I've started having a really weird networking problem in the last month and a half.
I've got a Netgear WNDR3700 router that I purchased in January, and am using it with several devices in the home:
Everything was working fine, originally. Sometime around 6 weeks ago, I started experiencing problems with the connection between the router and the Win7 laptop. That's the only device having the problem.
I *think* that the problem started one day when I was logged into the router with the laptop, and the Netgear prompted me to download the latest update. I started that process, and, while I was in the middle of it, I got a notification that Windows had downloaded an update and was rebooting. I had walked away from my computer to get a glass of water, and didn't see the Windows notice in time to override it.
So, the laptop rebooted while in the middle of overseeing an update to the router's firmware.
The problem manifests as follows:
With the laptop, when I connect wirelessly to the router, I might intermittently have a problem where I lose network connectivity. A little yellow exclamation mark appears at the bottom in the taskbar. While that's there, any site I was trying to go to becomes inaccessible. If I don't try to access any websites at all, and just leave the computer, eventually, it'll go away. But if I try to go to any website while that exclamation mark is there, from that point on, *any* time I try to access that website *ever* afterwards, the computer will not be able to go to that website, and trying to go there will result in losing network connectivity immediately.
For example....in troubleshooting this, when I originally experienced the issue trying to go to www.toyrrus.ca and www.futureshop.ca, the computer wouldn't access those sites. So, I tried going to www.hotmail.com.... now whenever I go to any of those three sites, the yellow exclamation mark appears, and I lose connectivity.
The list of sites that cause the computer to disconnect is gradually growing, and it's becoming a real pain in the butt. I can no longer access Google Apps or Gmail either, as a result.
I originally thought maybe this was an issue with my network card in the laptop. But I've taken the laptop to multiple locations and connected to about 5 other routers, and have not had these problems with *any* other router. Similarly, I have not had these problems with my Netgear connecting to any other device in the house.
Troubleshooting Steps I've Taken
1-Disabled wireless networking, connected Win7 laptop to router via RJ45. Works perfectly.
2-Done Windows troubleshooting. Consistently, whenever this problem occurs, Windows Troubleshooting finds that my laptop has lost access to the default gateway. Windows then restores access to the default gateway.....and the laptop will then work fine UNTIL I try going to any of those sites like Future Shop, Hotmail, etc. Then it loses the default gateway again.
3-Reset the router by depressing the pinhole button for 5 seconds.
4-Set up a new name for the wireless network that the laptop connects to.
5-Deleted the old wireless network from the laptop's memory.
6-Uninstalled the device drivers for the wireless network card in the laptop, and installed an old version of the driver (can't seem to find the newer versions online anymore, even at the manufacturer's website).
Despite all these measures, none have worked, and I'm running out of ideas.
I've had someone suggest reverting the firmware on the router, but I'm not sure how to do that.
At this point, I'm frustrated enough that if I actually knew it would fix matters, I'd buy a new network card to replace the one in the laptop....but, given it works with other routers, I don't see it being the network card.
Plef5204
I've got a Netgear WNDR3700 router that I purchased in January, and am using it with several devices in the home:
- Win7 64-bit laptop with wireless N
- Win7 64-bit desktop connected by wireless N
- DLink WAP-1522 access point connected by wireless N
- 2 iPhone 4's connected by wireless N
Everything was working fine, originally. Sometime around 6 weeks ago, I started experiencing problems with the connection between the router and the Win7 laptop. That's the only device having the problem.
I *think* that the problem started one day when I was logged into the router with the laptop, and the Netgear prompted me to download the latest update. I started that process, and, while I was in the middle of it, I got a notification that Windows had downloaded an update and was rebooting. I had walked away from my computer to get a glass of water, and didn't see the Windows notice in time to override it.
So, the laptop rebooted while in the middle of overseeing an update to the router's firmware.
The problem manifests as follows:
With the laptop, when I connect wirelessly to the router, I might intermittently have a problem where I lose network connectivity. A little yellow exclamation mark appears at the bottom in the taskbar. While that's there, any site I was trying to go to becomes inaccessible. If I don't try to access any websites at all, and just leave the computer, eventually, it'll go away. But if I try to go to any website while that exclamation mark is there, from that point on, *any* time I try to access that website *ever* afterwards, the computer will not be able to go to that website, and trying to go there will result in losing network connectivity immediately.
For example....in troubleshooting this, when I originally experienced the issue trying to go to www.toyrrus.ca and www.futureshop.ca, the computer wouldn't access those sites. So, I tried going to www.hotmail.com.... now whenever I go to any of those three sites, the yellow exclamation mark appears, and I lose connectivity.
The list of sites that cause the computer to disconnect is gradually growing, and it's becoming a real pain in the butt. I can no longer access Google Apps or Gmail either, as a result.
I originally thought maybe this was an issue with my network card in the laptop. But I've taken the laptop to multiple locations and connected to about 5 other routers, and have not had these problems with *any* other router. Similarly, I have not had these problems with my Netgear connecting to any other device in the house.
Troubleshooting Steps I've Taken
1-Disabled wireless networking, connected Win7 laptop to router via RJ45. Works perfectly.
2-Done Windows troubleshooting. Consistently, whenever this problem occurs, Windows Troubleshooting finds that my laptop has lost access to the default gateway. Windows then restores access to the default gateway.....and the laptop will then work fine UNTIL I try going to any of those sites like Future Shop, Hotmail, etc. Then it loses the default gateway again.
3-Reset the router by depressing the pinhole button for 5 seconds.
4-Set up a new name for the wireless network that the laptop connects to.
5-Deleted the old wireless network from the laptop's memory.
6-Uninstalled the device drivers for the wireless network card in the laptop, and installed an old version of the driver (can't seem to find the newer versions online anymore, even at the manufacturer's website).
Despite all these measures, none have worked, and I'm running out of ideas.
I've had someone suggest reverting the firmware on the router, but I'm not sure how to do that.
At this point, I'm frustrated enough that if I actually knew it would fix matters, I'd buy a new network card to replace the one in the laptop....but, given it works with other routers, I don't see it being the network card.
Plef5204
