1 PC crippling internet for the rest... help!

[siratfus]

I have a windows xp computer that is causing interference/crippling the wifi of my notebook pcs. This xp pc is next to the router and uses the Ethernet. And at some point, it could no longer connect. Or, it does sporadically.

At first I thought the Ethernet port was going bad, so I used a usb wireless adapter. It would also connect sporadically. Both methods would eventually lose connection if you surf long enough. And when I say long, I mean just a few minutes. Not only that, both methods will cripple our notebooks wireless connections.

Have you guys heard of anything like this or similar before? One PC causing other PCs to lose connection? What's more likely, the xp pc is the culprit, or a router going bad? I have verizon fios and they use an all in one modem/router.

I thought I would get some input before making a call to verizon to try and get a new router. Because if it's the PC, then I would be wasting time talking to verizon. Also, my gut just tells me it's not the router because it functions fine for the rest of the household. We have 2 notebooks, 1 desktop in the garage, various wife devices like printers and smartphones. They all function properly.  Please advise. Thank you!

[Geek-9pm]

I thought I would get some input before making a call to verizon to try and get a new router. Because if it's the PC, then I would be wasting time talking to verizon. Also, my gut just tells me it's not the router because it functions fine for the rest of the household. We have 2 notebooks, 1 desktop in the garage, various wife devices like printers and smartphones. They all function properly.  Please advise. Thank you!

You may have answered your own question. The process of elimination is a standard way of proving one  device in a system  the trouble.
An yes, things like that have been documented elsewhere.

You may have to put the bad PC in its own room.  It does not play well with others. That is not really a joke,  it is the recommended solution. The 802.11 requires that devices respect each other, but sometimes this does not work very well.

[Geek-9pm]

Post Script.
Hee is a link:
http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/wireless/ps9391/ps9393/ps9394/prod_white_paper0900aecd807395a9_ns736_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html

Be aware the the information they provide is not a clear and concise ad it ought to be. It fact, it is kind of weak and meanders on. Looks like I write it.
The point is: Don't have some devices close to each other. It makes it harder for the more distant devices.

[siratfus]

Thanks!

I decided to do a fresh install of XP and it seems to play along just fine with the rest of network now.  I guess at some point in time, we downloaded or installed something that caused a conflict. It's a spare computer with not much on it, so it was no big deal to do a re-installation.

[Geek-9pm]

Thanks!

I decided to do a fresh install of XP and it seems to play along just fine with the rest of network now.  I guess at some point in time, we downloaded or installed something that caused a conflict. It's a spare computer with not much on it, so it was no big deal to do a re-installation.

Thanks for sharing that. This would lead one to conclude that the network protocol was not right.

[siratfus]

Thanks for sharing that. This would lead one to conclude that the network protocol was not right.

If that happens again, how would we fix that instead of reinstalling windows every time?