Router Setup for Windows 2000

[Marcon]

My brother has an old IBM Thinkpad using W2000. He likes the operating system and has used it to connect to the wireless system at work. Now he has just got O2 Standard Broadband at home but can't connect. I believe the connection with the router must be set up manually and the CD setup says 'Op system not supported'.

I am trying to help him set up remotely (by telephone) and he is not an experienced computer user. I did this for myself with W2k a while ago and it involved going to the router's url and jumping through a few hoops which I have forgotten now! Eventually I suceeded by by running 'ipconfig' and manually copying the connection parameters into the properties - then I was connected and it has always continued to work.

yes I know it is all easy and automatic with XP but on an old laptop with a smallish hdd capacity I think W2k works well on line. I am also using W7 on another laptop so not stuck in the past!

Can anyone describe in simple steps the procedure to link to the router and get on line. So far his laptop is connected by the ethernet cable and the router is showing all steady lights. But no internet page will open.

[Saturday]

I've not used it but W2k is pretty close to XP isn't it?

I suspect your brothers laptop has been set to parameters used in his workplace network. What he needs to do is go to control panel/network connections/TCPIP/properties (or whatever the W2k equivalent are) and select the boxes to set it to obtain IP address automatically and obtain DNS server automatically. Reboot and hopefully that will have fixed it.

[Marcon]

Thanks. That sounds promising, though I thought an IP config went off after an interval of non use of say 30 mins or so. Perhaps not. In the past I found the problem that initially W2000 would not obtain a new IP config 'automatically' even if set to do that....we'll see when brother gets home tomorrow am. Anyway thanks again for your quick and probably correct reply.