LAN Internet Connection Sharing

[tetradite]

Are there any networky-type people out there?

 

I am trying to share an internet connection, and it is driving me nuts, and defying logic. I am immensely frustrated.

 

What I am trying to do.

 

- I want to use a laptop (Win Vista) to receive the signal from my house's wireless router, and then run a cat5/LAN cable from that to my desktop (Win 7) so that the desktop can use the internet connection through the laptop.

 

- I have internet connection sharing set up on both systems, I know this works, because very occasionally (literally around 1 in 100 attempts) the connection will function as I want it to.

 

- On the occasions when it does work, both laptop and desktop pick up the LAN network as a private network, on the other 99 out of 100 attempts both pick it up as a public network and do not allow me to use the internet connection (file sharing always works regardless of whether it recognises the LAN as Private or Public).

 

- I am not making any changes whatsoever in between the successful and unsuccessful attempts.

 

- When the network detects as Public (and ICS does not work) no amount of LAN adaptor resets, auto-troubleshooting or changing the network status on either PC makes any difference whatsoever. The only way to reattempt the connection which occasionally does get the ICS working is to unplug the cable, fully power down both machines and start again.

 

- The only error message I ever get other than "Windows cannot resolve the problem" is that I do not have a valid IP configuration, but I cannot even always replicate this error message.

 

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Any more info required, I am happy to provide.

[samadchaz]

1)does your router have LAN interfaces (RJ45) or its just a wireless?

2)are you giving IP addresses to laptop/destop manually or automatic? do it manually