I purchased a generic desktop Pentium 4 computer with a Realtek RTL8139 PCI Lan card in April this year. I connect to the broadband internet through Netvigator using a DSL modem installed in late 2001. I now want to install a wireless router between my desktop and the broadband modem. I am having difficulties achieving the installation. I have tried three brands of wireless routers, Belkin, Netgear and Buffalo without success. I have taken my computer and the router to the company that sold me the Belkin router, and they told me to format my hard disk and try again because they could not get it connected with my computer even though the router worked with other computers. I formatted the disk without success. I took the computer and the router to the company that sold me the computer and they could not get the connection. I am currently trying the Buffalo and can at least find the router but I can get no connection through it. What can I do?
Name supplied
Kowloon Tong
Few things are quite so irritating as trying to make something work that you are told is 'easy'.
Although I have not played with every such device, I have installed a few wireless routers and it should be fairly straightforward. Having said that, I have done it for systems using Macintoshes, Linux machines and Solaris workstations. There was also one machine running Windows. As usual, the Mac just about configured itself. Linux was simple for the Ethernet connection, but a pain for wireless, and Windows connected wirelessly after a few fits and starts.
You have been given some curious advice. Reformatting the hard disk is an extreme measure that should not have been undertaken until you were able to ascertain that the system was seriously corrupted and had to be reinstalled from scratch. Anyone suggesting something that radical so early on is being somewhat cavalier. I should stay away from him if I were you.