network/internet adsl connectivity problem

I have a friend with a small network of 2 computers - #1 is XP Pro, #2 is XP Home. He has asked my help in fixing internet connectivity problems.
Each computer has a NIC and connects to a Linksys BEFSR41 cable/dsl router. Also connected to the router is a D-Link DSL300 ADSL modem connecting to a local adsl provider. Each computer can see the other, and each shows an active adsl connection through a WAN miniport.
The problem is that internet access is a hit & miss affair even tho' both computers show an active connection. Computer #1 is firewalled, and the local network, adsl provider, etc are in the trusted zone.
My friend has no documentation for either the Linksys or the D-Link and I haven't been able to access an interface for either of them, or find out how to change settings or even what the settings should be.
I think that the internet problems are caused by the way that the network connects through the adsl modem. i.e. should the D-Link be set as a gateway? Assistance/suggestions re changes to settings will be greatly appreciated. Please advise if further info is required.
(btw - I can't find in XP Pro where to set the workgroup/computer name - I'm missing something here).

 

each shows an active adsl connection through a WAN miniport

For this type of network setup, why would you want to mess with NDIS WAN pseudo connectors? Unless the ISP has a really strange way of operating, all the PCs should have is the physical LAN connection from the NIC and the BEFSR41 should take care of the rest. WAN miniports were common with ISDN and with some RAS setups but not broadband internet.

They moved the workgroup name section from what we saw in 2K. Right-click My Computer, left-click Properties, click the Computer Name tab, and you should see the pictured windows

 

I have a Linksys BEFSR41. To access its interface, open Internet Explorer and type "http://192.168.1.1" (without the quotes) in the address bar and click the Go button (or press the Enter key).

The default password is "admin" (without the quotes). I leave the username blank. It's a good idea to change the password from the default.

If the default password doesn't work, then somebody has already changed it. If nobody can remember what the password is, you'll have to do a "hard reset" on the router to get it back to factory settings. It will have to be reconfigured after resetting, though.

A user manual for the BEFSR41 can be acessed (and downloaded) from a link on this Linksys page. That page also has a lot of other support links.

I had the same problem with random disconnects and I, too, thought it was the router. It disappeared after I applied the fix discussed in Dez Bradley's post at the top of this Network forum. It is for XP with SP2 installed.

 

Hello Newt & Miz - back again after Christmas. May 2005 bring you many blessings. Thanks for your help so far. I thought that the WAN miniport was not the correct way to set up internet access. It appears that the Linksys and the D-Link both use 192.168.1.1 My problem was that I didn't/don't know what settings to use. Should I set a default gateway? Is there a problem with the device interfaces having the same ip? Should one be changed and if so which one? Some further guidance will be greatly appreciated.