Can't access ethernet with my netBook

[ahead]

I've installed the ethernet driver for my Orinoco 802.11 using Control panel/Ethernet, but when I try to connect, the Connect to Internet dialog only gives modem connections, and none of the ethernet drivers. How do I get the correct Connect to Internet dialog to display (as on page 6 of netBook Ethernet User Guide)? Tried both soft and hard resets.

Any ideas??

[sbedford]

In addition to chosing the device and settings in the ethernet Control panel you must also set up an appropriate Internet service in the Internet Control.

I have one set up name Dummy with Direct Connection type. All the other settings can stay as default.

To set this up:

Ethernet Control Panel
New
Based on: Standard Settings
Name: Dummy
Connection type: Direct
Done
OK

I also chose not to show connection dialog

[ahead]

Yes, I had already set up a direct Internet internet connection. I've just created a new one, as per your instructions (and disabled the Connection dialog), but I still get "Network problem". The Orinico card works perfectly in my Windows notebook. I've also tried using a Linksys WPC11, which gives more indication of trying to communicate (lights flash), but the result is the same.

If you choose to display your connection dialog, does it offer you a choice of LAN services, (with the From Location option absent, and the Using Modem and Number to dial options greyed out), or the From Location, To Internet service, and Using Modem options available?

[diem]

When my 'Connect to Internet' dialop pops up, I get my ethernet configurations appearing in the 'To Internet service' drop-down list, along with my modem configurations. Just to confirm, when you go COntrol Panel.. Ethernet.., what options are available in your 'Current settings' drop-down?

I would not yet disable the dialog - how then could you control which configuration you wish to select?

[sbedford]

If I chose to have the Internet Connect dialog showing then To Internet Service gives a choice of "Dummy", "New Internet Service" etc. Also named settings for my ethernet and wifi "Gold Card (Home)", "Gold Card (Work)", "Cisco Aironet". However I always have this set to "Dummy" and don't show this dialog. Since I always use "Gold Card (Work)" at work and almost always use "Cisco Aironet" at home I just set these in the "Ethernet Control" panel. So when I first use connection at work I set "Gold Card (Work)" then forget it.

[ahead]

Control Panel/Ethernet/Current settings are:
802_11-Lucent (twice)
IrLAN
LAN
New Ethernet settings
Linksys (which I created for the linksys card)
rLAN.

Whenever I look at the NetStatRF, it always says Radio not active, even if the lights have been flashing on the card.

[diem]

Originally posted by ahead
Control Panel/Ethernet/Current settings are:
802_11-Lucent (twice)
IrLAN
LAN
New Ethernet settings
Linksys (which I created for the linksys card)
rLAN.

Whenever I look at the NetStatRF, it always says Radio not active, even if the lights have been flashing on the card.
All good, but do these appear in the 'To Internet service' drop-down list on your Connect to Internet dialog?

NetStatRF will only show information once a wireless connection is active and in use.

[ahead]

No, they don't. I only see those set up using Control/Internet, not those from Control/Ethernet

[diem]

Hmm, sounds like your Commsdb.dat file is corrupt. Did you restore all your data via Psiwin following an OS upgrade by any chance? Either way, you're going to have to backup your data, do a hard reset, reload the OS and follow the instructions in my FAQ (;)) to restore your data.

[ahead]

Thanks - I'll try that. My machine is brand new (from David Lowe), but my other half has been trying to set up a GPRS connection - using Control/Internet - having failed to achieve this on his own netBook. He is now having the same LAN/internet connection problem as me. Do you think that his attempts to set up a GPRS connection may have corrupted the Commsdb.dat file?

[diem]

Well, I don't know about GPRS (I've not tried it myself), but logic says that whatever he did to your machine, he's now done to his own ;)

[ahead]

Many thanks. The hard reset and reloading the operating system has done the trick. Now I can surf the web using the Orinoco card!!

We have now found the problem - it's when you load GRPS connectivity update, the Internet connection dialog loses the LAN connection options, and renaming the commsdbs.dat doesn't resolve it.

Has anyone found a way to run both LAN access and GPRS on the same machine?

[diem]

Glad you got it sorted - don't recall anyone coming across this one yet, and it does sound like a bit of a stopper :eek:

Might be worth posting the same enquiry in the netBook forum itself..

[Craggy]

I have just done this now by way of a test.

Connected to my home WLAN, then connected via Ir to my P800 using GPRS.

After I remembered to check the ir settings on the P800 (set to Modem, not PC connect you idiot!) everything went well. netBook build 158 (450)

[MikeyC]

Have just run across the same problem with my 7Book and think I have a workaround. It was this thread that put me on to the problem and pointed me in the right direction of a fix.....

I recently got my 7Book working with WAP over GPRS (thanks MikeMcC) , but when I went to connect to anything using ethernet I ran in to exactly the same problems as did 'ahead'.


Here's some background:
GPRS for internet access works fine on build 158 out of the box, but to get WAP working over GPRS, the Mobile GPRS Update (ver. 2.00) needs to be installed (see MikeMcC's website). This installs a number of files in the c:\system\libs directory. One of these is TCPIP.PRT. It is this file which stops the machine displaying the option to connect via ethernet. If TCPIP.PRT is deleted, the option to connect via ethernet reappears, but you can no longer connect to WAP via GPRS.

The workaround is thus: rename TCPIP.PRT to TCPIP.old when you want to connect via ethernet. When you want to connect to WAP via GPRS rename it back to TCPIP.PRT (I think it is case sensitive). The file ONLY needs to be renamed for WAP over GPRS. Connecting by Opera to the internet via GPRS does not require it to be renamed. Moving the file does not seem to work as the Psion still seems to be aware of its presence.

You may need to reinstall from scratch to get this working. What I did was start with a clean machine, install the WAP browser and the Mobile GPRS update. From there, I configured the machine to access WAP over GPRS and made sure that nFTP was working over ethernet by the file renaming method above. I then reinstalled my backup files over the top from CF. Everything seems to work fine now. Oh, you also need to delete IRDA.PRT from c:\system\libs after installing the Mobile GPRS Update, but this has been well documented elsewhere.

I understand that this is not going to affect a huge number of people, but it was driving me crazy. A bit of a pain to rename the file each time, so if someone would like to write a macro......

Gosh, my first fix. I feel like a real Psion user now :cool: Unless of course, someone else has beat me to it :)

Was not sure if this should also be posted in the NetBook and 7Book forum, so maybe a moderator could advise....

[Craggy]

I'm fairly sure that there's nothing special about my netBook. I let it go flat since leaving Psion, so I had to download the latest release OS (yuk! but not my doing).

All my apps were on drive D:\ and I didn't lose much, but basically I have no special networking installs and I have both GPRS and WLAN working with minimal changes to basic ethernet and internet files.

I have recently added a WEP key to my WLAN (no big change) but it has always worked with my server providing DHCP.

[MikeyC]

Was this GPRS for WAP only?

It is only this function which appears to be influenced by TCPIP.PRT. GPRS for everything else would appear to work fine with build 158.

[Craggy]

No, my GPRS is for full internet access. I have never tried to configure GPRS for WAP access. As far as I knew it didn't work, although it's totally likely that enterprising Psion users have figured a way.

[Craggy]

Sorry, just re-read your post and noticed that WAP is exactly what you were talking about.
These early mornings are getting to me. :o