems to apply. I can see that son can't have put correct MAC address into the router because he didn't keep a note of the MAC address for either machine before he started, (d'oh - but then he's the one who did computer studies at A level, hence my naive trust!)

Even with all his fiddling around, I can't see that he could have cloned another MAC address into the NIC on either PC so I can only assume that what shows up in ipconfig/all is what it was before the router installation.

Either way, the STB has recognised the MAC's previously for both machines when they have been the sole machine using broadband. It concerns me that son's machine couldn't subsequently access broadband after we'd set up the Evesham machine. I see from Robin's web-page that the NTL server use to only recognise one MAC, but as the page goes on to say, that is no longer the case, and Tech Support have confirmed this. However, I have followed Robin's suggested procedure for de-installing one computer and replacing it with another - all to no avail.

The complicating factor from my perspective is that neither machine can now be set up with broadband - it seems too much of a co-incidence that there would be the same hardware glitch on both.

It's a pain in the A*** - every time I try something I have to break the dial-up network sharing that I've set up, turn off set-top boxes, etc, all with three kids and a wife who either want to be on the internet or watch cable tv breathing down my neck! My usage bill came to £150 extra last month plus a rental for a BB connection that I can't connect to! I've even tried getting local firms out to come and have a look - as soon as I tell them its NTL with a set-top box they run a mile.........

What area are you in. If its the north west i could pay a visit

Regards

[altis]

In case you're worried - Bill is NTL's Mr Fixit in the Northwest.

[Moominpappa]

Thanks guys that really is appreciated- but it's Norwich I'm afraid. In latitude terms we are closer to the North Pole than Birmingham so at least we're not softy southerners!....but I don't think I'm really north enough for you.

I'm resigned now to trying to re-install XP on at least our machine - son can make up his own mine as he did a runner to his girlfriends after the install c***up and is only gracing us with his company when her parents are away and therefore no-one will cook for him\them.

So one last question - all the guidance says make sure that your computer can boot from the CD drive, and seems to assume that I know how to do this - is there an idiot's guide somewhere that anyone knows of, (preferably for very dumb idiots like me - I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to be useful)

Originally Posted by Moominpappa

Thanks guys that really is appreciated- but it's Norwich I'm afraid. In latitude terms we are closer to the North Pole than Birmingham so at least we're not softy southerners!....but I don't think I'm really north enough for you.

I'm resigned now to trying to re-install XP on at least our machine - son can make up his own mine as he did a runner to his girlfriends after the install c***up and is only gracing us with his company when her parents are away and therefore no-one will cook for him\them.

So one last question - all the guidance says make sure that your computer can boot from the CD drive, and seems to assume that I know how to do this - is there an idiot's guide somewhere that anyone knows of, (preferably for very dumb idiots like me - I know enough to be dangerous but not enough to be useful)

Try these sites

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

http://windows.radified.com/windows_xp_install.htm

http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/O...tallxppro1.htm


Hope they help you

[th'engineer]

Originally Posted by Bill C

Try these sites

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/

http://windows.radified.com/windows_xp_install.htm

http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/O...tallxppro1.htm


Hope they help you

The master at work again i am not worthy , the best help in the NW BILL C

Originally Posted by th'engineer

The master at work again i am not worthy , the best help in the NW BILL C

[BBKing]

Um - if the original poster was getting a private IP fine, then the STB connection is working fine, and all they need to do is go through registration, which takes about a minute, assuming they still have their original PIN and password.

You don't need to muck about with changing MAC addresses and the like.

[Moominpappa]

Trouble is to register I've got to get past a default HTML page that tells me that my PC can't connect to the internet, a ping\network connection repair\network card uninstall and reinstall that all tell me that the DNS server can't be contacted or has failed to respond. Funnily enough I didn't get my original welcome letter so had to ring up and get the details which I still have written down - I would welcome the chance to use them.


Ok - I've just spent three hours installing XP - the set-up didn't even give me the option of a repair install, (presumably because I've got Eveshams OEM version of XP). About half way down the first page of the XP reinstall guide on
http://www.windowsreinstall.com/, what was happening on my screen was going off on a completely different tangent. I then had to install the software for stuff like the Nvidia networking card and such-like, and I've still got a small stack of CD's for tomorrow night. So of course I've lost all the personal files, mails etc - which hopefully are backed up because I copied them over to my son's hard drive before removing the network connection.

And I bet you can guess what I still haven't got after all that Sorry to sound tetchy - its just that's another weekend wasted and if anything I'm worse off than I was on Friday night - even the big overkill solution doesn't appear to solve this one!

[BBKing]

Default HTML page saying you can't connect?

This the standard Microsoft one rather than any HTML one?

Make sure:

You haven't specified any DNS servers.

You haven't specified a proxy.

I've registered on STB broadband from a variety of machines from Win 98 to FreeBSD and it's worked every time.

If you PM me with the STB's MAC address or smart card number I can double-check it's still got broadband enabled on it. No point mucking about reinstalling XP until the basics are checked, really.

[td444]

Originally Posted by BBKing

Um - if the original poster was getting a private IP fine, then the STB connection is working fine, and all they need to do is go through registration, which takes about a minute, assuming they still have their original PIN and password.

You don't need to muck about with changing MAC addresses and the like.

He said 169.x range - thats usually Window's own internal addressing when there's no DHCP present...unless NTL use that range too?