Moved and now cannot connect Xbox to network

[ryecatcher]

I'm having trouble with something that is likely very simple, yet I am not clear where to begin as I'm not very experienced with networks.

I have had my hard modded Xbox with an older T3CH build for well over a year now. I was able to set it up with my network using a wired MN-100 Microsoft router, and never had any problems. DHCP took care of everything.

Since moving, I have set everything up, only to find that the Xbox will no longer connect via my router. Instead, the router light blinks steadily on the input I have the Xbox connected to, but it never establishes a connection. I've tried resetting the router, the modem, and my Primus Talkbroadband box through which my internet connection passes, but nothing.

The wire seems to work fine when I test it, so I figure this has something to do with my IP or network settings, but I'm not sure where to start. Nothing has changed hardware -wise. Any advice?

[kraqh3d]

some questions... does your computer have internet access through the same hardware? does the xbox get an IP address? if yes, is it on the same subnet at your computer? compare the default gw and dns config between your computer and xbox. can you ftp from your computer to the xbox?

[ryecatcher]

Yes, the computer is going through the same router as the Xbox. Using the router admin tools and ipconfig/all, I have not been able to get the Xbox to show up on the network. If it matters, I use Avalaunch as my dashboard. I'm not able to FTP either. The Xbox has nothing displaying in the network configuration. I do have it DHCP enabled.

Honestly, I am relative luddite when it comes to some of this stuff, so bear with me if I'm missing obvious things or not seeing my mistakes.

[kraqh3d]

you didnt answer most of the questions. i don't know avalaunch but i presume there's some place to check the settings to verify that the xbox has an ip address. first and foremost, verify that the xbox even has an ip address. if your xbox doesnt have an ip address, it obviously won't be able to connect to the network. then compare the settings between your pc and the xbox. is your pc getting a dhcp address? if you have it static, switch it to dhcp as a test. they should be on the same subnet and you can test that with ftp. the default gw and dns settings should match.

[ryecatcher]

Sorry, trying to answer all questions as best I can to my abilities. After looking at the network settings on the Xbox, I can see that the Xbox and my computer are on the same subnet, but not the same gateway or DNS. The computer is not using a static IP. The Xbox does have an IP.

However, one thing that is throwing me off is that the network settings on my Avalaunch dashboard are not the same as when I go into the network settings using the Xenium chip interface. I assume the settings under Avalaunch are the ones I should be concerned with.

I hate to be a pain in the ass, but how would I go about correcting the issue, since I'm not really sure where to start? I figured since everything was set to 'auto' connect, there would never be any problems of this sort, but clearly my inexperience with network settings is showing. I've always used the SMB share in XBMC and never really bothered with FTP, so I might have to educate myself a little more on some of this.

Thanks for the help, kraqh3d.

[ryecatcher]

Not trying to sound unappreciative here, but I don't understand why this thread was moved when there are dozens of threads regarding network issues in the XBMC support thread. I am asking for support regarding a Windows networking issue while using XMBC!

The title of this area specifically states there can be no support/help questions. Hence, I did not post here in the first place. Was it something I said??

Anyway, hopefully someone with some knowledge sees this and is willing to lend a hand.

[kraqh3d]

This is not an Xbmc specific networking problem as you stated you cannot even FTP into the Avalaunch dashboard.

Did you check the Windows firewall? (I don't think its the culprit because that shouldn't block outgoing FTP's.)

[ryecatcher]

kraqh3d, or anyone else who happens to read this, maybe you can help me understand this. You asked if my Xbox is getting an IP. Like I said, when I checked the network settings in Avalaunch, DHCP is enabled, but the IP number of the Xbox is called a static IP in the setting descriptors (hope that makes sense). The subnet is the same, and everything else is different. Could this be part of the problem?

The only thing that has changed, other than having moved to a new home and being on a 'new' internet connection with the same ISP, is that my computer went berserk a few days before I tried hooking up the Xbox to my network, and began booting from my secondary hard drive (which has XP installed on it, but I only use the drive for storage) for no particular reason, which I corrected in the bios settings. Could the bios issues I was having be related in any way?

Again, we're getting into technical grounds in which I am a layman at best. I've tried resetting the router to factory defaults and disabling all firewalls and anti-virus software, but no luck so far. I'm pretty sure it's not the cable since it does cause the router to 'light up', but the light blinks instead of staying on.

[waldo22]

The subnet is the same, and everything else is different. Could this be part of the problem?

I don't really know what you mean by this. The Avalaunch dash really shouldn't say "static" on it.

Do you mean the subnet is the same as it was in the old house? How 'different' are the things that are different? Different from what? Different from how they used to be, or different from your computer's gateway and DNS settings?

The "standard" subnet is 255.255.255.0

You said Avalaunch has a different Default Gateway and DNS from your other machine.

The Gateway is simply the IP address of your router, which is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.254, or something similar.

Your xbox and computer should have the same Gateway and DNS and subnet if they are both really using DHCP. They should be the same if they are static as well.

The only thing that should be different is the IP that they get. (or that you assign)

Try this:

Go to your Avalaunch and set it to static, or "manually assign an IP" or whatever they call it in Avalaunch.

restart the xbox. Change it back to DHCP. Restart the xbox.

You should get an IP address that is the same as your computer except for the last part (the 4th number). All the other info should be exactly the same as what your PC has.

If you don't, something's fishy with your DHCP. Maybe your router's not handing out IP addresses. Are you sure you have DHCP enabled on your router? It's the same router as before, right?

Maybe your Xenium chip is mucking things up. Try setting it to DHCP or "obtain automatically" or whatever in the chip's settings. I know absolutely ZERO about modchips, though.

Do check that cable, too. Is that flashing light normally solid? (ie. is it solid for the PC connection?) Some routers flash to show activity, but some just remain solid to show a connection, and others even have a solid light to show connection (or 'link' status) and a separate light to show activity.

Read the front of your router and see what the lights mean.

If all else fails, do an "ipconfig/all" on your computer and set your avalaunch dashboard to a static IP/DNS/Gateway/subnet. copy all of the numbers into your xbox except the last digit on the IP address.

ie. if your PC is 192.168.1.100 and your router is 192.168.1.1, then set your xbox to

IP address: 192.168.1.101 (make sure this is not the same as something else on your network)
Gateway: 192.168.1.1
Subnet : 255.255.255.0
DNS: Whatever your computer is set to

See if it works then.

Finally, try a different network cable, even if you think you're sure it's not the cable.

That's about all I've got, man. Hope it helps.

Wes

[ryecatcher]

All I know is when I check the network settings under Ava, the first two options are for enabling the network and dhcp settings, and the rest of it below is IP, gateway, etc. The description to the left of the xbox IP says "static IP". I would try your suggestion regarding setting a static IP in Ava, but I don't even know how to do this. I can change the numbers in XBMC and in the Xenium interface, but again, I don't even know which one I'm supposed to do it in, or even why there are three different ways to obtain IP addresses on my xbox!

As for the blinking light on my router, I don't know what it means. It blinks on the input where the Xbox cable is attached, suggesting to me that the router recognizes there is a cable connected, but no data going over it. I'm starting to suspect the cable might be fubar even though it worked when I tested it. I guess I'll do more wire checks and see if anything is resolved.

Thanks for your suggestions regarding the dhcp issues, Waldo. I tried, but no dice.