Skype and Email works, internet doesn't.

[gatita]

My boyfriend is using an IBM ThinkPad with WinXP. Our network is a belkin 54g router on Time Warner Cable. The wlan card is Lenovo.

I'm running a macbook, so I haven't had any connection issues.

Earlier today, our connection cut out probably due to interference (upstairs neighbor recently set up a new network). It came back up, but now, while his skype works, he cannot browse sites.

The drivers for the card have been reinstalled, and the system has been rebooted. Before the drivers were reinstalled, email worked as well, but now that is bunk.

Thoughts?

 

[Iceblue]

My boyfriend is using an IBM ThinkPad with WinXP. Our network is a belkin 54g router on Time Warner Cable. The wlan card is Lenovo.

I'm running a macbook, so I haven't had any connection issues.

Earlier today, our connection cut out probably due to interference (upstairs neighbor recently set up a new network). It came back up, but now, while his skype works, he cannot browse sites.

The drivers for the card have been reinstalled, and the system has been rebooted. Before the drivers were reinstalled, email worked as well, but now that is bunk.

Thoughts?

Is your mac connecting through the same router at the same time as his PC that will not connect?

What channel is your neighbor using? Presumably, you have set your router to a different non-interfering channel.

Is the email that used to work and now doesn't webmail or POP/SMTP?

 

[gatita]

The mac works fine (obviously, since I'm using it to browse) and it's on the same network. We've changed the channel a couple times with no effect, and even adjusted placement of the router in the apartment.

The email is POP/SMTP, working through outlook. The browser is primarily Firefox, but IE doesn't work either.

We've had problems with this card before, but not with this sort of bizzareness. Usually it either works, or doesn't work.

EDIT: New info: IE is now giving a message that "the operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact the sysadmin."

I never placed any restrictions on said computer, I never made any adjustments to the network except to change the channel. Argh.

 

[gatita]

Well, the interweb came back. Disabled card, rebooted computer, enabled card, tada.

Of course it took three tries before said procedure worked.

Bah.

 

[Iceblue]

Ya know... NICs are pretty cheap. Ya might wanna think about how much all this aggrivation is worth and shop for a new NIC.

 

[gatita]

Yah. Tried that. Stupid POS IBM wouldn't recognize the card.

It was a gift from someone who used it a short period of time and then didn't need it anymore, so the fact that we have it at all is a blessing. So we put up with the issues it has.

Though he swears up and down his next one is going to be a Mac.

I tell him this is a very good idea.

 

[Iceblue]

Whatever floats your boat, but I've had just as many problems with macs and networking as I have with PCs. If the mac is not able to handle things in its own little way automatically or with minimal user help, then getting down to the true internal setups is a royal PITA (depending on the rev of OS-X), and if you're not comfortable with UNIX scripts, forget it. Windows is much easier (IMO) from a sys admin perspective.