Computer problem

[p111dom]

And yes I have a wifi password which is what I was referring to when I said I would change the password. Everything's been powered off and restarted a dozen times or so. The talktalk engineer tried for 2 hours to get it to work but couldn't. Definately not a problem with the router or connection to it. As I said I can find the router with the command prompt. Pinging it work as does the Internet and email. Just can't get into the settings from that machine. When the router first fell over I did try troubleshooting it so may have inadvertently altered a setting in a network menu but as I didn't do it consciously, I don't know where to look for it or what to check although the engineer checked everything I would.

 

[p111dom]

Log file comes from a windows family security setting in windows live. His laptops registered on it and it reports to my email. Definately no one in the house accessing those pages. Engineering company sites for the oil and gas industry, numerous football pages and over 80 Facebook pages which show all the names linked with the pages and we don't know any if them. He's not even got a Facebook account. Thought that talktalk maybe doing a BT style letting other customers use your router as a hotspot and this programme is picking visited pages up but Talkralk have assured me they don't do this. Has to be soneone within a 6 house radius and we suspect who it is. Can't imagine it's malicious, just don't know why it's happened. I suspect at some point the routers thrown a wobbler and dropped the password. Can't imagine anyone hacking into my network to view nothing in particular online.

 

[RogerS]

So to recap....

1) if you plug the laptop into the same cable that your PC uses to connect to the router, you can access the router using admin/admin?

just a thought...when you do this have you switched off the wifi on the laptop...otherwise it could be connecting to the router via wifi and not the cable.

2) when you plug your PC back into the cable and try to access the router using admin./admin, the router display screen simply refreshes with no error message

but

3) if you enter say admin and for a password 'bigboy' then the screen shows an error message from the router that the password is wrong

Have I summed it up correctly?

 

[RogerS]

Does the logfile show your normal internet activity...wondered if you'd been sent the wrong logfile.

Can't you use his laptop plugged into the router, check the router settings, reset the wifi password etc. and leave your lack of access to another day?

 

[p111dom]

All correct and yes I disabled the wifi in the laptop
before trying the cable. I've also tried disabling all firewalls which made no difference. Needless to say they were switched straight back on. I'm stumped, the engineer too.

Have used the laptop to enter the settings and change the password so yes. That's how I changed the password from admin and have changed my wifi password so it's not an urgent problem. Incidentally I've only had this router for 2 months and still have my old router. Tried that one and again my desktop won't log into that ones settings as well.

As for the log, yes I guess that's possible. For weeks it's been correct showing YouTube for Knex builds and Lego sites (he's only eight) but while I know he's been on those in the last week those aren't show. At least I don't think they were. Will check again tomorrow.

 

[joez71]

Its sounds to me like you have to separate issues.


Have you tried booting your pc in "Safe mode with Networking" and then trying to get into the router?

I would also install and scan your sons machine with malewarebytes, there could be some spyware redirecting traffic.

http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-A ... ag=mncol;1




joez71

 

[p111dom]

Yes I suppose that's true it is two seperate issues. One the lack of access and two the breach of security. No I haven't tried booting in safe mode so will try that. I haven't run a malware programe as such but have done a full AVG scan where malware should be included.

I was thinking that it was a wifi breach but I think Rogers right. It's more likely Microsoft have sent the wrong log file. That would better explain the Liverpool bit since I live on Scotland. Our neighbours are a single mum with young kids. An avid Newcastle united supported who's moved up here (no that's not me), a Dunfermine football club supporting family (my initial suspects) and the other bloke works abroad ad is only there maybe two days amonth. Everyone else is out of wifi range. I'll see if I can contact windows live about it.

 

[misterfish]

As you are unable to log in to either router it indicates a problem with the PC. Have you tried Malwarebytes yet as recommended by Joez71 - it is very good at finding nasties.

You are getting the Talktalk connection OK as you can access the internet so again indicating the PC.

Have you got access to another computer that you could try?

As you say the problem started after system updates, do you have any system backups. Usually the system will set a restore point before installing updates to allow you to uninstall those updates if there are problems. But this is not always successful. My old desktop has an old Ati graphics card that worked fine with W7, but after installing service pack 1 the graphocs card would only work in basic VGA mode. Uninstalling did not rectify the problem, but experience had told me the importance of a system backup (part of backup and restore) which saves and allows reinstallation of all the drivers. I always make a system backup after a clean install of an operating system when everything is working OK and repeat this at intervals (usually before installing major updates).

In your position where you don't 'need' to access the router configuration I would carry on using the system but consider a disk format and reinstall of the OS ensuring I have saved data and have all the necessary driver files available. Some manufacturers have a hidden disk partition with complete basic system reinstall with all the drivers along with a utility to allow its installation.

Misterfish

 

[p111dom]

I too have an ATI graphics card that also (but not this time) tends to throw a wobbler with windows updates. I know how to rectify that with a utility called catalyst. Not interested in reinstalling the OS. I don't think that's a reasonable solution. It may well rectify it but that's somewhat bypassing the problem and in the next windows update I rather know how to fix the setting rather than having to spend a day reinstalling the OS. Especially since everything else is working. I could but don't really want to try the restore point thing either for the same reasons. I'd rather understand what's going wrong so if it happens again I can fix it quickly. That might sound lazy but I have a lot of financial stuff on the machine that's updated regularly. Yes I can save it all to a disc but if I miss a file I'm a bit stuck.

I still think its a simple setting issue. There might be a setting for a works computer to stop staff accessing the network router to make changes. I wonder if I've set the network as a work one at some point and when set it to a home one some of the settings have remained. Still can't find anything though.

 

[nev]

I would have suggested rolling back to the restore point previous to the last update too. you have eliminated all external factors, and the only change to anything between it working and not working was the Windows update, so logic sort of dictates this is probably where the issue is.
I havent used windows for a while so I'm stabbing in the dark, but If you can rollback and it works and are then offered the same updates list, this should then give you an indication that only program/ file a,b, or c has been changed which gives you a new start point for your investigations?

 

[RogerS]

We are in danger of over-complicating things here with suggestions of rollbacks and system restores, I think.

He can browse to the router entry screen OK from his PC using the wired connection.

He can enter a username (Admin) and he can enter a password (Admin)....but the response he gets back from the router is a repeat of the entry screen for the router.

He can enter a username (Admin) and he can enter a deliberately incorrect password....but this time the response he gets back is what one would expect...namely incorrect password.

So this suggests that the router thinks that the admin password is correct (but for some reason refuses access) which points to the router but he can go through exactly the same sequence of username/password using a laptop connected to the router using the same cable that he used for the PC and it all works fine....which suggests it is not the router.

Bizarre

One thought. Have you tried booting into safe mode and trying it then?

Have you tried disabling any firewalls, zone alarm, windows etc and also all aspects of any anti-virus stuff you have running. Kill it all stone dead. Then try accessing the router

Last thought...not something as silly as needing caps for the A, is it? But even then one would expect an 'incorrect password' message.

 

[Blister]

So :idea:

Time to but a Imac :idea:

I just updated to the very latest software Software OS X 10.8.1 and its running fine

I love my computer :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Did I say that before :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[RogerS]

.....

Did I say that before :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Yes, ad nauseam. How does this help the OP?

 

[nev]

my last stab in the dark would be to renew the ip address as per this suggestion about 12 posts down the page.
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/For ... 39a1a7ce1e
?

 

[Blister]

.....

Did I say that before :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Yes, ad nauseam. How does this help the OP?

I did try to help in a previous post " above " and if all else fails and the OP is considering a replacement then why no a Mac ?

Google is good for Latin isn't it :lol:

 

[nev]

Problems like this really bug me so i did a spot of googling...
seems this person had a similar problem....
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/a ... 81570.html
and this one but with a different solution...
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/a ... 81900.html

 

[RogerS]

Problems like this really bug me so i did a spot of googling...
seems this person had a similar problem....
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/a ... 81570.html
and this one but with a different solution...
http://www.talktalkmembers.com/forums/a ... 81900.html

Oh, well Googled, sir! =D>

Looks like going back to a Restore point is the only way to sort it according to the first link. The second is perhaps not relevant as it focusses on wifi?

 

[p111dom]

Thanks for all the replies. I've been out and about replying to all this on my phone and it's a little tricky to go to
links so I'll look at them later.

Buy an iMac. That's exactly what I've been thinking lately. I seem to spend literally days per year trying to sort technical issue of a computer nature and frankly I'm sick of it. The Mrs has an Android phone and that's nothing but trouble. I'm forever googling a fix/work around for that thing. I've had a iPhone for about 5 years now. Over priced...probably, over hyped....possibly but they are wonderfully simple and initiative to use. More importantly, things just work on it. At work there's forever someone having PC problems but there's around 25% of those at work running a mac and you never hear of such worries/problems. I nearly plumbed for one in May but the word is that there's a new one out in Oct so thought I'd wait.

Did follow the advice posted in a reply to the YouTube video resetting the ip address via CMD. That didn't resolve the problem if the above is similar but I'll look at the links above when I'm back at my main machine.

 

[p111dom]

Ah have seen the second link from Nev. the issue sounds the same but I don't understand his solution, changing WPA to WEP?

 

[Blister]

Buy an iMac. That's exactly what I've been thinking lately. I seem to spend literally days per year trying to sort technical issue of a computer nature and frankly I'm sick of it. The Mrs has an Android phone and that's nothing but trouble. I'm forever googling a fix/work around for that thing. I've had a iPhone for about 5 years now. Over priced...probably, over hyped....possibly but they are wonderfully simple and initiative to use. More importantly, things just work on it. At work there's forever someone having PC problems but there's around 25% of those at work running a mac and you never hear of such worries/problems. I nearly plumbed for one in May but the word is that there's a new one out in Oct so thought I'd wait.

Thank you

I have had one now 4 years and NEVER had a problem ,

It just does what its designed for

NO viruses

However I am not supposed to say it as it makes other forum users

You wont regret it if you do buy one , they ARE VERY GOOD :wink: