alright... this one has me buggin for answers for a couple of months now....
i have 4 comps on my network and linksys befsw41 (or sth like that!). before that i had non wi-fi one running all of them. the format is as follows:

Comp#1: win98SE
Comp#2: winXP
Comp#3: winXP
Comp#4: win2kPro

ok, i have lost the ability to go online on #1. I know it is not an issue with the router or the ethernet card on the puter cuz it will access other computers and will let others access it for printing, etc. The rest of the computers are capable of doing both (localnet/internet).

I have had this problem before when i only had 2 computers on the network. i fixed it then with a format and a clean install.
but about 7-8mnths down the line, this sh!t happend again!
Uninstall is my last choice at the moment. what else can i try to do? Any suggestions! thank in advance!

Do you use MAC filtering?

Check to see if the MAC address is correct in the filter section if you do.
Check fo firmware updates
Driver updates
Check to see if the gateway addy is correct under connection properties
Are you using DHCP? Static IP.. try a different IP of static

Are you running NAv 200x? I know NAV can wreck havoc on networks... it did at our office systems and required a reg edit and and fresh install of the NIC drivers.

Cable may be bad? check that too.
Virus scan? possible vrius

Could very well be spyware or malware go here: http://download.com.com/3000-2094-10045910...tml?legacy=cnet download, install and run Adaware.

Can you ping...

Try ping yahoo.com and see if you get a response...
If not then try ping 216.109.127.30 and see if it works...

If you can ping the number but not the name then you have a DNS problem with the Win98se box...

If the number pings ok then try putting in DNS entries in the TCP/IP properties page... reboot and see if you can ping a name then...

Have seen this happen before on Win98se boxes, couln't figure out a fix so we just reload the OS... (Box was already Virus/Spyware checked)

hey thanx for all the responses....

since i dont use any sepecial features on the router (ie MAC filtering etc.) I was sure that it was not a problem there. Then since the other computers can go online, i checked the network settings for the internet connection against the other machines, and they were fine too. All machines have DHCP enabled through router and i can see the computer on the DHCP table on the router settings. The last resort was the spyware search. AND IT WORKED!!
oh for me to try so freaking long and hard, scratching my scalp to a bloody pulp and then the whole problem to be based on some stupid piece of sh!t spy/adware...

thanx again for the help all!

Unfortunately I've seen it all too often lately... run Adaware every few days if not daily.
(P.S. - try the simple shit first! LOL)

The exact same thing happened today at my wife's church.

I had to got get a password for Outlook for my wife, so I stopped by and they said one box there wouldn't go online. Router was fine; switch was fine; DSL modem was fine.

Ran Ad-aware, and POOF!! Everything works again!

Love that prog.