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Need Help With Network


GeneInAlabama

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About 2 years ago I decided to set up a network for my computers (big mistake). I have the main computer that is on my desk, another computer that my step daughter uses when working for me part time, and a third computer in my house which is a separate building about 30 feet from my office. I also have a multifunction fax, copier, printer on the network plus a laptop computer. The network is wired except for the laptop which is wireless. My main reason for setting up a network was to back up my work to the computer in the house so that I would have my work in 2 separate locations plus I wanted to share my satalite enternet between the computers. I had a licensed technician to set up the network for me, but he seemed to have trouble doing it and it took him longer than he seemed to have expected. He finally got it working (I didn't have the laptop at the time, so I didn't have the wireless part of the network at that time). From the beginning, I had problems with email. Sometimes I could send and receive email from the computer in the house and other times I couldn't. Eventually, I got to where I couldn't send or receive email at all from the house. I had a different licensed technician from a different company come out and he took out the router and put in a hub. That worked OK but not great until lightening ran in on my network and damaged 2 of the computers plus the multifunction machine and some other items. I had another licensed technician from still another company come in, and he installed another router that is both wired and wireless for the laptop. He also said that the computer in the house should be replaced because his experience has shown that when a computer is damaged by lightning, that you can fix one thing and something else will likely go out. I bought 2 new computers and set up the one in the house and finally got it where it will sometimes accept email messages but not send them out. I went in under accounts and set the account up with exactly the same figures that are on my main computer and on my laptop. Email on my laptop seems to work OK. Any help or suggestions anyone can offer will be greatly appreciated. I apologize for this being so long but I tried to include any information that would be helpful. I seem to know a lot less about computers than I did 20 years ago which wasn't a whole lot then.

Gene

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P.S. After the last technician was here, I tried to set up my multifunction machine and can't seem to get the network to recognize it. I installed the driver and when it didn't show up on my list of printers, I reinstalled it again and got the message that the driver was installed and the computer would recognize it when it is connected to the computer. It IS connected to the computer through the network.

Gene

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P.S. After the last technician was here, I tried to set up my multifunction machine and can't seem to get the network to recognize it. I installed the driver and when it didn't show up on my list of printers, I reinstalled it again and got the message that the driver was installed and the computer would recognize it when it is connected to the computer. It IS connected to the computer through the network.

Gene

I feel your pain regarding the lightning stike... I have been there with a surge melting my cable modem TWICE and the first time it took out the network adapter in a computer along with it. After that I was constantly replacing items in that machine, first network adapter, motherboard, power supply and even after I had replaced every item except the case it still had issues (probably since I didn't do all the parts at the same time). Eventually just put a new computer in.

As for suggestions, I would check your IP addresses on each machine and make sure they don't conflict. Make sure the subnet masks are set correctly. Check collision counts/bad packets on the different devices (easiest is usually the printer if it has an external print server where you can hit the 'test' button).

Do more than one machine attempt to check the SAME email address? Maybe they are conflicting.

Without knowing more of the gritty details on the situation, I can't think of much else to try right now. If I do think of something, I will come back and put a further comment in.

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Oh, forgot to mention that if the last tech put a router back in, then your IP address on the printer is probably not in the same subnet as your computers. Make sure they all start with something like 192.168.?.*** or 10.?.?.*** and they all match. Things won't talk to each other unless they are all on the same subnet if there isnt' some router sending the packets to the right place. Also make sure the gateway address is all the same/correct.

If the tech left without the printer working, that says something about the tech (unless of course you weren't there to allow them to setup the accounts correctly which I run into a lot where people leave and assume I can just magically get into their accounts).

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Thanks Idiot (I don't feel right calling you idiot because you definately are not) for the response. My system seems to be very unstable. The computer in the house has started receiving and sending email but the computer in my office will not receive email now. The email accounts on both computers are set up exactly the same way. I checked the IP addresses on both of ther wired computers and one is 172.16.0.100 and the other is 172.16.0.101. The subnet mask on both are exactly the same. I can't get an address on the laptop. Does it have to be connected to the network to get IP address? For some reason it won't connect to the network at all now. On the two that are different addresses, do I change either one to the other, or does it matter which one I use?

I don't know how to check for collision counts/bad packets and my printer doesn't have a test button so I don't know how to check that.

I may just have to bite the bullet and have a technician come out again. I really appreciate your help.

Gene

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When I said that I can't receive email on the computer in the office, I meant that I can't receive email on my main email account, the one that everyone sends email to me on. I have another account set up on the same computer with the same provider and set up exactly the same way and I can receive email on this account. I use this address where I am afraid that I will start receiving a lot of spam and I can easily change it. This whole thing is getting more and more confusing.

Gene

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When I said that I can't receive email on the computer in the office, I meant that I can't receive email on my main email account, the one that everyone sends email to me on. I have another account set up on the same computer with the same provider and set up exactly the same way and I can receive email on this account. I use this address where I am afraid that I will start receiving a lot of spam and I can easily change it. This whole thing is getting more and more confusing.

Gene

Brainstorm here... Are you using Outlook Express to check your email (actually applies to other programs as well)? If so, go to Tools, accounts, mail tab and select your emai account. Choose Properties, click advanced and look at the bottom section where it says Delivery and see if the option to leave the messages on the server is checked (it should be) and that there is a check mark in remove from server when deleted from the deleted items folder. You COULD have it delete it from the server after say 5 days (as you would download the email from the other server by that time).

Thinking here is that if you check your email from computer1 and it deletes the email from the server, there won't be anything on the server for computer2 to see/download unless new email arrives.

Don't know why I didn't think of this before.

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So you are saying that the box to leave it on the server is checked... AND you are saying that both machines are not using outlook express at the same time... Too bad we couldn't put my network analyzer on it to check for scrambled packets and detect the equipment on the network. If you were here, I would plug it in, but it cost me more than I spent on my pickup, so I don't lend it out. *grin*

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I am using POP3, but it has worked fine in the past. I have it set to leave a copy on server for 10 days. Both machines do use Outlook Express at the same time. Does that make a difference?

I did set up my third computer here in the office today (2 in the office and 1 in the house) and set up my email accounts exactly like the others and it works fine. Just the main computer can't receive email but can receive. I have compared the settings dozens of times and looked for an extra period, a space where it shouldn't be, everything. All 3 computers are set up exactly the same except the last digits on the IP addresses are different. Can I arbitrarlly just change them so that they are the same, or do they need to have a particular address?

I connected the multifunction copier, printer, fax machine to the new computer that I just set up and it is working fine now. Apparently, the only problem I have now is being able to receive email on my main computer.

Gene

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I am using POP3, but it has worked fine in the past. I have it set to leave a copy on server for 10 days. Both machines do use Outlook Express at the same time. Does that make a difference?

Yes, if two computers attempt to check the same email account at the same exact moment, the mail server will only allow one, the other will fail. This will be a hit and miss type of thing which one will work the other won't and it will reverse.

I did set up my third computer here in the office today (2 in the office and 1 in the house) and set up my email accounts exactly like the others and it works fine. Just the main computer can't receive email but can receive. I have compared the settings dozens of times and looked for an extra period, a space where it shouldn't be, everything. All 3 computers are set up exactly the same except the last digits on the IP addresses are different. Can I arbitrarlly just change them so that they are the same, or do they need to have a particular address?

The last number should be different for each machine (they all need uniques). I would look at the network adapter on the trouble machine and see if you can find counters for how many bad packets it's seeing. I can't give you specific instructions because it depends on the implementation of the network cards drivers. It could be something as simple as a slightly failing connection, or sympathetic noise induced from another electronic device (flourescent lights for example).

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I am using POP3, but it has worked fine in the past. I have it set to leave a copy on server for 10 days. Both machines do use Outlook Express at the same time. Does that make a difference?

I did set up my third computer here in the office today (2 in the office and 1 in the house) and set up my email accounts exactly like the others and it works fine. Just the main computer can't receive email but can receive. I have compared the settings dozens of times and looked for an extra period, a space where it shouldn't be, everything. All 3 computers are set up exactly the same except the last digits on the IP addresses are different. Can I arbitrarlly just change them so that they are the same, or do they need to have a particular address?

I connected the multifunction copier, printer, fax machine to the new computer that I just set up and it is working fine now. Apparently, the only problem I have now is being able to receive email on my main computer.

Gene

Try deleting the email account on the computer that is not working and then create that email account again.

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IT WORKED! Thank you Bart. I deleted the account and readded it and it works fine now. This is a good example of how life is, sometimes we overlook the simpler things and try to make the more complicated things work. M-M, I REALLY appreciate the effort you put in this, I learned a little more about how my computer works as a result of this experience. I am so thankful that we have someone like you on this board to help us with our computer problems. I sincerely appreciate the help I received on this.

Gene

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