Wireless network password & connectivity problems

Alright, I'm having a short list of problems, and I've tried more things than I can even remember to mention. I'll try to explain it, and if anyone has ideas to help I'd love to hear them.

My ex-roommate set a password on my wireless internet connection. He put in the password on my laptop, but he did not save the password. I've been trying to reset this so that people visiting can use my internet from their laptops, but me and a friend of mine messed with it the other night and now I can't access the internet wirelessly at all.

Now, if I wire it directly to the router, the internet works just fine. I have a Netgear modem/router combo. I've tried to renew the IP address in the Command screen, I've double checked to make sure the IP and DNS addresses are automatic, I've rebooted the computer and reset the router a dozen times, I've uninstalled and re-installed the network adapter, and still I get the same results. The network connects but claims to have "Limited or no connectivity" and won't load anything. If I try to repair it says that it can't renew the IP address. I can't view any wireless networks, and Windows won't let me configure a network. If I try to renew the IP address thru Command, it tells me that I can't connect to the DHCP server.

I'm totally at a loss at how to get connected properly at this point, and when I do I've still got to figure out how to get rid of or reset the password. Help?

 

garretj, Welcome aboard.

Please follow the following steps:

1. Connect your laptop to your router with LAN cable.
2. When the laptop picks up the IP address, double click the network icon in taskbar. A new window would open. Click Support. You would get a page showing IP address, subnet mask, gateway IP address. We are interested in gateway right now.Note it down.
3. Open web browser & type http://your_gateway_IP_address. Now you should be asked for user name & password. Enter admin and password.
4. Now you can access the settings on your router.

Hope it helps.

 

Thanks for the tip, but when I tried using admin and password as the username & password it wouldn't accept it. I wonder if this might have something to do with the password that my dumb ex-roommate set and then lost?

Either way, I'm back to square one for now. Thanks again, though.

 

Have a look at the router documentation. There is usually an option to reset it to factory default. Often it means pressing a button for a short time while the router is started. Reseting to factory defaults should return the router to its original configuration : that is, as it was when you bought it. You should then be able to use the same documentation to reset the router for you network. However, you may well need your ISP settings so get these before you start.

 

Take a look below the router. At the bottom there would be a sticker. Netgear normally provides the default user name & password there. Check it out.

If it fails, switch on the router & search for a recessed button names 'Reset' on your router. Take a pencil & push it for at least 30 seconds. This should reset the router to factory configuration [you would also loose the modem configurations].