Plusnet2 router

[#1 · Accepted solution]

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@RT2 wrote:

... there are 2 Network adapters shown, namely Broadcom 440x10/100 Integrated Controller and secondly Dell Wireless WLAN 1350Mini-PCI Card.

When I went into Device Manager Network adapters Broardcom was already disabled ...

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If the ethernet interface was already disabled (when you tried connecting with a cable),

what happens if you have the ethernet cable connected from laptop to router, and then ENABLE the Broadcom 10/100 ?

[#2]

Thank you PlanetX for your reply.

What was I hoping to achieve? Essentially it was keeping the laptop as back up should my Win 10 desktop  fail and I can't in the immediate term access the internet. From what you say it seems sensible to abandon the whole exercise as there is the likelyhood of not being able to access the website that I wanted in an emergency.

My mobile phone hasn't been upgraded to a 'smart' version hence the need to keep the laptop. This is what happens when you get past a certain age!!! 

RT 

[#3]

Well PlanetX, you're a star.

Broadcom 'ON', Dell Wireless 'OFF' ethernet cable connected. Reached the BBC news on the internet.

Many thanks.

RT

[#4]

Well at least you have a working laptop !  (although the WiFi is unlikely to be worth fixing)

It will be interesting to hear how you get on browsing the web.

What happens if you try an visit  www.plus.net  ?  -  as that is often more fussy than most !  🙄

If you can browse there,  will it let you "Sign-in" to your account ?

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[#5]

I have a Lenovo laptop, runs (up to date) Windows 10, and while I have no problems connecting to my Plusnet router's wifi, I *do* have problems with some other router's wifi.

In the end I just bought a very cheap (under £5) wifi dongle that I just use when the built-in wifi won't connect. 

[#6]

Hello again PlanetX,

The answer to your first question is that a message comes up saying ' Connection is not private'. The https is in red and crossed out so one never gets to the Plusnet Home page which answers your second question.

As regards the BBC site that I accessed last night, the https and padlock is in green. 

After all this it seems as though Windows XP is the main issue as regards using the internet for anything other than the news and weather!!

Maybe I should change to Linux.

Thank you again for all your help.

RT

[#7]

Hello again Baldrick1,

I did finally manage to connect to the internet using the ethernet cable. What I hadn't been aware off initially was that the BroadCom was disabled. However, most https sites are blocked to Windows XP as a message comes up saying 'Connection is not private' although there is not an issue with the BBC news and weather. Maybe I should change the operating system to Linux!

RT

[#8]

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@RT2 wrote:

Maybe I should change to Linux.

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Absolutely, that was what I was going to suggest next !

Here is a list of current 32 bit Linux distributions to consider -

        15 Linux Distributions You Can Rely on for Your Ancient 32-bit Computer 

It would be worth trying making a bootable USB flash drive from your chosen downloaded Linux .iso files,  which you can get your laptop to boot from and have the Linux run entirely in RAM in order to try it out and test that the hardware is sufficiently supported.  This can be done without affecting the existing Windows XP installation.

It would be worth checking how much RAM your laptop has installed ?

My understanding is that a Dell Inspiron 1150 original configuration was 256MB.

Most Linux distributions these days would need 512MB to run comfortably.

I believe your laptop can take 2x 512MB (identical) memory sticks, to give a total of 1GB.

Check your laptop's paperwork but I think each RAM module is 512MB PC-2700 DDR-333MHz SoDIMM

If needed here is a YouTube video -- How To upgrade Ram in a Dell Inspiron 1150 Laptop 

[#9]

Well PlanetX, you have restored my faith in Forums!

I like your idea re.bootable USB flashdrive so will give it a try over the next few weeks. There are other things requiring my attention in life; retirement is more hectic!

As regards the RAM, I did increase it to 2.00GB several years ago (DDR-333 SODIMM) according to the receipt and the laptop confirms that amount, so I should be OK on that score.

If I can find out how to send a private message I'll let you know how I got on.

Again, thank you.

RT

[#10]

@RT2 

I believe that I helped a friend’s daughter with a Inspiron 1150 who needed something for her children’s school work during the Covid lock down. It was originally running Vista. I changed the HDD to a 128MB ssd for less than £20, installed  Linux Mint and it ran plenty fast enough for general browsing etc. I gave up with the WiFi controller so plugged in a USB dongle.