shovelhd

Is the firmware up to date?

Try setting the DHCP scope down to the minimum users. If you suspect intruders then get the MAC addresses of all devices on your network and either lock the router to that group or snoop for others.

Ultraslide

Sounds like the user section of firmware memory is pooched. I would update the firmware, even if you use the existing version. This will cause the memory to be "formatted". Use the little button on back to manually reset everything back to default. Then go in an set it up the way you want. Make sure the changes are saved. To test just unplug the unit. If it keeps the settings you are okay. I have seen bad power strips, power surges and the like cause network gear to reset it's configuration to default. If some person were trying to access your equipment they wouldn't want to be noticed, so I doubt you've been attacked.

mmmdonuts

+1 to the above.

Definitely reset to factory defaults. And after you run through the above disable remote management, wireless admin, and UPnP (if your router has them).

50 DHCP users does mean that many requests/associations with your router. Do you use MAC filters on the WiFi side? If not then you should.

mattm

I get to learn about Azure, and it's for work! Branching out/expanding knowledge is always a good feeling, especially when it will help future-me. Services/The Cloud is where it's at! (or will be)

MAC addresses are trivial to spoof though... just set a reg key in Windows. But of course, it would have strange side-effects to have two adapters w/ the same MAC on a subnet. However that's usually a good start to weed out the 99% of lazy attackers.

shovelhd

I know how easy it is to spoof MAC addresses. I was suggesting those actions for diagnostic purposes.

mollusk

I'd suggest doing a 30/30/30 reset on the router and then reloading everything.

(Sometimes 20/20/20 works better.)

bostongarden

Thank you all for your help and guidance!!!!!!!!!!

My sense is that updating the firmware might be the right first step to take. The firmware, as far as I know, is the original (from 2006 or 2007?). I read the instructions and I will give it a go once I get through this week (I don't want to be without wireless should I screw things up)!!!

What is 30/30/30 or 20/20/20? And then reload what? The security code and other settings that I want?

mollusk

It is a protocol for getting a HARD reset. Sometimes it takes a flash media a bit of time to forget totally.

The dd-wrt community does this a lot. Just go a "google" search.

This page explains it pretty much:

https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php...om_a_Bad_Flash

but some routers don't like buttons held that long and do weird things, hence the 20/20/20.

mollusk

And once you go dd-wrt on a compatible router you will never go back.

bostongarden

For years I have thought about DD-WRT; that option is why I got the router that I did. However, once I got it and read up on it, I was afraid that I would brick it!!

mollusk

What have you got to lose right now?

bostongarden

C'mon, I'm a professor (i.e., risk averse even when there is nothing to lose!!); you understand this, at least intellectually.

shovelhd

It's pretty hard to brick it.

bostongarden

Ok, ok, I'll go for it...at the end of the week when I'll have time to recover quickly from no wireless should that occur...I thank thee geek thread for the information and the shot of courage.

Ultraslide

Seconded on the "hard to brick it" comment. Still, I'd say get it up and running on latest Linksys code and if it seems functional then consider the DD-WRT update for later. Unless you have some pretty techy needs the Linksys code is fine. However, if you want to SSH to the firewall so you can open ports to the inside from anywhere, at will, it sure is handy ;-)

Homebrew01

I have a Dell laptop about 3 years old running XP Pro. What the best way to get to Win 7 Pro ? Does it come with Word (for the few times I need it).
I don't have much of importance on there: family pictures, PowerAgent, porn, CycleTorrents, SQL ...

Or maybe I'll just stick with XP since I use my work PC most of the time anyway and save $250.

waterrockets 

In the past, I've bought OEM copies of Windows from places like Altex, where you can build a machine. The OEM license was granted as long as I bought some hardware along with the Windows discs -- so I bought a USB cable for $2.50 (which I could use anyway).

You can get a trial-like version of MS Office for free, and that will have Word. I'm not positive that's true with the OEM version of the Windows license.

Honestly, you should be able to handle most Word documents with docs.google.com. If that's not enough, OpenOffice.org will get you everything you need for free locally.

shovelhd

Windows does not come with Word, only Wordpad. To get Office you need to buy Office, although Windows 7 will run some fairly old versions of Office if you have a copy hanging around, or you could use OpenOffice, or you could buy the Student and Teacher edition for ~$100. You can install that version on up to 3 PC's as long as you have a student or teacher in the family. I would not go to Windows 7 Professional unless your systems are on a Windows domain. All you need is Windows Home Premium. You can get an upgrade edition but the last time I used a retail version of it, it would not upgrade from XP, only Vista. I had to call Microcruft and get a full installation key, which they nicely gave me for free.

ridethecliche

Second the OpenOffice recommendation.

Love it.

Nate552

Anyone here fluent in AS400 databases? I can't remember all the rules about packed decimals, characters, file outputs,etc.

Fat Boy

OK guys, I need some help. Garmin has stuck an ANT Agent application running all the time on my machine. I uninstalled it, but it still shows up. How do I kill this stupid thing?

shovelhd

By machine I'm assuming Windows. Check the Services menu for a likely culprit and disable it. It could also be in the Startup menu. If that doesn't do it you may have to dig down into Program Files and delete stuff.

SalsaPodio

Had to give a presentation in class about an aspect of mechanical behavior in materials. Pretty broad topic, so I chose solid solution strengthening in bcc metals, particularly a 1970 paper by Peters and Henkerickson that explored the strengthening mechanism behin Nb-Ta and Nb-Mo alloys.

After my presentation my professor said that the paper I chose was his favorite paper ever written on the topic, so I'm pretty sure I got an A.

I was going to talk about creep properties of NiAl and how additions of Zr help it, but decided on a much easier topic. Glad I did.

substructure

Maybe some help here with wireless networking.

I have a wireless N router with two switches. One sending an N signal on the 161, 5.0Ghz channel and one sending a mixed signal on the 11, 2.4Ghz channel.
Both are WPA2 Personal encrypted.

Also, I set up an old Linksys G router to be used as a repeater bridge. It's also set up with a WPA2 wireless encryption.

Ok ... The six of us in the office have Linksys AE2500 wireless adapters capable of receiving an N signal. Mine can get a speed of over 200 Mbps. All the others in the office are between 54 and 160 or so. No big deal.

But there's this one computer (with any of the adapters connected) that cannot connect directly to the new N router without getting knocked off unless we switch one signal to WEP encryption. That computer (with any one of our adapters) loses connection if someone grabs a file from his shared directory or he gets a large file through his email. Through this router, if he connects to the WEP encrypted signal he can stay connected all day.

Also, if he connects to the repeater, that is WPA2 encrypted, he can stay connected as well.

So its connecting to the N router through WEP only, or the repeater through WPA2 (or any other encryption).

Totally freaky. We even formatted his hard drive and reinstalled windows 7, 64. I looked for firmware on all the hardware and it's all up to date. I'm baffled.

mollusk

Personally I wouldn't have any ability to connect with WEP on a wireless network of mine. It only takes a couple of minutes of WEP activity for anyone that wants to to crack it.

I also wouldn't do mixed (N and G, I presume) on the 2.4GHz channel. The usual outcome is that things end up at the lowest connection speed. If you have to have some legacy G stuff you can get a dedicated router set up as an access point for them very cheap.