I mentioned in my last post that I couldn't use the barebones case that Jason offered me.  I learned that the P4R8L in the Pundit case overheats unless you use the low power, low heat Northwood CPU.  (By the way, I thought it said "P4RB8" and had a heluva time finding information until I got that B switched to an 8). 

This morning, I was benchmarking the HD and memory on that squeeky Dell when the memory analyzer reported my CPU details.  Intel, 1.8mhz, core: Northwood.

Sweet?!  I think so.  Now I can shop for the faster Prescott core chip and move the Northwood to the p4r8l.  I think  the little pundit is a prime candidate for the BizZoo HeadQuarters Media Center.  At my rate of computer building progress, I should have it ready just about the time the dors open!

...ad the dell?   Let's just say I am not buying anymore Dells.  I'd be better off with a new barebones from TigerDirect then trying to salvage that cranky pile af junk.

I've been putting together a PC for some time. I started the project more then six months ago.  As I can stand to spend a little money, I get a few more components.  I started out with a micro atx mother board and a few hard drives.  I believe I have over a terabyte of storage though I have to review the box full of parts.  When I purchased the motherboard, I decided to give AMD another try since I'd discovered that my failing AMD a few years ago turned out to be a bad IDE on the motherboard, not a bad cpu.  I wonder if my extreme overclocking had anything to do with that...  Until the IDE controller failed, the computer was very reliable and incredibly fast.  Gamers across America can't be wrong!

I researched the system carefully in the beginning.  However, as the project dragged on, I started looking for a way to work within my means and get a great value.  I went with an AMD Athlon 64 4000+.   Apparently, this is good.  I have no idea.  I picked up the CPU at TigerDirect for around $80.  I also got a gig of PC3200 ram for $80.  My friend and business partner, Jason, let me have his old micro case.  Unfortuntely, the board I have is incompatable.  I was still unable to assemble my brain sucking device.  Jason is also the inspiration for this entire project.  His media center freakin' rocks!

The TigerDirect order arrived and I realized only two things stood between me and my media center: a case and a cpu cooler.  I had taken notes long ago regarding what parts I had decided were best and searched for this document on my dying-a-slow-death Dell PC.  I am so glad I took the time to review my own notes.   The case you see here is quite sweet, ain't it?!  In addition to being easy to use, my wife will insist that it look pretty in the living room.  I think I can convince her to work with this.  The CPU cooler I'd selected was not in stock so I pulled the trigger on the "Blue Orb".  I'm not sure if it was the fact that it is the last required component or if I just lost my head but the blue light sold me.  I really need to grow up...

I had recently moved from a usb modem to an ethernet modem and was empowered to use my LynkSys as my Dynamic DNS updater.  After a couple of months, however, I received an email stating that I was being blocked due to update abuse.  I asked for more info regarding the situation and the DynDns support rep was happy to reply and inform me that my router was updating on a timer, which is not allowed.  Unfortunately, three days later, I received another email stating that my DynDns account had been removed due to continued abuse.  The service they provide for free is absolutely fantastic and I certainly cannot complain that they have no patience for slackers who fail to fix their problems immediately.  So I finally spent about an hour getting things straight tonight.  I've disabled my LinkSys and returned to using the DynDns updater.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it now runs as a windows service!

If you're not famliar with Dynamic DNS and what DynDns provices, it allows you to point a url at your home computer that will allow you to access it from anywhere in the world as long as your computer tells the dns host what your ip address is every time it changes.  Simple but very powerful.  By installing a beacon service on your computer, you keep the DynDns server informed as to the address of your computer.  All requests are proxied through their server to allow access to your computer.  When your ISP changes your ip address, the beacon tells the DynDns server about the change.  You should never have to worry about it.  However, reboots can get tricky.  When I had a usb modem and the computer rebooted, my url would no longer connect to my computer until I physically logged in and established a connection.  I was very happy when I could use my router to update the server.  Too bad its an abusive piece of ...equipment.

To get a dyn dns account, go here: https://www.dyndns.com

create an account, then add a host to dynamic dns.  It will detect your ip address right there.  I won't go into detail about setting up wireless routers and port forwarding.  You can tackle that elsewhere.

Now download and install the preferred client: DynDns Updating Client

Set up an account that points to the domain you set up on DynDns.com. 

Once it is updating and the icon turns green, go to options on the dynDns client properties window, deselect "start with windows"  and click "install service"

Then exit the client by right clicking and selecting "exit"

Go to control panel > administrative tools > Services

Find "DynDNS Updater Service" right click and chools "start"

Leave a comment if you could use more information or some screen shots.  I'll add them.  I just wanted to illustrate how easy it is to set up remote access to your home or office computer if you don't have static ip addresses to work with.

 

I recently picked up a Toshiba laptop from Costco.  I really like the wide screen but the resolution is limited and the hard drive is dog slow.  Worse, there is a defect in the speaker covers that causes static discharge, resulting in freeze or unprovoked reboot.  It has hung twice on me and my install of VS.Net 2005 beta II crashed and burned.  I will be taking advantage of Costco's excellent return policy.  Unfortunately, they do not have another laptop that interests me.

So I found myself on Dell.com looking through refurbs and ended up pulling the trigger on a new D800 with a 128 mb video card, 512 1 dimm ram, and 60Gig 7200 rpm hard drive.  It has an M processor so the 2 hour battery life of this Toshiba should be a thing of the past.  After completing my order, I discovered that I could have ordered a new one (not refurb) for 100 smackers less than the one I got.  However, they no longer offer the 128 mb video (64 is max) and my notebook is coming with a leather case and XP pro.  I have 10 licenses for xp pro but, what the hell.  Although I probably could get a custom order and then upgrade the video, I prefer not to tear my laptop apart. 

So, rather than screw around trying to call and cancel the refurb and order a new one, I'm going to see how this one works out.  I once ordered a laptop the same way and wound up returning it because it wouldn't boot.  The computer I am typing on right now was also a refurb (desktop) and it has a cd rom that will only work for about 2 minutes after a reboot.  After that, the tray won't open.  When I need the cd I just reboot.  All in all, I am very happy with this cd-rom-challenged desktop.  A few months after I got it, my co-workers all ordered the same desktop for the same price, brand new, but theirs came with a monitor (and working cd rom's). 

I just read some reviews and discovered I may need to get a different machine for a more usable screen.  I didn't realize but the screen maxes out at 1200   x 800.  Not so good.  On the other hand, I haven't seen this screen yet and it is probably very comparable to my Toshiba.  I just want a reliable maachine.  If I can get that in the mail in a few days, I'll be a happy camper.

The first part explains how to set up connection sharing and enable use of the internet from a wireless client (laptop)

Setting up a usb DSL model with connection sharing over a wireless network.

The second part explains how to enable security so some hacker doesn't park outside your house and release viruses from your home network.

Securing a wireless Netowork using internet connection sharing and a usb DSL Modem

 

 

So the first thing every mac head will do is show off the cool windows-switching utility (Expose) that comes with OSX.  Every time they do, I feel jealous and want a mac.  My pc has become more and more stable over the years and XP is down right excellent.  However, Mac is still pretty slick.  That leaves me feeling like I am missing out on something.

No longer!  Turns out some guy named Otaku wrote it in Direct X for windows...  He calls it TopDesk.  Its pretty sweet and beats the hell out of <at> <tab> when you have numerous windows open.   For $9.95, how can you not buy it?

Thanks for the tip, john!

 

(yes, the cool thing about syndicated personal content)  :)

My ebayed modem arrived last night. I immediately googled to find out what I should do with it and found out it can be hacked to think its a 5660. That will provite NAT translation and routingas well as DHCP and DNS services. Now I question whether I need to do this. I have a wireless router for DHCP. All I need is the connection.

If the connection works well without modifications, I probably will refrain from the hack. However, now that my ICS is up and running and I plan to switch to ComCast soon enough (BellSouth just costs too much after all their hidden charges)

I highly recommend some mental/emotional preparation before embarking on this journey.  A nice, long, intensive Ashtanga Yoga session is highly advisable.  I started working on this about 8pm.  I thought it would take a few minutes and then I would be done.  Not a chance, Jack!

I was up all night fighting with it.  When I say all night, I mean until 1 a.m.  That is 5 hours for the mathmatically challenged.  Let me point out, however, that at the end of that 5 hours, I hit the reset button on the router and carefully returned everything to the way it was when I started (straight-out-of-the-box defaults).  So it was indeed a wasted 5 hours.

The last thing I did before falling into bed was to bid on and win an ethernet DSL modem on Ebay.  $18.56 - including shipping!  Hopefully, it'll show up.  I think that is the best solution overall.  If you divide just that wasted 5 hours into $18.56, I payed myself less than $4/hr to do something completely unnecessary.  Unfortunately, I am a stubborn s.o.b. and must succeed regardless of the cost.  ...adn succeed I did.  Now that it works, I'll be getting a new modem in about a week.

Here is the procedure.  Be patient and calm and don't freak out.  Some details may require a few hard power downs just to work themselves out.

Now that its over, I understand the cause of the failure. My router was set up from the factory with 192.168.15.1.  This prevented my client computers from seeing the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) host at 192.168.0.1 (The address that windows assigns to the ICS host). It is necessary to have the router, host and all clients configured with an ip address in the same subnet range. With the default class C subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, this allows xxx.xxx.xxx.[0 - 254]. If our ICS defaults to 192.168.0.1, then the default router ip address of 192.168.15.1 (which will assign 192.168.15.[100-150] to network clients) won't allow the ICS host to be accessable from the network. We need to change something so we'll change what we can - the router.

• connect physically (ethernet)
• change the router ip address to 192.168.0.2
• power down
• make coffee
• boot up in order
• verify connectivity
• change the name of your wireless SSID to something meaningful
• connect wirelessly
• verify connectivity
• enable WEP security
• RE-connect wirelessly
• verify connectivity
• scream aloud, "Who's your daddy?!"

connect physically (ethernet)

Disable your wireless if you can. The purpose is to remove the number of uncertainties and potential causes for failure. Until you can connect the old fashioned way, d.b.a.d (like I was), leave the wireless off.

Plug your connection host (the one that connects to the internet through the modem) and one client into one of the four ethernet ports (not the internet port) of the router/hub.

change the router ip address to 192.168.0.2

You should be able to bring up the router config page by opening your browser and entering http://192.168.15.1 (check your documentation to verify this ip address). If you can't, go sto start --> Connect To --> Right click your dsl connection --> properties (or otherwise get to the properties of your dial up connection). Make note of your user id and make sure you know your password. Also jot down the exact name of the connection in case some application automatically dials it to connect, they usually call it by its physical name. Now, delete your dial-up (DSL) internet connection. You should be able to tell the browser to never dial when a connection is not present but you can be sure if you delete it. Bring up Command Prompt: Start --> Run --> Cmd. Then "ipconfig /release" then "ipconfig /refresh". Then ipconfig and see if you have an address in the same range as your router. If not, You may need to reboot to get a valid ip address.

Change the ip address on the main page to 192.168.0.[something between (2 and 99) or (200 and 254)]. I ended up using [192.168.0.2]. Originally I tried [192.168.0.254] but had no success. However, I believe it would have worked if I'd followed the next steps carefully.

power down

Turn everything physically off. Re-boot is not enough! Shut down your computers then unplug your router. Proceed to the next step...

make coffee

Do something that will take about fifteen minutes. Five is enough but this is a good time to relax. You might be in for a little bit of rough weather.

boot up in order

First Router, wait for the lights to stop flashing. Next, ICS Host. Next, Client computer.

verify connectivity

try to ping your host. using ipconfig "Start >> run >> cmd >> ipconfig", find your host ipaddress. From your client, bring up command (see above), try to ping "ping [ip address of host]". If ping replies 4 times, keep going. Otherwise, try the power down and back up again. If still no luck, you may have a-typical tcp settings and are going to be outside the scope of this procedure (so sorry). pinging?! sweet, go on...

Share you connection on your ICS Host. If you deleted this connection, now is the time to create a new one just like the old one. Enable sharing. check ipconfig, if you like, to see that your host is now 192.168.0.1

try to ping from your client to your host again. Still pinging?

Here goes: try to connect to the internet from your host. Open your browser. Good? If not, check your connection properties under "Internet Opetions" Connections, LAN Setting. There should be no connections listed above LAN Settings and your LAN Settings themselves should all be unchecked.

I hope you can connect, if not, try the hard power down and start up again (proper sequence, as always)

If you are having issues at this point, shut it down and leave it for while. This is the point where I ebayed a new ethernet modem. In the morning, I did exactly what I am describing (except I didn't bother with any pinging) and it worked.

change the name of your wireless SSID to something meaningful

bring up your router config page. You should not have to disconnect your internet connection, anymore! Go to the wireless tab and change the SSID to something like "FlyDaddyWAN" or "Home-Office" (or something that will help you distinguish it from your neighbor's wireless network.

connect wirelessly

See if you can connect you wireless pc via the wireless network. Bring up avaiable connections. Look for your SSID there. If its not there, it may not be broadcasting. You can enable it in the router config page. However, try to connect manually by manually entering the SSID.

verify connectivity

If you see "connected", try to ping. Also check your network neighborhood and your internet connection. If all these work, you're in great shape.

If your network neighborhood is working but no internet, make sure you have ICS enabled (connection on host is shared). On your wireless client, try "ipconfig /all". Your default gateway should be 192.168.0.1. If it isn't, power down and back up in sequence again.

If your network neighborhood does not work but you have internet, You need to check the ipaddresses of each computer and the router and ensure they are in the same subnet. It is also prudent to power down and back up in sequence again.

enable WEP security

If anything has failed so far, go back. Keep it simple. Otherwise, go to the wireless tab of your router config page and click security. Enable WEP encryption. Enter some text in the key gen field and click generate. Copy one of the resulting keys and set that up on your wireless client.

RE-connect wirelessly

Show avaailable wireless connections on your wireless client. Find the one you set up and it should now show as "WEP enabled". Double click and you will be prompted for a key. Enter the key from your Router config.

verify connectivity

Nothing should have changed from pre-secure wireless (except that now it is secure)

If so, power down and back up in sequence again.

scream aloud, "Who's your daddy?!"

..or anything that makes you feel an equal sense of accomplishment!

Note: occassionally you will not be able to connect. I find this true after connecting to other networks and then returning. You may have to reboot your ICS Host and then run, on your wireless client, "ipconfig /renew". However, a reboot is even better. When in doubt, you guessed it.

Toshiba A75-S2292 at Costco.

Costco has a pretty robust return policy so I am feeling pretty good about my purchase.  It has a wide-aspect screen so there si a significant amount of extra real-estate to work with.  The processor is not the efficient mobile processors in many laptops so the battery life is short.  However, the processor is lightning fast and will be very nice to have when I create music using Reason on it. 

There are some posts about static discharge causing the computer to then lock up.  I hope this is not going to happen.  However, I will be making sure to religiously back-up my system.  I got a Western Digital USB Hard Drive for that purpose.

If I have problems, I'll be sure to let you know.  If I don't, this is the last post you'll see.  Unless, of course, the thing just absolutely ROCKS...   let you know then too.

sharing internet connection using Alcatel Speedtouch USB dsl modem and a linksys WRT54G wireless router

I couldn’t find a single resource that didn’t suggest one of the following regarding my Alcatel Speedtouch USB DSL modem: burn it, toss it out the window, throw it in the street.

While funny, not very constructive. I decided to wing it, and with great success!

A few assumptions/requirements:
I only know pc configuration, not mac. I like macs, just can’t afford one.
Also, you will have to leave your connected pc on all the time. For me, this is not a problem, I only shut my main desktop off during lightning storms.

Ready?

Step one: share your connection.

Click properties on the dial up connection you use to connect to the internet (If you don’t use a dial up connection for DSL, you don’t have a SpeedTouch USB and should read no further). Click on the “advanced” tab and select “share this connection”.

Step two: connect your internet-connected pc to your WRT54G router.

Connect your Ethernet cable from your desktop to your wireless router. If you are using a wireless card to connect your internet-connected pc, then you should be able to skip this step (note: if you have trouble, try connecting physically, assuming you have a network card)

Step three: plug in your WRT54G router.

Plug the power cable in. The lights should come on and flash.

Step four: reboot.

Reboot your internet-connected computer. This should get it correctly attached to the router.

Step five: bring up your wirelessly-connected computer.

booooooot... booooooooooooot.

Step six: connect.

View available wireless connections. "Linksys" should be in the list. If it is, connect to it.
You should be able to browse immediately. If you can, you’re done. If not, go on to step seven.

Step seven: power everything down and bring it all up in sequence.

Shut everything down, unplug the power adapter from the Linksys router.
Plug the router back in. Wait until the lights stop blinking.
Boot your internet-connected pc.
Open your internet connection.
Once you are connected, boot up your wireless-connected pc.

Is it working?

If not, go back to the top of the page and consider the original suggestions!

...next issue: how to secure your completely wide-open, free to the general public, newly shared connection.