Fresh XP SP3 Install, WLAN stops working when LAN is connected?

By PJFry
in Microsoft (Windows)

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PJFry

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Hi,

I just did a fresh install of XP SP3 but I'm having an issue I've never had before, my WLAN works perfect until I connect the LAN at the same time which causes the WLAN to stop working (no pages load) until I disconnect or disable the LAN, then the WLAN starts working again straight away. I used the same drivers as always and the settings appear to be the same.

Can anyone think of anything that could be causing this? It's really annoying! Thanks in advance.

Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

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  • MVC
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And why would you have your wired and your wireless connected at the same time anyway?

Your computer will use the connection with the best metric if you more than 1 connection with gateway.

If you have a connection to your wired just for local lan access, then remove the gateway entry or change the metric to worse than your wireless metric.

Also depending on your wireless driver, its possible to disable the wirelesss radio when a wired connection present. We do this on all laptops at work, etc. There rarely any point to be connected to wireless and wired at the same time. Normally its the same network, etc. And as most users not knowing better will connect to both at the same time, which registers both IPs in dns, etc.. Just causes a mess. So we just disable the wireless when a wired connection is present.

If your is special case, then adjust your setting account for this. Ie if only 1 interface has access to other network and and or the internet. Only that interface should have gateway set.

If you have other local networks to access, then setup specific routes for those networks. A gateway tells the machine to get to other networks not locally connected use that gateway. If you have more than 1 -- the better metric, normally the wired connection will look faster than a wireless.. So that will be used.

by default, all windows interfaces use an automatic metric

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/299540

An explanation of the Automatic Metric feature for Internet Protocol routes

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PJFry

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Hi, Sorry I might not have made myself very clear in the first post (English isn't my first language).

They aren't both connected to the internet, the WLAN is connected to the router/internet and the LAN is connected to the XBOX (or a laptop) via a crossover cable so they can stream media from this PC. It usually worked fine but after this re-install if I'm streaming PC -> XBOX the internet won't work on this PC, I don't think I should need to change 'metric' settings for this - I never did before and the same set-up worked flawlessly for the last 3-4 years.

Thanks for the reply though, I'll have a look.

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PJFry

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Just as a little update (it won't let me edit my last post, so sorry for two in a row) - Just to check it wasn't something wrong with the PC I installed XP SP3 on my laptop and it had the same issue but when I reverted back to SP2 it worked fine again :huh:.

Now I just need to find if it can be properly fixed in SP3, or if I have to waste another day formatting the PC back to SP2 and re-installing everything :(.

Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

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  • MVC
Posted (edited)

If your wired is only connected to your Xbox -- why would feel you need to set a gateway?

There is NO gateway on that interface -- leave it empty! Your gateway is your router.. The only interface that should have a gateway set is the interface connected to your router.

As to why you say it works in sp2 and not sp3, not sure -- clearly missing some info.. If your interface is only connected to your xbox, then there should be NO gateway on that interface - period! Be it xp, sp1, sp2 or sp3, or windows 2k, or nt or linux or bsd -- does not matter.. If there is NO gateway on the network your interface is connected too, then you would not set one.. Or your going have issues.

The OS does not know any better.. If you tell it 192.168.01 is a way off the local network - then it will try and use that, if the metric to that gateway is better than the metric to any other gateway it knows about. ie your router on 192.168.1.1

If there is no gateway on 192.168.0.1 -- why would you have put that in???

edit: here this might help

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Default_gateway

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/interne...ult_gateway.htm

Q. What Is a Default Gateway?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/157025

Default Gateway Configuration for Multihomed Computers

Only one default gateway should be configured on any multihomed computer. The default gateway is a global configuration for the server, not a setting that must be set for each network adapter. The server is already aware of all the networks it is directly connected to, and adds a route to each network for which it has a TCP/IP address.

The default gateway is used only for traffic that needs to go to a network for which the server has no route. There is only one default gateway active for a computer at a time. You should generally configure the default gateway on the most complex network, and leave the field blank on the other adapter. However, if fault tolerance is desired, choose one of the following:

Edited by BudMan
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PJFry

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Ah Thanks! That deleting out the default gateway seems to have worked (hopefully, I've only had chance to test the laptop at the moment).

As I'm sure you can tell I've got 0 experience with networking I just had the default gateway filled out because in the article I used when first setting it up several years ago it told me to, and with SP1 & SP2 it never caused any problems so I guess I never noticed that was the wrong thing to do.

Next, where it says IP address, enter: 192.168.0.1. Where it says Subnet Mask, enter: 255.255.255.0. , and where it says default gateway enter 192.168.0.1

Thanks again.

Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted (edited)

And please link to the source of that article.. thanks!

edit: is this the guide?

http://www.xbox-hq.com/html/xbox-tutorials-11.html

That guide is asinine to say it nicely.. To state what a user should put in as their IP and or gateway to setup a static is nonsense.. Sorry but not all routers are 192.168.0.1

It depends on the maker of the the specific router what the default lan IP of the router will be.. So saying change your machine to X is hogwash.. And will break anyone that does not have a router with an IP of that.

And that setting is for what your should setup as your PC to have a static IP.. Not what you should setup on the secondary nic connected to your Xbox.

I guess the section you looked at was the

EvolutionX Using Two Network Interface Cards (NIC's):

Again -- the guide is not real clear to which nic your setting up.. But should be pretty clear they are talking about the nic connected to your router, and not the one connected to the xbox. Since they mention your machine if running ICS or winroute it will be running a dhcp server to hand an IP to your xbox, etc.

Edited by BudMan
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PJFry

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Yeah I'm pretty sure that was the guide. I didn't really know or care if the guide was correct at the time, just that it worked (which it did, until SP3) - even if it was just luck/coincidence that it worked.

Hopefully it's set up the proper way now... well, even if it isn't, it's working again anyway so I'm happy :p

Explorer

unL33T

Posted
Posted

XP has always behaved this way for me. It always seems to send all traffic through the wired connection once it is attached. I had a program awhile ago that would let you specify what each network card was for and it would correct this issue but I can't remember what it is called...

Grand Master

+BudMan MVC

Posted
  • MVC
Posted

"It always seems to send all traffic through the wired connection once it is attached."

And we have already gone over why this is ;)

Your default gateway, your route table and the metrics on the interfaces determine which one is used when. BTW there is NO Point to connecting both a wired and wireless interface that are connected to the same network.

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