Need some assistance

I am typing this from my Mac OS X 10.5.8 w/ 4 gb 800 MHz DDR2 Sdram, 2.66 Ghz intel core 2 duo processor. Whew! That was a cyber mouthful.

So anyway, here is the deal: We have our Comcast wi-fi router upstairs. I am typing this downstairs. Three times today I have been online with this computer and suddenly BAM! No internet. There's no message given that the Internet is gone, down, banned, kablooey, taken over by TRON, etc. Just...nothing. If I'm on a webpage, and click to go somewhere else, it recognizes the page but all it does is loading...loading....loading....staying on the same page that I am trying to move away from at that time.

This has happened three separate times. Checked the router. The green light, though sometimes flickering, is on to indicate a wi-fi signal. Router lights are all on where they need to be on. Connections and cables all check out on the router, the Comcast box (we have Comcast cable-phone-internet all packaged together on the same.."signal?" "line?" "Whatever.").

So....what's weird about this, besides the fact that we use Comcast, is that my iPhone WORKS JUST FINE. It grabs the signal and everything. I repeatedly updated my frustration on Facebook through the iPhone as I waited and wondered about this Mac OS X.

The Mac is about two years old bought Christmas '08 as a Christmas present.

Why is it that my iPhone gets the signal and works fine but this Mac decides to take a nap on me from the Internet?

Thanks bunches.

It's not like this Mac does not RECOGNIZE that there is not a signal. I ahve the icon up top near the date and time and speaker and blah blah blah top right hand corner basically saying, "Hey, cool. You have a neato-Wifi connection. Let's use it!" But the data from that signal? "Huh? What? Who?"

Guys (and gals)? A little help here, if I may? This is frustrating to no end.

We do have a Nintendo "Wii" upstairs that if I was able to turn ghost and float up through the floor would find someone playing it throughout the day and the Wii box itself nearby. Would a "Wii" be interrupting the signal somehow? Only thing I can think of, stupid though it may sound.

I don't know enough about Macs yet----or at least how they work internally---to fix this myself. I do know about virtual memory but could only give you a basic definition. Right now, I just want to know about Macs and why this one decides to puke when it tastes my wi-fi signal.

Thanks.

Are you able to take it to the same room as your router. If it works/doesn't work you'll know if it's an environment/distance thing.

Secondly, try (temporarily) disabling wi-fi security and see if that works OK or not. Again this will tell you if the security type in use is causing the issue.

Post back once you've had a go.

And you may well need a range extender if you have a brick or concrete floor with reinforcing between the floors.

Universal Wireless Repeater Range Extender WIFI AP WPA (eBay item 290357469626 end time 31-Jan-11 07:41:57 AEDST) : Computers

Guys, this post comes from a desperate and broken man. I'm at my wits end.

First, please don't tell me to move the computer. I'm not trying to be an ahole, I'm not trying to attack anyone with that, I'm not trying to ignore any suggestios and I fully understand the reasoning behind moving the computer to see what happens closer to the router.

But I can't move it upstairs, I can't move it closer to the router. Even if I picked up this iMac and took it upstairs, there are no places for all the cords and connections to go. At least none of which I am aware. Attempting this, while giving some minor satisfaction, would only accomplish an exercise program.

The local macintosh business wants $95 minimum to diagnose sndvi don't have that cash. I'm unemployedand without a car. Not the best time in my life to be attempting to carry an iMac one mile away complete with cords even if I DID have the money.

Enough ranting. Here is the issue:

It's Tuesday. As of Friday things worked fine. I could connect to our wireless fine. Saturday I was online browsing just fine annnnd poof, nothing.

The airport is working fine. The cables are connected. I spent more than an hour at 2 am this morning making sure of that. I. Am. Desperate.

Here is the thing.this computer has a wifi signal. I know that for a fact. I can open the telnet program and connect to two seperate text based bbses, bbs.isca.uiowa.edu & one other closely related bbs. If I had absolutely no Internet access, that wouldn't happen.

The airport tells mr the wifi signal is there. When I open it up, it tells me my ip address and says it is connected to our wireless.

I can not open safari browser to the Internet. Same with firefox. The automatic updates no longer automatically update because it can't find the Internet.

But.....the wireless signal is strong and recognized and I can connect successfully via telnet to the Internet? How?why? What? Augggjh arglebargle.

Please...anyone who has any idea no matter how farfetchwd or stupid, respond. I just want my Internet back. This has all been typed from my outdated iPhone bought February 2009. That's how I know it's not wifi, at least the signal itself. If we had wifi issues you would not be reading this whiny desperate response. The mac place did not know why my iPhone had no trouble with the signal but my computer iMac does.

Could this be a virus of some kind? Macs get viruses right? I just want my Internet. I am taking a college course and have tests and projects online that I need to access! I don't want to have to beg my professor for more time because my iMac is a piece of ****.

Thanks in advance
-starving student

I'd still suggest doing both my previous suggestions but if you're not 'that' desperate try creating a new network location which will give you default network settings in case somethings gone wrong there.

I suggest doing some FREE basic maintenence and troubleshooting:
1) Repair the hard drive - Start from your original install DVD and follow this down where it says Try Disk Utility:
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck

2) Get iStumbler and examine what other routers are nearby on the same channel:
http://www.istumbler.net/
(Change channel on router to be 2-3 away from others nearby)

Show us your IP address, subnet mask, DNS servers, router/gateway, etc from network prefs if you want more detailed help.

Go into system preferences > network > Airport and see what it says. There should be a little icon and message stating network status, what does it say? I have a feeling that it's some sort of an IP conflict in between your wireless devices.

"airport is connected to [our wifi name] and has the IP address [our IP from Comcast]."

Quick question how does one disable wifi security?

Still no luck on the Internet. Just tried with yahoo messenger-- nothing.

Ip address: 192.168.2.5

IPv4 address: 192.168.2.5

Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

Router: 192.168.2.1

Configure IPv6: off

--no Dhcp client ID

DNS
DNS servers: 192.168.2.1

Search domains: belkin (we use a belkin router)

NetBios name: is this information relevant?

--AppleTalk is not active

802.1x is completely blank

Proxies has one bypass

Ethernet has an ID abdvis set to configure automatically

Make a guest account with all privliges and try that account. If it is we can say it is system wide, and if it works it will be your Admin Accnt.

Thats my 2c

I also just ram a program called tech tools and it reports my volume structure check has failed, if that means anything.

How does one create a guest account?

Plus excuse my ignorance but if I an typing this via our wireless on my iPhone and at least onebotger iPhone and laptop at this residence is also able to connect without trouble, does thatvmean it is not "system wide?"

System wide i mean the the iMac.
You might have a corrupt "something" in the current Admin Account. If you create another account and internet connects there then you can rule out it being *system wide* . .

Follow the instructions in this page to create a new Admin Acct . Check if you can get online. Once done post the results.
Create new Admin Account

Cheers

You change your wifi security by logging into your router but I'm a little confused. Your first post says your have a comcast wifi router, subsequent posts says a belkin router.

Can you tell us your setup?

*sigh* Sorry for any confusion.

We USE Comcast for internet-wifi-phone. It's their triple package or whatever they call it to shove down the public's throat.

The physical router which maifests itself on top of the Comcast box on top of a piano on the second floor is Belkin brand.

Another question. would the fact that my router # shown above is different on the last digit than my IP address have any thing to do with this little 'problem' of mine?

I really don't want to feel beaten by some stupid computer, especially when this problem only started over the weekend and had no issues days, weeks, months before this time.

I'm reading the Apple forums such as

Apple - Support - Discussions - safari won't load ANY web pages! ...

But so far no luck.

IP address -
The last part is the part that varies in a local subnet. Yours is the 192.168.2.x subnet. That part looks good.
Creating a new account will be helpful.

If you can connect to your router with your iPhone log into the admin console and see what ip and subnet the router is assigning to your mac

Also creating a new network location and or user will help rule out any poor settings there

Well I don't know how but I am typing this from my iMac that I have been whining about through this thread. So, here are the current setings, any and all, that I can find as I have this (temporary?????) stable connection. I promise you, I did not do anything to get "back" online through Safari. The last attempt I made was more than 8 hours ago.

Ethernet:

Ethernet ID: 00:23:12:1d:6a:5b

Configure Automatically

MTU (grey and not in use) Standard (1500)

#####

Proxies:

Configure Proxies: Manually

Bypass proxy settings for these Hosts & Domains:
*.local, 169.254/16

Checked Use Passive FTP Mode (PASV)

#####

802.1X

nothing checked, shown or selected


#####

AppleTalk:

Nothing checked, configured or selected as far as I can tell, except that Configure says 'Automatically' and is grey and unused

#####

WINS:

NetBIOS Name: MAC002332954BD7

#####

DNS:

DNS Servers: 192.168.2.1

Search Domains: Belkin

(Belkin is our brand of router currently in use)

#####
TCP/IP:

Configure IPv4: Using DHCP

IPv4 Address: 192.168.2.5

Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

Router: 192.168.2.1

Configure IPv6: Off

#####
AirPort:

Lists the showroom network from '08 when computer was purchased, our former 2WIRE188 from when we had AT&T's Internet service about seven months ago and our current one.

WPA2 Personal on the showroom and our current one for securit; WEP Password for the prior one. Clicked 'Remember any network this computer has joined.'

Airport ID: 00:23:12:1d:6a:5b

gsahli said:

I suggest doing some FREE basic maintenence and troubleshooting:
1) Repair the hard drive - Start from your original install DVD and follow this down where it says Try Disk Utility:
Resolve startup issues and perform disk maintenance with Disk Utility and fsck

2) Get iStumbler and examine what other routers are nearby on the same channel:
http://www.istumbler.net/
(Change channel on router to be 2-3 away from others nearby)

Show us your IP address, subnet mask, DNS servers, router/gateway, etc from network prefs if you want more detailed help.

Click to expand...

I downloaded iStumbler. I have Mac OS 10.5.8 so I had to download the iStumbler 98 or whatever the last-to-latest version was available through that site. Says I am using "iStumbler 2."


Humor me and pretend I know nothing about this program. Actually you won't have to pretend at all.

Tell me if these settings will help me in whatever the heck has been going on lately:

===========


Secur: Secure

Mode: managed

Network Name: [our network name]

Signal: 51%

Noise: 11%

Chann: 6

MAC Address: 00-22-75-9A-8B-8

Vendor: 00-22-75

Sampl: 43

Last updated: 08:01:31 PM, 25 Jan 2011