Can't connect to internet

Caffg_2

Hi,
Hoping someone can help. I have an HP laptop which connects to the Internet via my blue yonder service without any difficulty at all.

A visitor using an Acer Aspire 6930g laptop cannot get a connection - even though he has previously connected the laptop to the Internet via a btinernet service without difficulty.

When he tries the blueyonder service here a message comes on screen saying Windows will try to fix the problem by 'repairing' the connection - but later reports that the repair hasn't worked.

Any ideas as to how I can sort this out. The connection to the router is via ethernet cable.

Thanks.

aliEnRIK

Switch off the modem, router and both computers
Power up the modem ~ wait till its settled. Power up the router, wait till its settled
Power up his computer and try again (How is YOURS connected?)

Caffg_2

Thank you so much AlienRik. That has to be one of the fastest fixes ever. I would have thanked you sooner but I wanted to reconnect my own laptop to see whether that would still get an internet connection - but it wouldn't - so I guess I have to go through the switch it all off and switch it back on again routine for that machine now.

Is there any way that both laptops can get a (consecutive) connection without the need for a switch off of the router etc?

elvch01

what is the make & model number of your router? - it should be possible to get multiple wireless connections all the time

aliEnRIK

It should work with both anyways. Some routers just go a bit dodgy at times

But you never answered ~ how is YOURS connected?

Caffg_2

I'm not on wireless yet. Current router is a Motorola SB5100

aliEnRIK

Caffg wrote: »

I'm not on wireless yet. Current router is a Motorola SB5100

THATS why. Its a MODEM, NOT a router. You have to power them down and up to connect to another computer. You need a router or ethernet HUB to connect more computers at the same time

weegie.geek

a hub won't help, since the surfboard isn't a router. It will only dhcp an IP to the device directly connected to it, so if there's more than one device connected, it'll assign the ip to the first device to ask for one, and the other machine will be stuck without net. Using internet connection sharing you might get it working, but I can see the SB getting confused when the second machine tries to DHCP from it.

You need a router.

aliEnRIK

my bad ~ router it is then

macman

But how was the OP's visitor trying to connect in the first place-maybe wirelessly?-which might explain why he was not getting anywhere. The OP mentions an ethernet conection, but is this not just a USB modem connection?

weegie.geek

macman wrote: »

But how was the OP's visitor trying to connect in the first place-maybe wirelessly?-which might explain why he was not getting anywhere. The OP mentions an ethernet conection, but is this not just a USB modem connection?

The SB5100 has USB and Ethernet. It's one or the other though, it'll only work with the connection you first use, and the other won't do a thing. I'm guessing the visitor tried to use the unused port.