Hi healthy,
Welcome to AC! The best help you can get is right here. Believe me, we have all been through the network and AC issue.
As far as wireless vs wired: Yes, for the hundredth time (nothing against anyone who uses wireless), wireless can work. But, for the most part everyone who posts here that uses wireless, eventually changes. First, it is SLOWER period. Second, it drops connects.
As for closing twice. Yes that does happen. That IS an AC thing. I do have to use Task Manager a few times per month. Shouldn't happen more than that.
I am extremely proud of you (sorry Jon -- actually you will use this against us) (by the way healthy, there is Jon (JBS) one of the nicest and more knowledgeable users and there is Jon (JB -- Jonathan Bertman) who is the owner of the company. One thing you can do is email him jon@AmazingCharts_removespam. Use the "n" lol. 1. He can be slow to answer his email, 2) once he does, I think he will be very helpful. Remember, he learned visual basic while working full time. If you wish, I can email him for you...I tend to get responses a little faster.
If you take a look at this
guy you will see a networking that is incredible. Nothing against your IT guy or even my local IT guy, he knows networking.
One of the thing he ALWAYS tells me is the issue is almost always DNS. You know how doctors always use the multiple diagnoses in lists such as abdominal pain is usually constipation, constipation, constipation, then pancreatitis. This is networks version. It is DNS, DNS, DNS. Without proper setup of Domain Name Services, you can try AC all the want.
Quick question: Is your server set up to handle DHCP, or are you using static? Are you getting DHCP from your router or God forbid, from both?
When troubleshooting, the rule is to get rid of all the possibilities, then add back. So, disconnect everything from the switch except for the server. Does AC run well? Over and over? Yes. Then get a small unmanaged switch and plug one computer directly into that switch. Wired. Does it work? If it does, you've fixed it. You have a network. Now, you just need to add the computers back one by one. Even if you have to carry them to the switch. Before doing that, take the computer on the Linksys unmanaged switch and plug it into the large switch does it work? If so leave it there. You have a network on the main network.
Slowly add each computer to your switch. Make sure the switch, as you said, is Gb. Make sure the computers are Gb NICs. Going back to the one computer on the small switch (Gb), make sure the NIC card from the device manager is set to Auto-negotiation. You can set it to 1000Mbs, but better to Auto-negotiate.
Review:
1. Server only -- it works (yes, generally don't do things on the server
2. Connect ONE computer with a 1Gb NIC set to auto-negotiate through device manager. Wired.
3. If works, connect that computer to your larger 1Gb switch.
4. Make sure your server is DHCP and is giving the computers their IPs, subnet masks, default gateways and DNS. If one octet is not correct in any of those, it won't work properly.
5. That is the beauty of Server DHCP. Sure, you can use static, but then you introduce the human element into it.
6. I couldn't find whether or not you were using SBS vs Windows Server 2008 Standard or Premium. If SBS, you CANNOT HAVE ANOTHER SUB ON THE SAME NETWORK. That will definitely give you these issues.
7. Make sure when you click on Network from your server, all the computers show up including the server. First time may be slow. Second time and thereafter, should be fast.
8. Go to the Amazing Charts folder and make a text file. Inside the notepad, write something like "Bert is a jerk." From every computer, make sure they can browse to the server, open Amazing Charts, open that text, delete the text, write text and save it. I would suggest, "Bert is amazing." If you can do that, you have read, write, modify from all computers.
9. Healthy, I have never understood that while Microsoft dominates OS and the Office Suites, they have to have everything. This is why the EU sued them. While every browser has its advantages, the bloated I.E. is horrible at dropping and finding cookies. This is why I use Firefox, which as no problem finding the Keebler Elves or Oreos. This is why you may way to this.
Try these and let me/us know.
