Connectivity after a reformat with Opt. Online

Duheif

Recently I found a keylogger on my computer and lost some information. I decided to just go ahead and reformat both of the home computers so that I can start fresh again. Well, I forgot that Opt. online for some reason only let the modem connect with the computer it was set up with in the house, the guy that came also installed a whole bunch of crap when we had Opt. online installed. If I tried to run a wire from the modem directly to another computer, it would refuse to connect. Now after the reformat, the connections stay stable through the router, but when I tried to set up the router software, it doesn't find a connection through the router nor through the modem. When I try to run a connection through the modem to the main computer, still no connection. The main problem i'm having is the fact that I cannot connect to p2p gnutella services such as limewire, though the day before that I was able to. I also cannot connect to certain services like AVG to update anti-virus definitions. I really don't think it's a possibility that they started blocking p2p things when Limewire worked hours before the reformat. I've tried it on 3 PC's so far, 2 pc's with Windows XP service pack 2 and a PC with service pack 1. I'm just looking for an alternative instead of having to call them and have them come down here and mess up the connections anyway like they have done in the past, most likely it's just the crap they installed on that computer allowing that modem to connect with them.

Thanks.

mtrox

Duheif wrote:

I decided to just go ahead and reformat both of the home computers so that I can start fresh again.

Are you sure you got all the drivers when you rebuilt? Are there any yellow quesion marks in Device Manager (Start> Run... then type dvmgmt.msc)? Pay pariticular attention to the Network Adpaters there. Make sure their drivers are updated and that they are enabled.

Duheif wrote:

Well, I forgot that Opt. online for some reason only let the modem connect with the computer it was set up with in the house, the guy that came also installed a whole bunch of crap when we had Opt. online installed. If I tried to run a wire from the modem directly to another computer, it would refuse to connect.

Probably not because of the crap they installed. After all, it was working through your router and you didn't wipe that out and start over. Many ISP's filter by MAC address. Your modem knows the MAC address of the device (probably your router) it was connected to. Most modems will reset if you unplug them for about 10 minutes. Then you can reconnect with a new device...such as one of the computers. But then you'll have to reset it again to connect back to your router. MAC addresses are not lost/changed by a reformat.

Duheif wrote:

The main problem i'm having is the fact that I cannot connect to p2p gnutella services such as limewire, though the day before that I was able to.

If you had Limewire and a keylogger, you know why so many security people try to limit Limewire and other p2p's.

Duheif wrote:

I also cannot connect to certain services like AVG to update anti-virus definitions. I really don't think it's a possibility that they started blocking p2p things when Limewire worked hours before the reformat.

Until you get the Internet signal back, there is no reason to believe they have changed anything to do with Limewire. First things first. Get a signal.

Duheif wrote:

I've tried it on 3 PC's so far, 2 pc's with Windows XP service pack 2 and a PC with service pack 1.

I don't connect to the Internet till I have SP2 on a machine. That SP1 machine is way, way out of date and full of holes. I usually add other updates through autopatcher before I connect. Don't try that again. It won't solve your problem and might make a new one.