Network just quit working?! HELP

[icester1973]

SOLVED -- see next reply

My computer's network just up and quit. It is my "fileserver" so runs all the time with a couple of shares. I was copying stuff across my network (wired, 100Mbps) and it just quit working. No one was working on it - it was just sitting untouched.
The odd thing is that uTorrent still shows some minuscule network traffic (around 0.2 k/sec) and Peerblock shows refused connections so something is getting through. Also, the connection lights on the NIC show a connection. However, nothing else gets through - no pings or anything.
The SMART Lan utility in the BIOS correctly shows a 100Mb connection with a < 10 m cable length.

My setup:
MB: Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L with latest BIOS
Network: Realtek 8111DL (on-board)
PS: Enermax 550W
CPU: Intel 2.2GHz dual core
CPU Ninja Scythe
RAM: Geil DDR2 800 Mhz (2 x 2GB)
HD: SATA 750GB Seagate
Video: Intel GMA on-board
OS: Win XP SP3 (32-bit)

Things I've tried:
- 3 different cables (NIC to wireless router)
- 2 different ports on the wireless router (I know the router is good because other computers are working fine)
- Rosewill RC-400 NIC - installed and tried cables and ports again (this card was working last time I pulled it from a system)
- Rebooted multiple times
- Disabled Symantec firewall and anti-virus
- "Refreshed" the network settings (set to different address and set back to normal). Tried pinging from another computer to both address - timed out on both.
- I've also pinged the problem computer from other and tried to ping from it to others. I've also tried pinging the wireless router gateway - no success

PLEASE HELP!!!

 

[icester1973]

I'm such an idiot...

Rebooted the router and that fixed everything. Guess I was just too used to my rock solid Asus with DD-WRT... the Linksys isn't nearly as solid.

 

[bilbat]

Acckk! Just had a LinkSys WRT-600n die on me - immediately after the 'one year warranty timer' timed-out! Whole time I had it, neede to be rebooted at least once a month, sometimes twice a day! Thought because Sysco owned 'em, it'd be great (radios were!), but their fimware appeared to be written as a class project for Elbonian third-graders in a school for the cognitively challenged... Have a couple Scientific Atlanta (also Cisco-owned) cable things, (DVR and modem) that also appear to have the same s'ware 'design philosophy'! Even with DD-WRT loaded, the thing was never completely stable

 

[icester1973]

Best answer selected by icester1973.

 

[festerovic]

One way to cure this is to set the router to reboot everyday at like 3am. I have solid routers, and still every now and then they need a reboot. In cases were there are a lot of wireless equipment, and the distances are kinda far, I tend to get a lot more errors after a week, which throttles the speeds down. Rebooting it every day clears that and makes everything go back to normal.

 

[bilbat]

Hey - brilliant idea! Now, I gotta see if my idiot router can do that!! Already PO'd that it's too stooopid to do DHCP reservations...