Windows 7 ICS in Win7 - issues

[Cinderwolf]

Hey everyone

I'm going to start off by saying that I know for a fact this is -not- a hardware issue as this worked prior to my install of Win7. Just bear that in mind is all.

Since making the upgrade to the Win7 RC, things are good. Active internet, use of the system, even tweaks worked (visual elements). But now herein lies my problem.

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
I have my Xbox360 console using a cross over cable to my laptop's NIC port. Now, for all of you nay-sayers, this works as I've been doing this for over a year.
The problem is this: when I enable my NIC/LAN connection, my internet goes down completely. I can't browse the internet, I can't ping out to anysites...total connectivity loss. It's as if Win7 is trying to connect to the internet via the NIC port.

My settings on the NIC port are:
ICS - enabled
IPv4: 192.168.2.1
Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: (left completely blank)
_______
Preferred DNS server: 192.168.2.1
Alternate DNS server: (left blank)

I've made sure that Win7 has the WiFi connection listed "above" the NIC in order of connections to use, but still, the moment I enable my NIC, I lose connection, and my wireless connection location changes to "public".'

Any ideas on what gives? I've -NEVER- run into this problem in Vista. I'm running Win7 RC 64-bit.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're encountering a connection issue with Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on Windows 7 RC 64-bit, specifically when enabling your NIC/LAN connection. Here are some troubleshooting steps and recommendations to help resolve this issue:

### Troubleshooting Steps:

1. Network Adapter Priority:
- Check the network adapter priority settings in Windows 7 to ensure that your WiFi connection is set as the primary network adapter. This ensures that internet traffic prioritizes the WiFi connection over the NIC.

2. Router Configuration:
- Verify the router settings, especially the DHCP settings, and ensure that they are correctly assigning IP addresses and handling the network configurations.

3. Disable ICS:
- Try disabling ICS temporarily and check if your internet connection works without any issues. This can help in identifying if the issue is related to ICS specifically.

4. Default Gateway Setting:
- Set a default gateway for the NIC. While you can leave it blank, assigning it an appropriate gateway might help in resolving connectivity issues.

5. Public Network Configuration:
- Review the Network and Sharing Center settings to ensure that the wireless connection is correctly categorized as a private network to prevent connection issues.

6. Restart Services:
- Restart the necessary network services by opening the Command Prompt as an administrator and running the following commands:

     netsh winsock reset
     netsh int ip reset
     ipconfig /flushdns

7. Driver Updates:
- Ensure that your network drivers are up to date. Visit the manufacturer's website to download the latest drivers for your network adapters.

### Revised Network Settings:

Here is a suggestion for your network settings based on typical configurations for ICS:

| Item | Setting |
|----------------------|------------------|
| ICS | Enabled |
| IPv4 Address | 192.168.2.1 |
| Subnet Mask | 255.255.255.0 |
| Default Gateway | 192.168.2.1 |
| Preferred DNS | 192.168.2.1 |
| Alternate DNS | (Leave Blank) |

### Additional Notes:

- Windows 7 RC is an older version, and it might not be fully compatible with all hardware configurations. Consider updating to a more recent, stable version for improved performance and compatibility.

If you continue to experience connectivity issues after trying these steps, it might be beneficial to seek further assistance from the Windows community or consider upgrading to a newer Windows version for better support and compatibility. Let me know if you need further assistance!