Connection help please. Error 800?

[vaiolator]

Hi and my apologies for this being a little vague.

A friend, too far away to help, has moved house and Virgin Media seems to have given them a new account rather than continue with the old NTL one.

They have installed the Virgin software but when it comes to connect it throws up an error message which is believed to be 800. The software has frozen the computer and that's as far as they could get.

From what I could gather on a mobile call which kept dropping out (never rains, it pours!) the network connection in control panel was showing as connected and had an ip number begining 86 if memory serves me. The lease was something like 20 mins rather than the 30 years mine is showing.

I have only come across this sort of problem once before and that was sales having two accounts for one person, both conflicting. I don't know if this has happened here.

They called tech supp and was told that the computer wasn't recognised (invalid number rings a bell) and to contact Microsoft. A bit extreme but I'm sure Bill would only too pleased to help. They were also asked to call a £1 a minute number for pc help. I'm not sure if this was a Virgin line though.

Any suggestions gratefully received, and I accept that I haven't given you much to go on. I can't even get a signal on my phone to confirm what I have typed unfortunately. This is more of an off chance request, just incase someone can help.

Thanks and consider vagueness b******ing already suffered! :dunce:

Oh I forgot...ethernet connection direct into the modem. If I can get a signal I will ask what type.

[AbyssUnderground]

If connecting via ethernet then you don't need any software installed.

[vaiolator]

Thanks for the reply. I know, I have none on any of mine.
The lady in question isn't as competant or confident with computers as many on here, however, and put her trust in something that was supposed to make life easier.

I should have added that all firewalls have been turned off and ZA even removed. She also had no connection problems at her previous address.

---------- Post added at 20:55 ---------- Previous post was at 19:08 ----------

Just an update really.
I have been on the phone with the friend. It seems as if a valid ip number is there, begining 81.
The lights on a blue modem seem ok, sync, ready and enet steady and flashing up and down strams.
I have got them to release and renew ip, gone through settings and compared them to mine, all seems ok.
The lease under the ip properties is still only a half hour one, which I have only encountered on an unfinished registration before.
I got them to run the reg disc from the welcome pack and they are stuck at username and password as it would seem they do not know what password NTL gave them, nor do they have one from Virgin in the welcome pack. They tell me they have a pin provided. Combinations of usernames and passwords they thought maybe relevent appear not to be correct.
I have suggested calling tech support again and asking for them. These however were the ones that told them the ip was invalid and to call Microsoft earlier today.
I'm not sure where else I can go with this one!

[maverick]

If the ip lease time is under 1 hour,I would supect it is a pre registered ip address.
If the modem has been successfully registered the user would have been given a membership number.

Try browsing to 80.5.178.26 this will load the vm reg screens follow them through to get registered,if the modem is already registered the screen will say so,

[homealone]

have you tried the manual registration procedure in this link?

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d.h.walker/cmtips/register.html#ntlreg

It is so long since I installed my broadband, I can't remember how it went, but afaik I chose my own user name & the password was allocated by the registration server - for NTL it was a letter corresponding to your surname & a 10 digit number. I can't remember getting those details on the welcome letter? - but like I said, it was a long time ago ;)

<edit> do what he says, ^ before trying anything else, he actually knows what is on about, unlike me & my bad memory ;)

[maverick]

<edit> do what he says, ^ before trying anything else, he actually knows what is on about, unlike me & my bad memory ;)

LOL :)

[vaiolator]

LOL Thank you for the replies. I think we were all in the right area with it.
They reluctantly called tech supp and someone answered, which surprised me as I didn't think it would be open. The helpful agent gave my friend the username and password associated with the account, and by the time I rang back ten minutes later, they were up and running and online.
I got them to check the lease, it was an hour. I suggested a full re-boot and it has gone to two days. Is this about normal? Mine is thirty one years at the moment!
Anyway, thanks for all those that looked and especially those that replied. I knew it was going to be fishing exercise for ideas rather than a definative solution.
Cheers.

[maverick]

Glad its now up and running,it must have failed to release the pre reg ip after registering,the new lease should increase now over the next 48 hours.

[vaiolator]

Yep, I too am glad it's over.
Over a phone imagining what the other person can see isn't easy, especially when your mobile signal drops every few minutes. :mad:
I shall get them to have a look at the lease in a few days, but I think they should be ok as the modem is turned off daily.

[homealone]

I shall get them to have a look at the lease in a few days, but I think they should be ok as the modem is turned off daily.

if they are turning the modem off, each night, you must make them ensure it has fully initialised, when they turn it back on, before starting the pc, turning them both back on at the same time 'may' not work? - happy to be wrong, as ever ;)

[vaiolator]

Thanks, I've read that before and actually mentioned they let it start up before the pc, just to rule out another variable. I think by the time they've clambered out from behind the desk to plug in, the modem has a good head start!