lolno one will ever crack it before the heat-death of the universe.
EH- if you're willing to let someone in remotely, maybe one of us can connect to the laptop and try to see if we find something that will help?
New wireless router probs.....how to get laptop to ask for PW? SOLVED!
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EvilHorace
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- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2000 7:14 am
- Location: Greenfield, WI
I'm baffled. After much screwing around, the "choose a wireless network" went from automatic to manual and prompts me for a PW HOWEVER, the same #s (#s assigned in the routers online info, not my key) which was what was required and worked for the other two laptops do NOT work on this laptop. I've tryed the "key" too, same story.
When I put the #s or letters in (the ONLY ones I've got), it then tells me that
"Network PW needs to be a 40bits or 104bits depending on your network config. This can be entered as a 5 or 13 ascii characters or 10 or 26 hexa decimal characters"
WTF? I've tryed entering the ONLY #s ever entered and shown in my routers online config. So, what else can I try?
I then tryed to DL drivers from Linksys for my external USB nic but that didn't work either and I don't have the CD here. It might be at work as that's where I originally installed it in my old laptop.
Tryed WPA and WEP (which seems like even more of a cluster IMO). With NO security, it'll work fine.
...and to top things off, I now can't even login to the routers site. It now gives me a username, PW screen. I didn't create a username but my network name, PW isn't working.
When I put the #s or letters in (the ONLY ones I've got), it then tells me that
"Network PW needs to be a 40bits or 104bits depending on your network config. This can be entered as a 5 or 13 ascii characters or 10 or 26 hexa decimal characters"
WTF? I've tryed entering the ONLY #s ever entered and shown in my routers online config. So, what else can I try?
I then tryed to DL drivers from Linksys for my external USB nic but that didn't work either and I don't have the CD here. It might be at work as that's where I originally installed it in my old laptop.
Tryed WPA and WEP (which seems like even more of a cluster IMO). With NO security, it'll work fine.
...and to top things off, I now can't even login to the routers site. It now gives me a username, PW screen. I didn't create a username but my network name, PW isn't working.
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FlyingPenguin
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Okay, slow down. We need to clarrify some things because you being a router newbie is making things confusing. Read all this THOROUGHLY because it's apparent you're a bit confused.
#1: ANYTIME you log into the router's control panel (using the router's IP) you are ALWAYS prompted for a username and password. You couldn't have possibly gotten in there before without entering one. The factory default login for all Linksys routers is: Username: admin Password: admin (this is also in your documentation). As I mentioned previously you SHOULD change the password because there are trojans that will log into your router from an infected computer inside your network and do nasty things to it (like open the router's firewall). You can change it later when you get everything working.
#2: When you setup WPA or WPA2 you were asked for a passphrase (this is your encryption key). This is the key you MUST enter whenever you connect to the wifi network the first time from ANY PC.
Now there IS a difference when you setup WEP (and from what you described I'm wondering if you actually DID setup WEP and don't realize it). When you setup WEP on the router the ACTUAL WEP key is a 10 or 26 digit hexadecimal (hex) number (depending on the WEP encryption level of 40 or 104 bits). Since most people don't like thinking up a random hex number, AS A COURTESY the router lets you type in a plain-text "passphrase" that it converts to a hex key. The hex key will consist of ONLY the numbers 0 thru 9 and the letters A-F. On the laptop you DO NOT enter the pass-phrase. The laptop wants one of the hex keys.
When you enter the passphrase in the router it will generate FOUR Hex keys for you and fill them in automatically (there will be four boxes labelled 1 - 4). YOU ONLY NEED ONE OF THESE hex keys for the laptop. Copy down the first one. Then try to connect from the laptop and enter that directly on the laptop NOT the original passphrase.
So bottom line, when you setup WPA on the router, there should be no hex conversion. WPA uses a plain-text passphrase and you enter that on both the router and the laptop.
For WEP you can enter a passphrase in the router which then generates a four Hex keys for you, and you need to enter ONE of those hex keys on the laptop.
NOW if you ARE certain you're setup for WPA on the router and the laptop is asking for a Hex key then the laptop (or the Wifi NIC on the laptop) is not WPA aware. It knows the router is encrypted but it's asking for a WEP key because that's all it knows.
It positively should work in WEP. Try setting up the router for 40-bit WEP just for a test (it's shorter - only a 10 digit hex key).
If it works in WEP and you're sick of all this then leave it as WEP. That will be adequate to block a neighbor from accidently conencting to your Wifi unless you just happen to have a l33t hacker living in one of the houses immediately adjacent to you (highly unlikely). Yeah WPA is better, but honestly - you aren't a bank and no one is going to hack you except a neighbor who wants to mooch wifi or an accidental connection.
It IS very important that you change your router admin password though.
Also I would STRONGLY recommend that you disable uPnP on the router for security reasons. On a linksys that setting is usually on the same control panel page where you change the admin password. Most people don't need uPnP and it's a serious security risk.
Hope this helps.
#1: ANYTIME you log into the router's control panel (using the router's IP) you are ALWAYS prompted for a username and password. You couldn't have possibly gotten in there before without entering one. The factory default login for all Linksys routers is: Username: admin Password: admin (this is also in your documentation). As I mentioned previously you SHOULD change the password because there are trojans that will log into your router from an infected computer inside your network and do nasty things to it (like open the router's firewall). You can change it later when you get everything working.
#2: When you setup WPA or WPA2 you were asked for a passphrase (this is your encryption key). This is the key you MUST enter whenever you connect to the wifi network the first time from ANY PC.
Now there IS a difference when you setup WEP (and from what you described I'm wondering if you actually DID setup WEP and don't realize it). When you setup WEP on the router the ACTUAL WEP key is a 10 or 26 digit hexadecimal (hex) number (depending on the WEP encryption level of 40 or 104 bits). Since most people don't like thinking up a random hex number, AS A COURTESY the router lets you type in a plain-text "passphrase" that it converts to a hex key. The hex key will consist of ONLY the numbers 0 thru 9 and the letters A-F. On the laptop you DO NOT enter the pass-phrase. The laptop wants one of the hex keys.
When you enter the passphrase in the router it will generate FOUR Hex keys for you and fill them in automatically (there will be four boxes labelled 1 - 4). YOU ONLY NEED ONE OF THESE hex keys for the laptop. Copy down the first one. Then try to connect from the laptop and enter that directly on the laptop NOT the original passphrase.
So bottom line, when you setup WPA on the router, there should be no hex conversion. WPA uses a plain-text passphrase and you enter that on both the router and the laptop.
For WEP you can enter a passphrase in the router which then generates a four Hex keys for you, and you need to enter ONE of those hex keys on the laptop.
NOW if you ARE certain you're setup for WPA on the router and the laptop is asking for a Hex key then the laptop (or the Wifi NIC on the laptop) is not WPA aware. It knows the router is encrypted but it's asking for a WEP key because that's all it knows.
It positively should work in WEP. Try setting up the router for 40-bit WEP just for a test (it's shorter - only a 10 digit hex key).
If it works in WEP and you're sick of all this then leave it as WEP. That will be adequate to block a neighbor from accidently conencting to your Wifi unless you just happen to have a l33t hacker living in one of the houses immediately adjacent to you (highly unlikely). Yeah WPA is better, but honestly - you aren't a bank and no one is going to hack you except a neighbor who wants to mooch wifi or an accidental connection.
It IS very important that you change your router admin password though.
Also I would STRONGLY recommend that you disable uPnP on the router for security reasons. On a linksys that setting is usually on the same control panel page where you change the admin password. Most people don't need uPnP and it's a serious security risk.
Hope this helps.
---
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” - Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez
“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket.” - Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez
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EvilHorace
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- Joined: Wed Nov 22, 2000 7:14 am
- Location: Greenfield, WI
OK, got the router page to work again, set from WPA2 to WPA.
Laptop was set for WEP but set it to WPA and now it's back to trying to get access automatically but doesn't ever ask me for my PW (pass key).
It'll say that Windows is unable to find me a certificate.
w/o a PW prompt, it can't connect.
Changing that router setting from WPA2 to WPA then makes it so the newer laptops don't connect (and no, I don't know what I have to do for that at the moment) so until I can do anything (WPA) with the older one, I switched it back for now.
Update, can get it connect using WEP but that's it, no WPA or WPA2. There's no point in having it WEP so what, new internal wifi card? The drivers date is May 2003 but I'm not sure that if I can find a newer driver, it'd work.
As to our employers IT guy (asked much earlier), well............although there's been much fuss lately on personal PCs at work (now not allowed because someone, somewhere got caught doing something) and alot of the fuss had to do with bogging down their networks and possibilities of virus's, believe it or not, probably most of their PCs don't even even have basic AV SW running. I was bored last week (snow day friday, like no customers) so I installed Avast and Superspyware blaster on two of the shops PCs, plus did Windows updates because no one ever does that either. So, the IT guy isn't at all concerned with that and yes, they're all networked too and to another location miles away.
Laptop was set for WEP but set it to WPA and now it's back to trying to get access automatically but doesn't ever ask me for my PW (pass key).
It'll say that Windows is unable to find me a certificate.
w/o a PW prompt, it can't connect.
Changing that router setting from WPA2 to WPA then makes it so the newer laptops don't connect (and no, I don't know what I have to do for that at the moment) so until I can do anything (WPA) with the older one, I switched it back for now.
Update, can get it connect using WEP but that's it, no WPA or WPA2. There's no point in having it WEP so what, new internal wifi card? The drivers date is May 2003 but I'm not sure that if I can find a newer driver, it'd work.
As to our employers IT guy (asked much earlier), well............although there's been much fuss lately on personal PCs at work (now not allowed because someone, somewhere got caught doing something) and alot of the fuss had to do with bogging down their networks and possibilities of virus's, believe it or not, probably most of their PCs don't even even have basic AV SW running. I was bored last week (snow day friday, like no customers) so I installed Avast and Superspyware blaster on two of the shops PCs, plus did Windows updates because no one ever does that either. So, the IT guy isn't at all concerned with that and yes, they're all networked too and to another location miles away.
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Key Keeper
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Did you change the broadcast SSID name to something other than "linksys"? Since that is the default ssid for all linksys routers, if you change it to something else like "EVILSNET" then when you search for your network, it should see it as a NEW network and then prompt for a password/passphrase or even wep key if your using WEP (hate these). I have yet to have a problem like your explaining even with vista and 2000 on the same wifi network. I know there is an option to "forget this network" or "delete this profile" in the xp wireless config utility.
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EvilHorace
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(yeah)
mile
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EvilHorace
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FlyingPenguin
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