Help installing dsl

[DUSTIN]

Hi
I am trying to help a friend get his dsl set up. Should the modem be hooked up using the ethernet card or usb? then what needs to be done? Thanks

[Xayd]

What kinda gear do you have there?

Make and model of the modem, etc.

[Davidoo1]

You need to run an ethernet cable from the back of the dsl modem to your network/ethernet card (I think it's called an RJ45 connector). Once you do that, and make sure the card is "enabled" (check this in Device Manager), you should be able to launch Internet Explorer and your startup page should load. You may have to restart your computer to get an IP address, or get one by clicking the "renew" button in winipcfg (Start, Run, winipcfg, select your network card in the drop down menu, then click release, then renew) in Win 98se. In WinXP I think you go to Start, Network Connections, then double click the LAN or network connection. I think it brings up a screen to enable or renew the connection (sorry, currently in front of a WIN98SE computer).

[DUSTIN]

I'm not exactly sure. They just received it from Quest/MSN. It's for my friend and her 3 roommates. They eventually are going to have their computers networked and then share the dsl--but for now just hook it up to 1 computer. It's an older HP computer--nothing special. I tried hooking it up both ways(through ethernet card and usb) and I get the blinking lights to work in front that the manual says there should be. I try to set it up in windows with some wizard and then restart and the internet doesn't work.????

[hclife]

If you have both the usb and the ethernet card in the device manager under 'network' remove the usb. you can only have one ethernet loaded on your os (unless your using NT or 2000).
- go to control panel, network,
- then make sure you see TCP/IP "name of ethernet card".
- highlight it and hit properties
***the next step may work depending on the providers setup***

go thru the tabs at the top and make sure only the following is checked.

- use DHCP for WINS resolution
- automatically obtain IP
- and make sure no manual settings are put in

( basically you want the pc to obtain an IP from your Internet server automatically )

now hit ok and go back to the control panel and hit internet options

go to the connections tab and click
-never dial a connection

go to lan settings and click
-automatically obtain ip.

restart pc

It should now work!

if not go to start then run and type WINIPCFG.

now go to the ethernet card and hit release (it should go to zeros, if not there is a problem with the cat5 cable, the NIC or the dsl modem itself.)

if it does go to zeros hit renew it should give you a good ip so you can surf.

This was a crash course, sorry it was not very detailed.

[Xayd]

But he might need software if this is PPPoE or PPPoA. The modem itself may not even sync for all we know .

Please post the name and model of the DSL modem you have, as well as the name of any software provided with the stuff you got from MSN.

[hclife]

True, but the way it sounds to me, is that the company just gave it to the customer, normally in a situation like that the nic settings are set up to automatically catch an IP (which is normally the default). If there is software and and other settings needed, shame on quest/msn for not sending an installer or leaving a 24hr customer suport number.

[Xayd]

Such is the current climate, unfortunately. When DSL first spread out around here, they'd send a guy out if you couldn't get something working. Now, with the Clecs struggling to stay afloat and the telcos losing money on the whole deal, they send a box via UPS. If it works, great. If it doesn't work and they can't fix it over the phone, send it back and chalk it up to "oh well, we tried".

Nowadays if you want a guy in a truck to plug in the stuff and install the PPPoE client for ya, you pay 50 bucks for the trip.

Actually I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, teaches people how to learn a few things on their own, decreasing the likelihood that AOL'ers bankrupt my ISP with support calls .