Topic: Bloody Firewall!!

[Gook]

OK I have tried everything now and am not sure what to do next!

The system is a Pentium 4 3.00 GHz with 1 Mb Ram, I have an Invidia GeForce FX 5500 graphics card. I am running XP home fully patched.

Windows Firewall is disabled

The system is on a wireless LAN connected to the internet by a Belkin F5D7632-4  wireless modem router.

There are 5 other PCs on the LAN and DCHP is enabled for them.

The PC I am attemting to run on I have fixed the IP locally so it is not assigned by DCHP.

I have tried various configurations and been to a site which Fur-Ocious put me onto which has details of just about every router on it for mine the URL was:

http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Belkin/F5D7632-4/Falcon_4.htm

I have also read ad nauseam the stickies on the how too's of dynaverse play.

The PC conerned has never had any version of SFC on it and it was a virgin install.

I then patched per Bonk's links in the "short version" (btw Bonk love the QS&C avatar ) and in that order.

Then because I am behind a router I tried opening ports 2300 and 2400 and 47624. No Joy.

I then tried closing them and placing the PC in a DMZ No Joy.

Then I did the fixed IP thing as per the Belkin link, no joy.

Then I tried to open the ports as a range 2300-2400, but the router would not accept the input of a range it had to be a single integer.

I went to the Belkin site www.belkin.co.uk and troubleshot around their support pages but found nothing to help. I then down loaded the firmware update which would not install.

I can set a range in "application gateways" but not in the "virtual servers" which is the bit the guide referred to above says I have to. Now  I am out of ideas. I have NO problems with any other programme, I play 4 MMOs with no hints of problems. There is no anti virus or other protection on the PC in question.

Shouts if I have missed anything obvious, hints if I haven't?

Should I clear downVirtul servers and just have the ranges in Application gateways? Any ideas on why it will not work in a DMZ?

Sorry to be a pain I have tried reading as much as I can but now I am stummped. I am technically challenged, so please remmeber that in any replies

signed

A frustrated old KAT

[SSCF-Patterson]

Umm, just a thought here but.....

Being new to using XP,  did you tell the XP software firewall to unblock for OP? I know for my online game's, I had to tell the XP firewall to unblock (allow program) to work with online game's.

[Bonk]

The router must accept pings from the WAN, this may be why you had no luck even with the DMZ set for your static lan ip.

Grrrr... no manual posted:
http://www.belkin.com/support/download.asp?download=F5D7632-4_v2000&lang=1&mode=
When will router manufacturers realise that port range forwarding is a must and that it is only common courtesy to post manuals.

Does the router have its own firewall?

As Kenobi mentioned, disable the windows XP firewall. (the exception thing does not work so well, also requires an exception for the directplay helper application). If you are running Norton or McAfee both have hidden firewall capabilities....

(btw Bonk love the QS&C avatar)

QS&C? What's that? The avatar is the cover from Sabbath's "Technical Ecstasy".

[Gook]

LOL bonk I recognise that page useless isn't it!!

I have sent a query to the technical department about not being able to input a range of ports. I have also told them their firmware upgrade is busted!

I did say windows firewall was off and there is NO anti virus or any security software on this PC. OP has never been installed on this PC either.

I should have said in last post ping was enabled.

The router does have a firewall as well but I thought that was why I was opening the ports!

QS&C Quark strangeness and Charm, I thought it was on that album, I have it in thattic somewhere but 20+ years since I have played it, I may have to dig it out! If its not on that one then I will start scrastching my old beffudled bwain................

Plan B is to buy a straight ADSL modem, attach that to the games PC and see if that works, but I can't really disable the network as wife and 2 kids are on their PCs on the same network.

[Mazeppa]

LOL bonk I recognise that page useless isn't it!!

I have sent a query to the technical department about not being able to input a range of ports. I have also told them their firmware upgrade is busted!

I did say windows firewall was off and there is NO anti virus or any security software on this PC. OP has never been installed on this PC either.

I should have said in last post ping was enabled.

The router does have a firewall as well but I thought that was why I was opening the ports!

QS&C Quark strangeness and Charm, I thought it was on that album, I have it in thattic somewhere but 20+ years since I have played it, I may have to dig it out! If its not on that one then I will start scrastching my old beffudled bwain................

Plan B is to buy a straight ADSL modem, attach that to the games PC and see if that works, but I can't really disable the network as wife and 2 kids are on their PCs on the same network.

I understand your frustration.  I I had a very simple hub solution for years, and it was rock solid.  I used a software firewall, and separate IP addresses for my computers.  Oh well, time marches on, and I had to go wireless to keep Lady Mazeppa happy.  I bought the cheapest wireless router I could find, and started piddling.


Gook, I don't know how you configure that Belkin router, but this is a screencap of my port settings for a Netgear router.  I went wireless about six weeks ago, and can connect to the Dynaverse. 


All the "SFC" listings under the "Service Name" are settings that are relevant to your problem.  I found posts about wireless connections that listed all of them.  Don't remember where, but my stuff works.


The "server IP address" is the specific internal IP address my router assigns to my computer.  Each time I started my computer, my router assigned my computer an IP internal "192.168.1.x" address, and it would change sometimes.  I had to figure out a way to force my router to always give my computer the same internal address all the time ("192.168.1.3") for these settings to work 

Note I had to list nine port settings seperately with my setup, and that was a bit of a bother, but it worked. 

I hope this information is useful for you.  I'm not as smart at networking and XP as I wish to be, but I figured out how to get my stuff to work.  Hope you do too.

Finally, once you get things working, figure out how to back up your router settings, in case of a catastrophe. 

Fondest Regards,

[Gook]

Maz TY for that I think I have tried most of those settings for the ports as they are the ones listed by Ronin in his post.

I have forgottennhow to take a screeny to post here can you remind me and I will post my settings.

[Mazeppa]

Maz TY for that I think I have tried most of those settings for the ports as they are the ones listed by Ronin in his post.

I have forgottennhow to take a screeny to post here can you remind me and I will post my settings.

Gook,

I just press "Print Screen" which puts the screen in my clipboard, and then paste it  to Microsoft Photo Editor, although any image program, like Paint, would work.  Then I save the file and upload it to my web space. 

[Mazeppa]

Maz TY for that I think I have tried most of those settings for the ports as they are the ones listed by Ronin in his post.

I have forgottennhow to take a screeny to post here can you remind me and I will post my settings.

Make sure you do them ALL. 

[Gook]

OK here is a screeny of the applications gateway page which will allow a range to be inserted:







and this is the "virtual server page" which will not allow a range  say 2300-2400 to be inserted




Other settings:

windows firewall off
pings allowed
No other security progs on this pc
IP static for this PC

[Riskyllama]

i''m not sure if it's just offscreen or i just missed it, but some of the ports are UDP and TCP if I correctly recall, did you get both?

[Gook]

I applied UDP or TCP in accordance with Ronins post in the "how to" section at the top of this board and where it said both, both were applied.

[Mazeppa]

Open a Command Prompt, and type "ipconfig, and make sure your IP is 192.168.2.2.  If it is not, you need to make it so.  If you don't know how to do this, we can help you out. 



The KCW starts tomorrow, so here is a last-resort radical measure:   

If you can, completely disable the router firewall, and see if you can connect to the Dynaverse that way.  If you can connect after doing this, you could install software firewalls on each of the computers in your LAN, and move the heck on until you have time to go back and try other things.  This is, of course, a less-than-ideal solution, but a fella has to play. 

However, if you cannot connect to the Dynaverse after disabling your router firewall, there is another problem, and we need to run that to ground

Other, less radical ideas:

Do a hard reset of your router, and put all those settings in again, again, or at least go line-by-line with Ronin's list and make sure you have not goofed something up.

Can you post Ronin's message?  I want to review it.

Can you connect to VT or teamspeak?  You need real-time help, and I have some time today and tomorrow.  What time zone are you in?

[Bonk]

See the part under the router firewall menu that says "WAN PING Blocking"? Check that out and enable pings from the WAN and use the DMZ... should work.

[Gook]

Maz I fixed the Ip on this machine so it was static on 192.168.2.2 and on double checking that is the IP. There is a firewall in the router but the rest of my family use the LAN so I am loathed to disable it.

Bonk pings allowed, DMZ enabled no joy

Will try again tomorrow I'm off to bed and thanks guys help mucgh appreciated

[Mazeppa]

Maz I fixed the Ip on this machine so it was static on 192.168.2.2 and on double checking that is the IP. There is a firewall in the router but the rest of my family use the LAN so I am loathed to disable it.

Bonk pings allowed, DMZ enabled no joy

Will try again tomorrow I'm off to bed and thanks guys help mucgh appreciated

I'm stumped.  Can you play on Gamespy?

[Bonk]

If you enable the DMZ then clear the virtual server and triggering settings.

[Gook]

Do you think the tech guys at Belkin actually read my email! Below is the email I sent them (second) and their reply! Oh well I will try and DL the upgrade 9Again) when I get home........

Hi Donald

Thank you for contacting Belkin Technical Support.

We understand that you are facing synchronization issues with your F5D7632 modem router.
To resolve this issue, we suggest that you update the firmware on the unit.

 The firmware file is attached.

After downloading the firmware, please follow the instructions given below to install the firmware.
Please ensure that the following is undertaken from a computer that is hardwired to the modem router.
1) Log on to the router web interface at http://192.168.2.1
2) By default, the password is blank
3) Click on Firmware update under Utilities
4) Browse for the file that you downloaded and update the firmware
5) After updating the firmware, restore the router to factory defaults by clicking on Restore Factory Defaults under Utilities (Please note that it is important to do this)
6) Reconfigure the connection on the router.

NOTE :  Restoring the router to factory defaults will erase any settings you may have entered previously.

This should solve the issue.

If you need further assistance please feel free to write back to us and we will be happy to assist you.
If you have any other questions or concerns please call us toll free at 0080022355460 or alternatively, call us on 01933 35 2000 (Extension 2075, Option 1).

Regards,
Will Jones
Belkin Technical Support


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: gook59@hotmail.com [mailto:gook59@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thu 1/19/2006 2:03 PM
To: Euronet Support
Subject: UK - SERVICE REQUEST FORM


**SERVICE REQUEST FORM FROM UK** 1/19/2006 6:03:47 AM

Customer Name: Donald
Email: gook59@hotmail.com
Company:
address:
address:
City:
Country:
Postal Code:
Phone No.:

Part No./Desc.: Belkin F5D7632
Hardware: Pentium IV
Operating System: Win XP

***** Other Products Used (if applicable): *****
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Problem: Problem #1

I cannot input a range of ports to be opened for "virtual servers" you can input a range for Application gateways but not virtual servers. I need to open ports 2300-2400 for a game and cannot do so.

Problem #2

I have DL'd the most recent firmware update, but it will not install despite several attempts I keep getting the following error:

"Installation of the firmware update has failed. The error which occured was: Archive contains invalid file "

Your assistance would be appreciated




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[Mazeppa]

About disabling the firewall...

You might just do as a temporary measure to make sure that the router firewall is indeed the issue here.  Troubleshooting 101.  If you have the firewall down and STILL cannot connect, you have another issue.  Oncve you can connect to the Dynaverse with the thing down, go put it back up and we can continue troubleshooting, knowing we are indeed attacking the actual problem.

[Bonk]

Excellent thinking Mazeppa.  You sure you're Klingon and not Vulcan? 

P.S. Gook, I looked up Quark, Strangeness and Charm from the album of the same title by Hawkwind... these guys are a hoot!  Very Spinal Tapish, perhaps even the inspiration for them? (Stonehenge) I can't believe I've never come across them before...

[Mog]

Never heard of Hawkwind? Sheesh. They're probably the most prolific album releasers ever. Live shows are great, and they have often had naked dancing girls on stage with them

I recognised your pic straight off, the album ends with one of my favourite Sabbath riffs ever, Dirty Women