Hi

My neighbour gave me a PC which I tried to connect to my wireless hub. It has a wireless card built in and found the hub fine, but it won't let me go online. I've tried "repair" etc, but when I check the status it shows an excellent signal but says invalid IP address.

HELP!

Andrew

Check the encryption key settings as this is frequently the problem.
Also ensure it is set to DHCP enabled as this will allocate an appropriate IP address.

Hi Curlyben,

Thanks for coming back so quickly. I'm pretty sure the encrytion key is OK (its the number on the side of the hub), but how will I know if they are wrong? Also can you tell me what DHCP is as I easily get lost in a soup of tech speak!

The encryption key or WEP key for the wireless may not be printed on the side of the router. It's normally 10ish characters long.
As for checking the DHCP settings, you need to access the network properties on the wireless card.
If in the TCP/IP porperties for the card.
Right click > properties > Tcp/IP > Properties > Automatically assign IP address checked.