Help Desk

[Thyme Laird]

If you have questions about the board before joining,
if you have problems registering here,
or if you are experiencing technical issues with the board,
you can post your concerns here.

[Note: Guests can post to these threads, but they can not create new threads.]

[Unregistered]

help!! I keep getting kicked off Speculative Friction.
I keep logging in and every time I click on anything it kicks me out.
I am using a hotel wifi -so that is most likely the problem.
I have deleted history and cookies several times.
zahn-c

[Thyme Laird]

I've been looking over the previous difficulties you have had connecting here while on the road.

You have Internet Explorer, correct?

Do you have Pop-up Blocker on?
Click Tools | Internet Options.
Click the Privacy tab in the Internet Options window.
If so, click on the Settings button and add www.speculative-friction.com to the list of allowed sites.

Do you have Java Scripts enabled?
Click Tools | Internet Options.
Click the Security tab in the Internet Options window.
Click the Custom Level button and look for the status for Scripting of Java Applets.

[zahn-c]

thanks for trying to help Thyme Laird. tonight I am at a different hotel
and got on to the site and am posting --no problems.
these wifi connections are always quirky!

[Thyme Laird]

You're welcome.
My old satellite connection used to have a hell of a time connecting.

[browderchick]

I would like to learn how to connect via wifi. Ive tried and it doesnt let me connect to the internet. I want to be able to use my laptop at the camp. I know I need a connector to a computer in the area and there is one. With the same internet service I have. I should be able to work it but it doesnt want to load. Im a goober with computer stuff so treat this like I have no clue... because I really dont. LOL

[Thyme Laird]

I would like to learn how to connect via wifi. Ive tried and it doesnt let me connect to the internet. I want to be able to use my laptop at the camp. I know I need a connector to a computer in the area and there is one. With the same internet service I have. I should be able to work it but it doesnt want to load. Im a goober with computer stuff so treat this like I have no clue... because I really dont. LOL

Connecting to the Internet through a local network is complicated.
Connecting to the Internet through a wireless connection is a pain in the ass.

I know I need a connector to a computer in the area and there is one.

Okay, first question...are you talking about a physical connector to another computer on a local wired network that routes to a wireless Internet connection (like a radio tower, cell modem, or satellite internet connection),
or are you talking about using a wireless adapter to connect to an existing wireless local network that routes to the Internet via cable modem, DSL, etc.?

Once we determine which part of the network is wireless (local area network or Internet), then we can get into the next round of questions.

With the same internet service I have.

Second question. What service? Vendor and type...like Comcast DSL.

[browderchick]

I have Road Runner. I have two modems here in the house. One for the desk top and one for a wireless laptop. Somehow my laptop doesnt connect to its modem but wants to search for something in the area. Pisses me off because its hard to get on line. Which it shouldnt be at home. Its all ready to go. Just need a connection somewhere. At the camp, its really hard because of the mountains. My cell phone wont even work in there. Nothing kicks in til I hit the main roads. But several people have cable and internet in the campground. One is about 2 trailers away and I should be able to connect into his. It doesnt even want to search. He also has a wireless laptop with Road Runner. And he has an open line.

[browderchick]

Also, Im going to attempt a miracle. I am trying to get my drives to work on my computer. A hacker did some damage several years ago and a lot of the functions no longer work. But out of curiosity, which disks should I use for storing photos? I want to save the stuff on my computer to a disk and also load them into the laptop.

[Thyme Laird]

I have Road Runner. I have two modems here in the house. One for the desk top and one for a wireless laptop. Somehow my laptop doesnt connect to its modem but wants to search for something in the area. Pisses me off because its hard to get on line. Which it shouldnt be at home.

So, Road Runner is an Internet service from Time Warner using a cable connection, correct?

You're saying that your desktop is connected through a wired connection and works, correct?

You're saying that your laptop has wireless capability but can't connect at home, correct?

Its all ready to go. Just need a connection somewhere. At the camp, its really hard because of the mountains. My cell phone wont even work in there. Nothing kicks in til I hit the main roads. But several people have cable and internet in the campground. One is about 2 trailers away and I should be able to connect into his. It doesnt even want to search. He also has a wireless laptop with Road Runner. And he has an open line.

In this case, you need to configure a new network connection.
Go to Control Panel and there should be a Network item.
Of course, this procedure varies between versions of Windows.
Come to think of it...it also varies between versions of wireless adapters.
Basically, you need to setup a new network connection profile for that camp site.

Here's an overview of trouble-shooting wireless connections on Windows XP.

Did I mention wireless networks are a pain in the ass?

Before you go through all that, there's a few basic things to check.
You need to check that your wireless laptop has features that match the settings of the wireless network.
1.) Is the wireless network ad-hoc (computer-to-computer) or infrastructure (computer-to-wireless access point)?
2.) What is the wireless frequency range, and can your laptop match that wireless network?
a. 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n)
b. 3.6 GHz (802.11y)
c. 5 GHz (802.11a/h/j/n)
3.) What channel is being used in that frequency range?
4.) What's the wireless network name (SSID)?
5.) What is the authentication type (Shared Key, Open Key, etc.)?
6.) Are there security mode settings (unlikely for a public connection), what are they, and does your laptop support it?
7.) Is there a MAC Address filter? (unlikely for a public connecton)

Getting the first five right should get your wireless laptop to see the wireless network signal.

Establishing a connection gets trickier.
You may also need to adjust local adapter settings for private connections.
Public connections should use dynamic host configuration protocol, which should be the default settings on your system.

Hope this helps.