Can't Configure 2nd PC's Network Connection w/o Netgear Switch

[Guest]

I have two PCs running XP Home, both connected to a Netgear Fast Ethernet Switch 105. I would like to configure the 2nd (new) PC directly to my DSL service without the switch or the 1st PC, but all attempts with a direct connection and the connection wizard yield no results. Keep getting an error 678. If I connect the 2nd PC to the switch, and connect the DSL line to the switch the connection then works. But I want to get rid of the switch and just go straight 2nd PC to DSL

Have spent several hours on phone with BellSouth.net tech support but have had no success in fixing this. Also have combed multiple MS XP NewsGroups on microsoft.com but can not seem to find a fix for this???

I can not tell if somehow I have ICS installed or not on these PCs (one as host and one as client maybe??).

The Netgear switch does not appear to have any s/w associated with it as far as I can tell, so I can not figure out whether / how this switch seems to be "controlling" how 2nd PC accesses DSL

(If I direct connect the first PC to the DSL I can log in no problem everytime w/o the switch.

Do not see any firewall turned on anywhere

Would appreciate any help here how to fix this

Thanks!

 

[Bob Willard]

I have two PCs running XP Home, both connected to a Netgear Fast Ethernet Switch 105. I would like to configure the 2nd (new) PC directly to my DSL service without the switch or the 1st PC, but all attempts with a direct connection and the connection wizard yield no results. Keep getting an error 678. If I connect the 2nd PC to the switch, and connect the DSL line to the switch the connection then works. But I want to get rid of the switch and just go straight 2nd PC to DSL.

Have spent several hours on phone with BellSouth.net tech support but have had no success in fixing this. Also have combed multiple MS XP NewsGroups on microsoft.com but can not seem to find a fix for this???

I can not tell if somehow I have ICS installed or not on these PCs (one as host and one as client maybe??).

The Netgear switch does not appear to have any s/w associated with it as far as I can tell, so I can not figure out whether / how this switch seems to be "controlling" how 2nd PC accesses DSL.

(If I direct connect the first PC to the DSL I can log in no problem everytime w/o the switch.)

Do not see any firewall turned on anywhere.

Would appreciate any help here how to fix this.

Thanks!

The switch only steers packets from one receiving port to another
transmitting port. It only looks at the address info in packets
to decide where to steer the packets. So, the switch does not
really control the 2nd PC.

When you say you want the 2nd PC to connect directly to DSL instead
of going through the switch, do you mean that the switch and the 1st
PC are to be removed? If not, how do you intend to connect PC-2 to
PC-1?

Also, if the switch does allow both PC-1 and PC-2 to get to the web
and to each other, why do you want to bypass it?

 

[James]

Thanks Bob.

I want to bypass PC-1 because it is old and slow. Want
the new PC-2 to be the main PC connected to the DSL. (PC-
1 will become the kids PC for their games etc.)

1st PC is VERY slow (and old). Having virtual memory
problems which is causing the slow down. Am planning to
re-format this machine and load an OEM version of XP
(rather than current multiple upgrades from Win98).

Why can I not use the Network Configuration wizard to
connect directly to my DSL drop?? Why does it only work
through the switch??

Thanks,

James

-----Original Message-----

Netgear Fast Ethernet Switch 105. I would like to
configure the 2nd (new) PC directly to my DSL service
without the switch or the 1st PC, but all attempts with a
direct connection and the connection wizard yield no
results. Keep getting an error 678. If I connect the
2nd PC to the switch, and connect the DSL line to the
switch the connection then works. But I want to get rid
of the switch and just go straight 2nd PC to DSL.tech support but have had no success in fixing this.
Also have combed multiple MS XP NewsGroups on
microsoft.com but can not seem to find a fix for this???associated with it as far as I can tell, so I can not
figure out whether / how this switch seems to
be "controlling" how 2nd PC accesses DSL.

 

[Bob Willard]

Thanks Bob.

I want to bypass PC-1 because it is old and slow. Want
the new PC-2 to be the main PC connected to the DSL. (PC-
1 will become the kids PC for their games etc.)

1st PC is VERY slow (and old). Having virtual memory
problems which is causing the slow down. Am planning to
re-format this machine and load an OEM version of XP
(rather than current multiple upgrades from Win98).

Why can I not use the Network Configuration wizard to
connect directly to my DSL drop?? Why does it only work
through the switch??

Thanks,

James


Netgear Fast Ethernet Switch 105. I would like to
configure the 2nd (new) PC directly to my DSL service
without the switch or the 1st PC, but all attempts with a
direct connection and the connection wizard yield no
results. Keep getting an error 678. If I connect the
2nd PC to the switch, and connect the DSL line to the
switch the connection then works. But I want to get rid
of the switch and just go straight 2nd PC to DSL.


tech support but have had no success in fixing this.
Also have combed multiple MS XP NewsGroups on
microsoft.com but can not seem to find a fix for this???


on these PCs (one as host and one as client maybe??).


associated with it as far as I can tell, so I can not
figure out whether / how this switch seems to
be "controlling" how 2nd PC accesses DSL.


in no problem everytime w/o the switch.)


to another


does not


DSL instead


and the 1st


connect PC-2 to


to the web

If PC2-Sw-DSLmodem works, then PC2-DSLmodem should also work *and*
there should be no reason to run the Wiz to make the change because
you are not changing the logical network configuration; you are
merely changing the physical path.

But, if your old configuration was PC2-Sw-PC1-DSLmodem, then changing
to PC2-DSLmodem *is* a significant configuration change -- not
because of deleting the Switch, but because of deleting PC1 as the
ICS host.

Likewise, you would be making a significant configuration change by
bypassing the Switch if it is actually a router, not just a simple
switch.

So, two Q's. Was PC1 acting as the ICS host? Is the switch actually
a router?

Also, since I assume that you really want to wind up with both PC2 and
PC1 having concurrent access to the web, note that you have some
choices about how. I strongly favor using a real router, but see
http://home.comcast.net/~bobwbsgs/homenet.txt to understand the choices.