Author Topic: XP Pro Newbie Questions (Read 571 times)

Blue Mako · « **on:** October 21, 2003, 07:18:46 PM »

Gents,

I just upgraded my PC to Win XP Pro SP1 (format C: and clean install) and have a quick question:

Where do I find the IRQ settings for devices in the control panel?

I must be brain dead because I can't find it.

Also, getting a little bit of trouble with my ADSL modem hooked up to my onboard LAN. If you try to look at the network settings or fire up the internet it hangs for about a minute before coming up whenever the modem is connected. All subsequent interrogation of the network connections come up instantly until the computer is restarted... If the modem is not connected to the LAN adaptor then the network page comes up instantly.

I have installed the drivers that came with the mboard and also downloaded and installed the latest Intel chipset drivers...

Anyone have any similar experiences?

Does XP take a while to load all of the drivers etc causing the delay maybe?

Any help or suggestions welcome.

Chairboy · « **Reply #1 on:** October 21, 2003, 07:41:03 PM »

Right click My Computer, go to Properties, Hardware, then Device Manager.

Select the device you want to alter and open it. Under the Resources tab you'll find the IRQ settings.

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #2 on:** October 21, 2003, 07:59:31 PM »

Blue Mako: I've witnessed a huge number of network related problems with XP. For example, if your lan has personal firewalls running it may take up to a minute to get a list of your network shares etc. while similarly setup W2k opens the list in seconds.

If you made a default installation to your XP, you have ACPI enabled which means all your IRQ's are bundled to one and the same. There's nothing to be gained from trying to change those settings.

My opinnion is that XP was a definate step backwards for microsoft. It lacks the functionality and clarity of Win2k.

The first thing I do when I get a new laptop etc. is format, repartition and install W2k instead of XP.

Thorns · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2003, 09:04:43 PM »

Whatever happened to an operating system that worked as good as Win98? Some game programmer is looking at his monitor thinking $ as he could make a simple, good looking operating system after his game goes gold.

Thorns

Maverick · « **Reply #4 on:** October 22, 2003, 11:27:59 AM »

I just spent over 8 hours installing win xp on my system. I had to reinstall win 98 to even get the damn thing to run the xp setup.

I had to go get the newest mobo (via 4in1) and bios drivers for the mobo THEN try again to "upgrade" to xp. After that I had to install new drivers for my DSL modem.

Check with your DSL modem support and find out if your current drivers "support" xp. You may have outmoded ones and getting the drivers updated might solve your problem.

AFAIAC xp is the worst damn OS to install I have ever used.

98 was incredibly easy compared to xp.

BB Gun · « **Reply #5 on:** October 22, 2003, 01:26:48 PM »

I'm confused. If its an external modem, the system doesn't give a rats bellybutton what modem it is, as long as it conforms to the standard ethernet networking protocols. No drivers at all, period - unless you're *shudder* going through the USB port.

I'm betting it has something to do with DHCP settings and/or the WinXP personal firewall settings.

I've installed WinXP on 5 PCs here at home on everything from an Athlon Barton2500/nForce2 chipset to an old PIII500/BX chipset and have yet to have a problem with my home network. I never used Win2K, but Xp is much more stable and flexible than 98 ever was. I *was* smart enough to skip WinMe.

BB

Blue Mako · « **Reply #6 on:** October 22, 2003, 05:41:29 PM »

Okay I have narrowed it down some.

BB you are correct that my modem does not need any drivers. It is an Alcatel Speed Touch Home DSL modem (non-USB) that connects to any ethernet card.

I have set up a broadband connection using the inbuilt WinXP connection wizard using default settings except adding a DNS suffix and unchecking firewall and file and printer sharing.

The symptoms I have are this:

Modem unplugged and WinXP restarted
Checking network connections with modem unplugged (or off) gives instant reaction and shows LAN and 1394 connections both as enabled but inactive.

Double click on broadband internet connection icon with modem unplugged causes a hang for about 1 minute before displaying the connection window. During this time you cannot access the network connections page.

After first display of connection window all subsequent operations are instant until restarting WinXP.

Modem Connected and WinXP started
Checking network connections with modem connected gives hang for about 1 minute before showing all connection as enabled. During hang cannot access network connections page.

Double click on broadband internet connection icon with modem connected causes a hang for about 1 minute before displaying the connection window. During this time you cannot access the network connections page. Log in to the ISP occurs virtually instantly at all times.

After first display of connection window all subsequent operations are instant until restarting WinXP.

This is consisitent with or without third party firewall software running. All network connections show WinXP firewall inactive.

I agree that it has something to do with WinXP network settings as it appears to me that the system is interrogating or handshaking with the modem and is having trouble doing this, causing the hangup.

On other issues, I have found XP to be easy to install (if time consuming) but more stable than 98SE...

BB Gun · « **Reply #7 on:** October 22, 2003, 06:12:27 PM »

I am wondering why you have a DNS suffix and why you ran the network setup wizard. Do you have a dual NIC system for your networking? Is there a network bridge set up somewhere on your networking settings/connections?

The DNS suffix is probably causing the problem. Most ISPs are DHCP and I'm pretty sure your manual settings are conflicting with the modem's DHCP address assignments.

My home network runs through a router (D-link DI-614+), DHCP enabled on all machines - 2 wire networked and 2 wireless. The cable modem is connected to the router's WAN port. I have no networking issues on either my home network or reaching the internet.

BB

Skuzzy · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2003, 08:55:50 PM »

The delay, in this instance, could be the slow response of the ISP's DHCP server. Sometimes it can take a minute or so for the remote DHCP server to respond.

However, you should not have anything in the TCP settings. If you do, this could cause even longer delays given how MS does its network search/broadcast.

Blue Mako · « **Reply #9 on:** October 23, 2003, 12:08:47 AM »

Thanks for your replies guys.

Skuzzy, note that the network connection delay is present even before clicking on the connection window to connect to the ISP.

It happens also when clicking on the "show network connections" link when the cable from the LAN to the modem is connected and the modem is switched on, even if the internet connection is not active.

What settings should be enabled?

What PPP options should be checked for the DSL connection?

The greatest tragedy with all of this is, of course, that the tech support people of my ISP have no idea aside from "shut-down-all-windows-reboot-and-try-to-install-again". I have tried asking them what options I need to have on or off and they just go "huh?".

Thanks again for all your help guys.

Siaf__csf · « **Reply #10 on:** October 23, 2003, 02:57:45 AM »

Windows2000 is like XP (it's basically the same) but without the ugly user interface (w2k is familiar like w98) and without the extra functions that make life difficult, such as idiotic changes to the way user accounts are handled etc. Not to mention product activation etc.

Yes I know XP can be configured to 'classic' but I wouldn't see the trouble as it would still be XP.

BB Gun · « **Reply #11 on:** October 23, 2003, 10:02:54 AM »

ok... we need more specific info.

1) Is your DSL PPoE? (I hope not...blech)
2) Diagram your network - how does everything connect together?
3) post the settings (either screenshots of the settings tabs or textual summary) of all your network devices/NICs on each computer - gateway info, ip addresses, dns... etc.

and siaf - we know by now you don't like XP. We get it after you repeatedly post it across multiple threads. But its not very germane to solving the problem.

BB

Blue Mako · « **Reply #12 on:** October 23, 2003, 05:20:31 PM »

1) Unfortunately this is a yes.

2) PC with onboard LAN ----> ADSL Modem ----> ISP

3) Three network devices set up:

onboard Intel PRO/100 VE LAN device

1394 controller

Bigpond Internet connection (via LAN)

Will post settings when I am home but basically the only setting that is not default is the addition of a DNS suffix to the internet connection. The IP address is not static and is set up to be assigned automatically.

BB Gun · « **Reply #13 on:** October 24, 2003, 03:17:01 AM »

question....

Why are you adding a DNS suffix to your Internet Connection? Even with PPoE, I am not sure why you would need it. Unless you're trying to do something we are not yet aware of that requires it.

This is what my network looks like:

This is what my network settings look like (which should also show you where to find them for your system):

The "Internet Connection" appears to be only for services running through your computer - MSN Messenger, virtual server stuff you can let other people access on your system.

But as you can see, my motherboard mounted RealTek is set up for DHCP from the router. If your provider provides a PPoE DHCP address, then your adapter should look like this, afaik.

I do recommend, even if you don't have a computer, to get a hardware firewall/router.

Comcast assigns me an ip (not sure if its DHCP or static, but I don't particularly care) and then the modem passes the info to the router, which then does NAT addressing magic and passes the internet to the other computers to which it has assigned ip addresses of the flavor 192.168.0.XXX.

All the local computers talk to each other through the hub/router.

I checked my router to see if it supported PPoE, and it does - it has a page to set up your username, password and other settings required for a PPoE connection.

BB

Blue Mako · « **Reply #14 on:** October 26, 2003, 05:06:16 AM »

BB thanks for the replies. I only have the DNS suffix set up as the ISP recommended the setting. Since these replies, I have discovered that my PC was infected with a worm that has been causing a lot of trouble fo rmy ISP. I download a virus killing tool from Symantecx to deal with it, upgraded XP with the appropriate security patch and it seems to have got rid of the delay present when I first try to connect via the internet. It appears that the worm was choking the network when it detected an internet connection starting up. Anyway, thanks for the advice, I am seriously considering a hardware firewall after this episode, especially as XP seems to continue to have security issues.

Thanks all.