So, you fixed the problem yourself, please tell us what and how so others may learn!!

[Plastic Nev]

A good idea borrowed from another well known help forum.

Quite often many folks pass through this forum and sometimes don't post a thing, they may well have a problem, and come here looking to see if the same problem was sorted out for someone else, maybe finding all they need to sort out their problem in doing so, and never let us know or what they did. Just happily going off with a problem solved.

Other times a member will post a question and half an hour later return and just say "it is OK I fixed it"

I am writing this to ask that if you did find a solution to your problem, then please come here and explain what was wrong and how you fixed it, so other members may benefit from what you found.

 

 

 

So now to actually follow the idea of this thread and explain a problem I had and how I sorted at least the damage caused by taking the wrong advice. Yes even us techy types can fall for that too. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/devil.gif

 

 

 

Let's start from the beginning, as it does seem to be the best place to start from, much better than going backwards from the end eh?http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/lmfao.gif

 

 

 

When I first got connected to the internet it was of course early days and was a standard dial up connection, that connection though gave me what everyone now knows as an ISP or in full an Internet Service Provider. To avoid advertising I will not say who, but I have stayed with them as they do provide good service and always have done.

 

So as broadband became available, and at a price I could afford I asked for an upgrade from my ISP, who duly did so which involved quite a bit of work on their part including the installation of equipment by BT in the exchange.

 

My ISP also provided an ADSL modem for use on that connection which once the broadband service was up and running did well for several years with my Windows XP based computer. The cost to me was I think nothing more than the extra price of the broadband service as against what I had been paying for dial up.

 

A few years went by with Windows Vista coming up which after seeing enough criticism of it I decided to ignore Vista and wait for Windows 7.

 

Once Windows 7 was fully launched and accompanied by much praise I bought a fairly simple Packard bell machine to see how I would get on with it.

 

In order for Windows 7 to go online it now needed a full router, so after a call to my ISP explaining the situation. For a small charge and nothing like the full price, provided me with a router that they had already configured to work with my connection, all I needed to do was connect it.

 

Again some years passed, I improved my computer with a few upgrades to its internals including more RAM and a sound card.

 

Software wise as well as normal Windows updates and experiments with various security software, I am at present running with Comodo firewall, (Only, not the full with AV)

 

Also Windows Security Essentials, Malwarebytes, SuperantiSpyware, and as background protection SpywareBlaster.

 

 

 

That then leads to a good look at my overall protection and taking note of reviews, and also test results from various sources, plus a check of my firewall status. That last one was through the website of the pretty well known Shields Up from the Gibson research company.

 

The test from that site showed that although well protected and the firewall couldn't be breached, it wasn't fully stealth mode.

 

Having checked that Comodo was set up to be fully stealth, I could only assume it was the router hardware firewall was allowing ports to be seen.

 

 

 

That is when the trouble started!! http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/smashcomp.gif

 

I needed to access my router settings, but on trying found that I couldn't. The router in question is an Edimax ADSL2/2 modem router model AR-7284WNA/AR.

 

After looking round for reasons, I found from good advice, an answer on a different forum regarding the same problem someone else was having and not able to access the settings of this particular model.

 

I knew in the past I could do so but not now.

 

 

 

For general information the way in used to be to open your browser and put in to the address bar this IP number 192.168.2.1 That is a well known access number for most makes of router, and usually gains you the first page where you then need to input a user name and password. In my case that is as far as you can get. The username and password do nothing at all, the thing doesn't open and just sits there laughing at you http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/devil.gif .

 

 

 

Here is where I took the wrong advice, some one said the router should be set back to default by pressing and holding the reset button for at least 30 seconds.

 

It did indeed set the thing back to default as in manufacturers default, so therefore losing all connection settings and kicking me off line. Also did not cure the problem of not being able to access the settings.

 

 

 

Word of caution to all, do not reset your router unless you know all the required connection details, and also you can get into the router to set them.

 

 

 

By some more searching, (Good old Google) I then found that the way in to the router settings is for whatever reason blocked by the actual date as it is in present time.

 

I as yet don't know what the cutoff date actually is or was, but somewhere in the router firmware there is a date that once passed, all access is denied, prior to that date you can get in, after that date no you can't.

 

 

 

So how do you get in then?

 

 

 

The answer as I found again by searching, is to fool the router by changing the time and date on your computer to 1st February 2010. I assume that date is obviously pre cuttoff date but don't know by how much.

 

 

 

After doing that I could then access all settings, so with help from my ISP through quite few e mails, I could at least get the router to connect again by putting in the right settings as given to me by them.

 

 

 

All of that was done incidentally by connecting my old XP computer via the older ADSL modem which I am extremely glad I kept it. That of course gave me the ability to send E Mail and have some on line presence.

 

 

 

Now here is one other thing I learned, although my Windows 7 machine was back on line, and also having reset the computers date and time back to the present day, I still could not access my E Mail via Windows Live Mail on that Windows 7 machine, I had to still use the old XP machine.

 

 

 

So a puzzle as to why Windows Live wouldn't connect and go on line.

 

The clue was in the error message that Windows Live Mail was giving me.

 

It said that "Calendar services couldn't connect"

 

 

 

So although time and date had been reset, it actually wasn't synchronised with Internet time, so Windows live mail was getting a little confused.

 

To resynchronise, first click on the time on the bottom right, then select "Change date and time settings"

 

In the window that then opens click the tab for "Internet Time"

 

Again click "Change settings"

 

Another smaller window opens, so make sure the server menu is set to "time.windows.com" then click the button "Update now"

 

Your computer will search out the time server and update to that time.

 

 

 

Youshould then find Windows live Mail will now connect.

 

 

 

As far as sorting out the original idea of making sure all ports are stealthed, it actually seems it isn't possible in the Edimax router, it just blocks 'em, so that is good enough, not perfect of course, but does protect from invasion.

 

 

 

Nev.