Ichat ports 1024 to 65534 <----- holy **** thats almost all of them. lol Not that safe. I have tried opening all the ports from 1 to 65000 or something but still doesnt work. I have used that port forwarding website to try and get it to work. I go into ipconfig and my ip is 192.168.1.2 so i use that number. I dont believe it is a static ip but everytime i check it it never changes??

 

port forwarding is the way to go. If you close all programs down and just open up AIM, then open a command prompt, type in the command prompt netstat then hit enter.
This will tell you what ports are running, there shouldn't be many if all programs other than AIM are closed. you would now have the port number(s) to forward). That would be one way to narrow down that humongous port range for safety. Keep in mind those ports could (and very likely would) change though. I'd suggest not using AOL products if at all possible. Thats just my oppinion though. As stated before they are famous for being a resource hog, but that, in my oppinion, is the least of thier faults. AOL related products in my experience are VERY vulnerable to security exploits. Just my .02

 

if your ip range is set to a low number of ips and you are only running say 1 system on a router like that, you will more than likely keep the same ip as there is a smaller range, and only 1 to be assigned. i have over 50 systems on my network at work, we are running DHCP and 99% of the time, each system keeps the same ip.

 

If your on WinXP and running a 3rd party firewall, and you have the standard windows firewall enabled, it will cause problems with the router. Make sure the routers password and BIOS are reset/updated. Try running the cable from the modem to the PC directly and you won't have any problems. Also update your drivers for the router itself. Flash the BIOS and let us know what happened

 

make sure you dont flash the mobo bios, just had to clarify that.

did you get it fixed yet? you only have one NIC in your system right? using ipconfig will give readouts for all assigned. just wanted to make sure you are using the right IP when opening ports. Is there a way to create an 'exception' or 'exclusion' of some sort, should be on the same page as the firewall 'on/off', if there even is one.

 

just found this, i bet this is it.....

These routers do port forwarding by assigning port numbers to a "service" associated with the application you want to run. "Rules" are set for particular services. Rules block or allow access, based on various conditions such as the time of day and the name of the service.

To Create a New Inbound or Outbound Rule

1. Submit the router's address in an Internet browser. (The default is 192.168.0.1).
2. Enter the router's username and password.
3. From the main menu, click Security > Rules.
4. Click Add for inbound or outbound traffic, as appropriate to the application you are planning to run.
5. Select the Service. The services the router knows about are listed in the drop down. If the service you want is not listed, add it as described in the next section.
6. Select the Action, for example ALLOW always.
7. For Send to LAN Server, enter the IP address of the local server. Note that this is also the IP address the computers on your LAN will access.
8. For WAN User choose Any, or limit access to particular IP addresses.
9. For Log selection it is reasonable to turn logs on, especially at the beginning when you are unsure of the result of the changes you are making. Later, you may want to set logs to "Never" for performance reasons.
10. Click Apply.

As noted in user manual for some models:

* Consider using the Dynamic DNS feature on the Advanced menu, so that external users can find your network when the DHCP lease is renewed by your ISP.
* If your own LAN server uses DHCP, and your IPs change on rebooting, consider using the Reserved IP Address feature in the LAN IP menu.

To Add a Service for These Routers

1. Click Security > Services > Add Custom Service.
2. Enter any name you choose for the service.
3. Select whether the service is to use TCP or UDP. If you are unsure, select both.
4. Enter the lowest port number used by the service.
5. Enter the highest port number used. If the service uses only one port number, enter the same number.
6. Click Apply.


Just out of curiousity, what is your routers IP set to? since you said your IP is 192.168.1.2, i am assuming it is 192.168.1.1?

 

go ahead and set it static anyways. even though you always get that number it might still be causing a problem

 

Ok sorry it took me so long. This is what I did last night. I have 2 computers on my network, one is a desktop which is wired to the router then my laptop (wireless), which i am trying to use. I set static IP address for both my computers. I then used both my computers and signed on to AIM with my 2 different names and it had no problem connecting. I am going to try here in a minute to connect to someone not on my network to see if it works. If not I will try some of the other stuff you guys said. I will let you know.

 

Yes that is the IP i am using for my router. And my other computer ends in a 3. I dont understand why my 2 computers can link but it wont work with my gf's. I believe it had to go through the router to get from one to the other?? No i do not use a third party firewall or windows. I have no idea what BIOS is? or how to reset it.

 

I am going to smash the hell out of this piece of **** router!!!!!!!!!! It doesnt make sence!!! I open all the ports and it still doesnt work!!!! but when i turn the firewall off it works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DAM IT!!!!!