NETGEAR router firmware recovery utility

NETGEAR router firmware recovery utility

Prerequisites:

- - PC

- - Routers resource CD

- - Active power to router and the router has lights lit on the front panel

- - Router that supports the firmware recovery from CD (see Q & A at end of article)

Overview:

If you are having problems with your NETGEAR router booting up, you may want to try this procedure before declaring that the router is DEAD or submitting an RMA request (or returning the product to the store).

Getting Started:

The first things to identify are the common symptoms that could indicate that a firmware recovery is needed. Below are 3 of the most common symptoms:

Symptoms:

*Blinking Power light / steady amber Power light.

*No access to admin UI.

*Does not assign DHCP address to local clients.

If you are seeing any of the above symptoms, you should try a firmware recovery using the following steps.

Q and A

1. What other devices have the recovery utility?

Answer: All of new home routers should have this but not on new DG routers.

2. Do all these devices use the same utility?

Answer: You can’t use the same utility for other home routers because the FW is embedded on CD.

Running the firmware recovery:

1. Hard wire a PC to any one of the LAN ports on the router. (No need to configure a static IP on the computer’s NIC card).

2. Insert the Resource CD in the CD-ROM drive (If the CD utility does not automatically open, try to browse the CD and click on the Autoplay.exe file).

For WNDR3400

For WNR2000v2

NOTE: Make sure you are logged in as Administrator, or have admin rights to run the Router firmware recovery.

3. After clicking Firmware Recovery Utility, the Smart Wizard for the firmware recovery utility will come up. Complete the five steps that are listed to do Router firmware recovery.

Note: After Clicking Next everything will be done automatically by the wizard but will take time. In our example, the process took approximately 20 minutes to complete.

4. Once the router settings are verified, Step 5 will inform you that you have successfully recovered your Router using Firmware recovery.

How to troubleshoot your Windows XP wireless network connection problems

Does your laptop keep dropping or losing it’s wireless connection for no reason? Or maybe your laptop can see the wireless access point, but won’t connect unless you restart the entire computer? These are some of the problems that I’ve had myself and so here’s a quick and dirty guide to troubleshooting your wireless network without having to go out and buy a new router!

Firstly, the more common wireless issue is the fact that your computer will continuously drop the wireless connection and then suddenly reconnect for no apparent reason. The main culprits behind this type of problem is usually software, not hardware. By software, I don’t mean your Windows operating system, but instead am referring to the device drivers for your wireless network card and your wireless router.

You’ll need to visit the web site’s for the hardware manufactures and download the latest drivers. So if you have a Dell, go to support.dell.com, find your model and download the driver for the wireless card. Same thing applies to your router, go to Dlink, Netgear, or Linksys’s web site and install the latest firmware for the router. You can read a previous article I had written about updating drivers for your wireless card if the connection is dropping.

That will usually fix any problems with the connection being dropped! If you’re having problems connecting in the first place, you might want to try resetting the current configuration in Windows and then try to connect. You can do this by first going to the Control Panel and clicking on Network Connections.

You’ll get a list of all the current connections on your computer, such as Bluetooth, wireless, etc. Go ahead and right-click on your wireless network connection and choose Properties.

Click on the Wireless Networks tab and click on the name of the network in the list of Preferred networks. Now you want to click Remove so that Windows will erase any of the current settings for that network and will start freshly again. A lot of times when you refresh the list of networks again, Windows will automatically connect. Go ahead and click OK and then click on the wireless network icon in your Taskbar and try to connect again.

If that does not work, you can also try to Repair the wireless connection. The Repair option tries a few other things, such as disabling and re-enabling the wireless card, clearing out the DNS cache of old records, and then connecting to the wireless network. You can do a repair by going to Network Connections as shown above and right-clicking the wireless connection and choosing Repair.

So if the three methods so far, driver, resetting, and repairing don’t work, then try to unplug the wireless router and plugging it back in after about a minute. It’s best to turn off the cable modem too, then turn on the cable modem first and then turn on the router.

Unless there is something physically wrong with the router, one of those methods should work! You can also try restarting your computer, but that’s not really any help since everything has to be closed down. Any other methods, post a comment!

Resource: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/how-to-troubleshoot-your-windows-xp-wireless-network-connection-problems/

How to connect two computers or laptops wirelessly

Need to quickly connect up to your friends laptop wirelessly while you’re at school so you can download his entire MP3 and movie collection? Unless you’re on the same network and in the same workgroup or domain, it’s practically impossible to share data between two computers without some technical knowledge.

However, if you have a laptop or computer that has a wireless card and so does your buddy, you can use them to make a wireless connection between the two laptops. Once they are connected wirelessly (also called a peer-to-peer ad-hoc wireless network), you can easily share data between the computers.

You can create an ad-hoc network in Windows itself, however, it’s a real pain in the butt and still not very easy to share data even after the two computers are connected. That’s where you can download a freeware application that will help you setup a wireless peer-to-peer network between two computers with any need for a router, access point or the Internet!

WiPeer not only supports directly file sharing between computers, but also playing multi-player games, chatting, and collaboration between programs.

Here’s two examples of how you could use WiPeer as described on the web site:

- You are visiting your friends and would like to transfer photos of a shared trip from your laptop to theirs. Wouldn’t it be great if you could share your files with them directly from one computer to the other?

- You are sitting in a boring lecture. You and your friends all have laptops, but your university has not installed an access point in the lecture room. Wouldn’t it be great if you could play a game of Chess or Reversi against them, or even gossip with them about yesterday’s football match?

Here are a couple of the major features of this nifty little application:

• Ad-Hoc social networks – WiPeer is also like an IM application, whereby you can create your own profiles and send chat requests from the program itself. You can also see who else is online if they are running WiPeer in proxmity.

• Interactive Multiplayer Games – This program is cool! It comes with games built into it like chess, Chinese checkers, Reversi, and Connect 4!

• File Sharing & File Searching – You can share files or complete folders with others using WiPeer. You can also search files that are shared out by other WiPeer users, but does not show private files.

• Create Ad-Hoc networks – This is obviously the best feature of WiPeer! You can create a connection between two computers without any reliance on routers, access points, or any other third party infrastructure. They can be formed anywhere, like on trains, buses, airplanes, etc.

It’s a good idea to keep the program on your USB stick also just in case you run into a friend that you would like to share data with, but they don’t have WiPeer installed on their computer. It’s a tiny program (only 4MB) and doesn’t take up very many resources at all!

Overall, a great program that should have been created a long time ago! Works wonderfully and saves a TON of hassle! Enjoy!

Resource: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/free-software-downloads/how-to-connect-two-computers-or-laptops-wirelessly/

Change IP address and DNS servers using the command prompt

Changing TCP/IP settings using the GUI property is very easy and simple. But what about if you want to have more fun doing it, and change the IP and DNS properties using the windows command prompt? If you are a Linux guru or a batch scripting wizard this should not be complicated, if you are new to the command prompt, well, today is a good day to start.

We will change the IP address and DNS servers using the built-in utility in Windows called “Netsh” is a nifty utility to change system networking settings, locally or remotely. To run Netsh click on Start then RUN and type CMD press ENTER.

When the command prompt comes up type Netsh, now you should be ready to execute commands. Simple huh. Just to warm up type “interface ip show config“ that will show up the TCP/IP network settings.

Now, how you change the IP address and Default Gateway settings? To change the Local Area Connection TCP/IP settings type the following command:

interface ip set address name=”Local Area Connection” static 192.168.10.42 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

As you can see, when you use Netsh you need to specify what network properties you need to change, in the example above, we changed the network properties for “Local Area Connection” then we setup a static IP address, Subnet Mask and at the end the default gateway.

Changing the DNS IP address is almost identical as the procedure above, type the following command on the Netsh prompt:

interface ip set dns “Local Area Connection” static 192.168.1.1

To Setup WINS, type the following command:

interface ip set wins “Local Area Connection” static 192.168.1.1

To set the network properties to obtain the IP address from a DHCP server, type the following command:

interface ip set address “Local Area Connection” dhcp

To set DNS to obtain IP address automatically type the following:

netsh interface ip set dns “Local Area Connection” dhcp

There you have it, a useful tool to help you on your network configuration.

Resource: http://helpdeskgeek.com/networking/change-ip-address-and-dns-servers-using-the-command-prompt/

How to fix Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close

Have you ever been browsing the Internet using IE happily until all of a sudden you get this horrid “Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close” error message, after which IE completely shuts down and you lose all of your tabs along with any forms you might have been filling out? Now that I use Firefox religiously, this has not happened to be even once, but it happened all the time with Internet Explorer.

So for those poor souls still using IE 6 or 7, here’s a quick list of steps you can take to try and fix the underlying problem. The cause of this error can be any number of things, so you may have to try a few things before it actually fixes the problem. Your error may look something like this:

Error sign

AppName: iexplore.exe AppVer. 7.0.5730.11 ModName: unknown

ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 61eb77e0

So what the heck to do if you get this error? Try each one of these steps and see if the problem goes away:

• Open IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, and clear out the temporary Internet files. Click Delete All and choose the option to delete all offline content also. In case you downloaded some executable file that is causing the problem, this will remove it.
• Run anti-spyware and anti-virus software on the computer. Download Adware and Spybot and run each to remove any malware. Also, download CCleaner and HiJackThis and run both applications. Remove unwanted entries that you see when you run HiJackThis (you’ll have to read the docs to know what to remove).
• Go to Start, Run and then type in MSCONFIG. Click on the Startup tab and uncheck all items and then re-start the computer. This disables all startup programs from running. If you still get the error, go ahead and turn them back on the same way.
• Disable Smarts Tags in Internet Explorer by going to Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, and then clearing the Enable Smart Tags check box.
• Install the latest updates from Microsoft Update web site. If you started receiving this error AFTER installing the latest updates, you will have to perform a System Restore to the point before you installed the updates. You can access the System Restore feature by going to Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then System Tools.
• Use System File Checker to scan for changes or modifications to Windows protected files. If any files were overwritten or deleted, etc, SFC will automatically retrieve the correct version of the file and replace it. You can run SFC by going to Start, and then Run, typing in CMD and then typing sfc /scannow in the command window.
• Re-register Internet Explorer DLL files. Click on Start, then Run, type in CMD and then type the following lines and press Enter after each one:

regsvr32 softpub.dll

regsvr32 wintrust.dll

regsvr32 initpki.dll

regsvr32 dssenh.dll

regsvr32 rsaenh.dll

regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll

regsvr32 sccbase.dll

regsvr32 slbcsp.dll

regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

• Disable all third party addons to Internet Explorer by going to Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, Advanced tab and then un-checking the “Enable third party browser extensions” check box. You will have to scroll down a couple of lines.

Hopefully if you’ve been getting this error, one of these methods mentioned above will fix the problem. If you have questions about how to perform a step, please post a comment and I will try to help you out! Enjoy!

Resource: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/internet-explorer-tips/how-to-fix-internet-explorer-has-encountered-a-problem-and-needs-to-close/

How to repair and fix Winsock error in Windows XP

Winsock is a specification that is used in Windows and it determines how network applications communicate with network services, such as TCP/IP. It basically defines how two network programs will communicate with each other. For example, in order for an FTP client to work correctly, it uses Winsock.

However, Winsock can become corrupted on a Windows machine during the removal of spyware or adware. You may begin to get strange errors relating to Winsock or socket errors and basic commands such as IPCONFIG will not work correctly. You may also get errors like Page cannot be displayed when trying to browse the Internet.

In order to fix the Winsock error, you have to reset the entire TCP/IP protocol on your Windows computer. There are currently several ways you can try to fix the problem: using the command line, downloading a third party app, etc.

Winsock XP Fix

Winsock Fix is a freeware program that can be used as a last resort to fix your Internet connectivity problems. It will try to repair a corrupted Internet connection due to missing registry entries.

You can also back up the registry using the program, so it’s safe to use. The program is kind of old, so it may or may not actually work.

Reset TCP/IP Network Stack

The first thing to try if the above program does not work is to reset the TCP/IP network stack. Open the command prompt by going to Start, Run and typing in CMD. Now type the following command:

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

This will basically rewrites two registry keys that are required for TCP/IP to work correctly. If this does not work, read below!

Reset Winsock using netsh

If resetting TCP/IP does not work for you, try to reset the TCP/IP stack using the reset command. First open the command prompt by going to Start, Run and typing CMD.

Now type the following command below:

netsh winsock reset catalog

The Winsock catalog will be reset to it’s default configuration. If you have a LSP that is corrupted and causing network connectivity problems, this command should repair that. Note that if you run this command, you may have to re-install several programs that had LSPs installed previously, such as Google Desktop Search, etc.

You can also check out the Microsoft Knowledge Base article below that details more steps you can take to fix Winsock2 corruption in Windows XP and Windows Vista:

Recover from Winsock2 corruption in Windows

Hopefully, one of the methods above has solved your network problem! If not, then you may have to reinstall Windows as it could simple be too corrupted. Another error that is common is Ineternet Explorer encountered a problem and needs to close.

Resources:

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/winsock-fix/

http://www.snapfiles.com/screenshots/winsockxpfix.htm

How to fix “Cannot renew IP address” in Windows

Recently, I was working on a clients machine and after logging in realized that for some reason I was not able to connect to the server. I went to the command prompt and type in IPCONFIG and pressed Enter.

The IP address for the computer was 169.254.x.x and the subnet mask was 255.255.255.0. The 169.254 address is an APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) address that is assigned when no DHCP server is available or reachable.

So I decided to run the IPCONFIG /RENEW command to renew the computers’ IP address. Unfortunately, that didn’t work either and I got the following error:

An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection : An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket.

If you get this error when trying to renew your IP address, you have a problem with the WinSock configuration on your computer. Luckily, you can read my post from Online Tech Tips on how to repair Winsock errors in Windows.

However, that may not be the only reason why an ipconfig /renew would not work. You may also get an error like this:

Limited or no connectivity

You might not be able to access the Internet or some network resources. This problem occurred because the network did not assign a network address to the computer.

For example, if you have a static IP address, then renewing will never work. You can tell if you have a static IP address by typing in IPCONFIG by itself and making sure it’s something other than 169.254. If it is, then someone may have manually set your IP address.

This means that even if there is a DHCP server on the network, it won’t get a new IP address. You can set your computer to obtain an IP address from a DHCP server automatically by going to Start, Control Panel, Network Connections. Right-click on the Local Area Connection and choose Properties.

On the General tab, scroll down in the list box till you see Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and highlight it. Then click on Properties.

Now make sure that both Obtain an IP address automatically and Obtain DNS server address automatically are selected.

Now try to renew your IP address and see if you can connect to the Internet or network. If this does not work, you have to make sure there is not some kind of software on your computer that could be blocking all the ports on your computer.

Disable any firewall software and remove or disable programs like Zone Alarm and Norton Internet Security as they can get in the way sometimes.

Finally, the problem of not being able to renew your IP address could be because of the network interface card (NIC) itself. It could be with the drivers, so download the latest drivers and update them.

You can also test out whether it is a problem with your network card by connecting the computer to another device such as a cable modem or another router and seeing if it can connect to the Internet. If so, it could be a problem with the router assigning IP addresses and it would be easiest to reset the router.

Resource: http://helpdeskgeek.com/networking/how-to-fix-cannot-renew-ip-address-in-windows/

IP Address Conflict

Ever get the following message when turning on your computer or taking it out of sleep mode?

There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network

You may also see a different error message for the same problem:

This IP address is already in use on the network. Please reconfigure a different IP address.

This occurs when two computers on the same LAN network end up with the same IP address. When this occurs, both computers end up not being able to connect to network resources or perform other network operations.

This problem, though rare, can occur because of the following reasons:

Two computers are assigned the same static IP addresses

One computer is assigned a static IP address that falls into the DHCP range for the local network and the same address is assigned to a computer by the DHCP server

A laptop is put into sleep mode and then turned on while connected to another network that uses the same IP address

If you have multiple network adapters, it is possible for a to have an IP address conflict with itself

How to resolve an IP address conflict

There are a few ways you can go about fixing this problem. I’ll start with the simplest and move on.

1. Renew IP Address – You can release and renew the IP address for your computer using the command prompt. Read my previous post on how to renew an IP address.

2. Reconfigure Static IP Address – If your computer is using a static IP address, it is best to try and use a different one in the same subnet. One way to check to make sure the one you are picking is not already being used is to simple ping the IP addresss (ping x.x.x.x).

You can read my previous post on how to change your IP address using the command prompt.

3. Use DHCP – If you don’t need to use a static IP address, it’s best to simply choose DHCP instead of manually configuring the IP address. The server will know which addresses are free and which are taken.

4. Update firmware – In some rare instances, the actual DHCP server can malfunction and assign more than one computer the same IP. In this case, it is best to try and update the firmware on your router.

Resource: http://www.online-tech-tips.com/computer-tips/ip-address-already-in-use/

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