Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with windows and wireless

ThinkPad T42 wireless connection problem

mr_crash_davis mark II: Jazz Odyssey — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:40:00 -0800

Windows XP Home network connection issues. My son's girlfriend has an IBM ThinkPad T42. In the last couple of days its network connectivity has gone haywire. It has an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG adapter and an Intel Pro/1000MT wired connection, and the laptop is running XP Home, Service Pack 3. Here's what it does:

As soon as I enable the wireless adapter and connect to a network (either secured or unsecured) the connection bounces from disconnected to connected and back again, over and over ad infinitum.

I can't enable the wired adapter at all (it just stays disabled while the "Local Area Connection - Enabling" message shows, after which it disappears with the connection still disabled), which is what makes me think this is a software problem rather than a hardware problem. I have tried all of the following (not necessarily in this order):

1) reset the TCP/IP stack ("netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt")

2) Uninstalled and reinstalled TCP/IP

3) removed and reinstalled the network adapter drivers

4) system restore to earlier restore point

5) installed a PCMCIA wireless card (same result - connected/disconnected over and over)

6) run Malwarebytes (no malware detected)

At this point I am ready to throw in the towel and reinstall Windows unless someone has any better ideas. I don't really mind doing this, but it always irritates me to resort to a reinstall when it seems like there really should be a simpler fix.

Any ideas?

So, how does Windows transmit an IP?

converge — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:45:58 -0800

I've two wireless connections on the same box. So, how does windows choose which one to use? Sort of related: I've a dotnet client/server application which is IP specific for its database (MYSQL) and two LAN connections on the same server (one for local, one for the internet). How do I force that application or database to use the right one (the local)?

Can I wirelessly have audio from my laptop play on another computer?

Ookseer — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:59:09 -0800

Can I wirelessly have audio from my laptop play on another computer? I have an XP laptop and media center PC also with XP. They are both connected to the same local network and both have Bluetooth. Is there a reasonably simple way (without new hardware) to have the audio from my laptop play on the much nicer speakers of my media center without several dozen feet of cable?

_{Just to clarify: Not looking to share my audio library, I want to redirect the live audio out from my laptop.

Changing operating systems is not an option.}

How to save time with auto-configuration for laptops?

fsmontenegro — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:07:32 -0800

How can I reduce the hassle of reconfiguring multiple applications in my Windows laptop when switching between networks (home, office, VPN, hotel, ...) ? What options are people using for automatically (or as close to it) reconfiguring their laptops when switching between networks? This is not just the case of using DHCP (most places do nowadays) or changing IE proxy configs with registry changes. I'd like to automate as much as possible the following:
- proxy configuration for IE and Firefox
- connection settings on Miranda (IM)
- mounting or not mounting certain network shares
- choosing the default printer

So, for example, if I'm "home" there's direct access outbound and I can mount my home share, but if I turn on the VPN the share gets disconnected (because we don't use split tunneling). Now, at a "hotel" I may get direct access but not want to try to mount home shares.

Ideally, I'm looking for a tool that would monitor something (maybe the current default route) continuously and be able to trigger these configuration changes or commands based on location.

Any ideas? I thought about using Perl, but I'd much rather support some existing community project than start from scratch...

Wireless Internet Stops and Starts After SP2 Installation

ktoad — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:03:35 -0800

My internet is stopping and starting and it's driving me nuts. I'm running Windows XP on a slightly older (3 or 4 years) machine. We have a wireless router in the house running Roadrunner cable service. My device is an Edimax EW-7128g wireless antenna I got through NewEgg awhile back. Works like a charm. Read on for a description of the problem... Up until recently I hadn't really felt the need to update XP. The system worked, I had other virus and firewall protection. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as they say. But then the last month or two I couldn't get an external drive to appear via the USB ports, so I decided to finally get SP2 to see if that fixed the problem. Immediately after doing all of the latest XP updates, my internet imploded.

Now, I get about 15-30 seconds of internet access as usual, followed by 30 seconds of no internet at all. I updated the wireless drivers and any other drivers I could see that seemed connected to internet devices, all to no avail. I'd really like to get my internet back, without reformatting and starting all over again if possible. Thanks for any help you can provide, my MetaBrothers and MetaSisters.

How can I connect to my university's VPN network?

jordanian2 — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:53:32 -0800

I'm trying to connect to my university's wireless network with VPN. I keep getting a 619 or 721 error. This is with a new laptop that has Windows XP Pro SP3 on it. How can I fix this problem?

Wireless tangles

jonathanbell — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 02:12:30 -0800

Simple network rebuilding: what's the best way out of a wireless network muddle? I run a wireless network at home, with a hub broadcasting to a PC desktop and a PC laptop, as well as a Slimserver (connected to an mp3 library on the desktop) and occasionally a Nokia N95 using the network as well. If wireless networks could get tangled, this one has; it's a mess. For reasons I completely don't understand, it is incredibly unreliable, with frequent drop-outs. While I can usually get both computers online, they often can't see each other (ideally I'd like to share files between them in selected directories, which I can, sometimes), and the Slimserver has vanished out of sight. What's more, my WEP key has gone, leaving the network open to all and I can't seem to fix it. On top of this, every few minutes a window pops up asking me to log on to a Virtual Private Network, and blocks all web access until I close it.

My question. I'm pretty sure all the hardware is OK - this seems like a software thing. How can I break it all down and start again from scratch? Basically, what order should I do things? Is there a wizard or something that allows me to start from zero and build up a reliable network again? Are there any tools out there for managing connections in a more transparent way that the multiple Windows menus and boxes? Many thanks in advance.

Oh, please help Me(fi)!

tmcw — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:57:00 -0800

So I thought I knew computers... but this network is killing me. I can connect, full strength, etc. But I can't actually connect to the internet. My IP is 192.168.10.32. Using an 850G (motorola) WAP, Cox SurfBoard modem. Other computers (this one, which is 192.168.10.28, connect fine, it seems. There's no encryption on the network right now. I'm connecting to the right one. One thing that's in the mix is that I'm using a Thinkpad that, since the last set of changes that I've done, uses Windows to manage wireless connections, not Access Connections. Access Connections seems to do some things though, but it can't detect networks at all. Ipconfig is intermittently giving me a device error.

My laptop connects, as I said before, but can't get out to the internet. I don't know what the f is wrong. Any clues as far as which device should be the DHCP server? Any settings that are default / recommended, standard?

Yes, I know it should have encryption. But I'm desperate, and I just want a connection any way that it can work.

And school starts in two days. I'm pretty pissed. Any help?

Fix my WiFi

punishinglemur — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:33:48 -0800

Suddenly, my laptop and wireless network aren't playing well together. Over the past few days, my laptop has been having a great deal of trouble connecting to my home wireless network. While surfing a night or two ago, I noticed that pages had stopped loading. I checked the wireless connection icon in the status bar, which showed that I had gone from a connection to the Internet to a "Local Only" connection. However, I could still access the Internet from my desktop, which is plugged into my router with an Ethernet cable.

Today, when I woke up, my laptop was no longer connected to my wireless network. I chose to connect to the network, which gave me Internet access for only a minute before it reverted to "Limited Connectivity." I disconnected and reconnected again, but after several minutes of waiting and a message from Windows that it was taking longer than usual to connect, I couldn't get a connection. I cancelled the process and started again, which eventually gave me an Internet connection. But once again, it only lasted for about a minute before dumping me back to "Limited Connectivity."

I have a laptop running Windows Vista Home Premium with an Intel Pro/Wireless 3945ABG wireless adapter. The router is a Motorola WR850G. I have another laptop and a wirelessly connected desktop that both have no problems with connecting. Unless I'm forgetting something, the only changes that have happened since this problem started were the purchase of the other laptop and installation of the latest round of Windows Updates.

What's wrong? How can I get my wireless back?

Performance issues when sharing digital media between computers at home

fsmontenegro — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:28:51 -0800

Help me troubleshoot performance issues with digital media sharing between two computers. Hi there!

I need some help to resolve a performance issue. It may be host or network related, not sure yet.... read on.

We've finally added a small computer in the basement so we can watch media while exercising (there's a treadmill there that we promised to use more often!). The issue is that the current performance we get when accessing files on the main familiy PC is not that great.

The new PC is a mini-PC based on the CV860a motherboard. It has 512MB PC133 memory and is running xubuntu 7.04 installed in a 2GB CompatFlash card. The main PC is an Athlon 2000 running XP. We currently use SMB to share the PC files and use smbfs on the miniPC side to mount it.

Connectivity is as follows:

basement | 1st floor | 2nd floor
ubuntu---wired-->WRT54g---wireless--->DlinkDI524---wired--->Windows

All wired is 100Mbps and the wireless piece is 802.11g with WPA-PSK.

The performance we get watching a high-def file (640x360 WMV or AVI) is as follows:
- on the mini-PC, local media via USB key - good
- on the mini-PC, remotely via smbfs - poor, very choppy (unviewable)
- on another PC (wireless laptop, 1GB Pentium M) - good

So:
- Is it a network performance issue? If so, why is the performance on another laptop good?
- Is it a host performance issue? If so, why do local files play OK?

Any suggestions on how to proceed? Ideally, we'd like to avoid making local copies of the media. I haven't done any performance tuning on the ubuntu mini-PC yet.

Thanks!!!!

Please help Windows recognize a wireless receiver for keyboard and mouse.

Asef Jil — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:15:19 -0800

Please help Windows recognize a wireless receiver for keyboard and mouse. I'm getting a "USB device not recognized" error when plugging in the USB receiver for Microsoft's Wireless Laser Destop 6000 keyboard and mouse combo. The receiver works fine in another computer (same OS--Windows XP).

Device manager claims there is no driver installed for the USB receiver. Unfortunately Microsoft doesn't provide *.inf and *.sys files for the receiver alone--everything is bundled in the Intellipoint and Intellitouch executables--so I can't point Windows to the driver directly in device manager.

I've isolated the *.sys file for the receiver via another system but Windows won't let my install the driver without a *.inf. Can I manually edit the registry to force the receiver to use the appropriate *.sys file? I've reinstalled the drivers umpteen times. Is there something else that I'm missing?

What's the best wifi PCI card for Windows 2000?

spiderskull — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:53:25 -0800

Which PCI wireless networking adapters have the best (meaning fastest and most lightweight) drivers and software for Windows 2000? I can't upgrade to XP, and I've found the software that manufacturers package for Windows 2000 tends to be utter crap. So, I'm looking for a higher quality wireless adapter (needless to say, it's for a desktop machine).

I currently have a LinkSys WMP11, and I hate it because of its software. I've tried the Netgear WM111 USB adapter, but their software also caused major issues (it would frequently lock the system completely, mouse included, for 3-5 minutes).

The only good wireless experience I've had in W2K is with my Dell laptop, and that's because of Intel's driver/software package. They don't sell any PCI wireless adapters, unfortunately.

The desktop machine is aging, at approximately 5-6 years old, but it runs great when I disable any wireless devices.

Connecting an XP box to two networks simultaneously

good in a vacuum — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 14:41:51 -0800

I have two Windows XP boxes with their own separate DSL connections, and one wireless router. I'm having trouble connecting these two machines with a wireless connection. Here's a crude diagram of the setup I've got. The two computers have internet access, and computer B can ping the wireless router over the wifi connection. However, it seems to be having trouble "joining" the local network that computer A is on.

I think it is because of some sort of conflict between IP addresses: the ISP to which it is connected (via DSL) has assigned it one IP address, but the wireless router needs to assign it a different IP address (the usual 192.168.1.xxx that Linksys routers default to). My knowledge of networking is admittedly limited, so I'm not sure how computer B can have two IP addresses simultaneously on two different networks, or if this is even possible.

Why won't Wireless Zero Config start?

fintanc — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 09:55:01 -0800

Why won't Wireless Zero Config start? I have a wireless network, XP SP2 Home edition, D-Link router and adapter.

Recently (after a ram upgrade) I have been having serious problem detecting the network on startup; I narrowed it down to the fact that the Wireless Zero Config service was not automatically starting when windows boots up. It had been previously.

Any ideas how to get this to start automatically? Setup type is set to Automatic, and I'm the only user on the network so logon is set to Local User Account.

Right now I have to manually enable it each time I boot up, and its driving me nuts.

How can I get back my wireless functionality?

Nikolai — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 14:26:34 -0800

Yesterday my wireless connection to my home network on my Windows XP laptop kept dropping and I had to reconnect. Since then, wireless networks kept randomly disappearing from my list, and now mine plus all the neighbors' networks except one are gone and no amount of refreshing or restarting brings them back. I can still connect to the Internet through a wired connection. How can I get back my wireless functionality?

Why does wireless zero configuration not start automatically?

londonmark — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 06:59:11 -0800

Why does wireless zero configuration not start automatically? Anyone out there understand Windows Services? My 'wireless zero configuration' service won't start up automatically, even though the startup type is set to automatic. So every time I restart my computer, I have to start the service manually to enable my wireless connection. I guess in the grand scheme of things it's not thart serious, but it is annoying. Does anyone know a quick fix please?

Why does XP hate my network?

logovisual — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 18:27:35 -0800

Mixed wireless network: 3 Macs, one Windows XP PC. We're using 40-bit WEP encryption, and for some reason the Windows XP laptop simply cannot stay on the network... why that be? We use the hex equivalent for the password, and the laptop can get on the internet when it's entered, but even so, XP still insists that the computer is "not connected" to the network, and every few minutes the internet connection gets dropped. Anybody have any ideas? It's not a reception issue; the laptop can be sitting right next to the router and this will still happen. It's got to be some kind of configuration thing I'm missing, but I was hoping somebody would know what this behavior is symptomatic of (i.e. the sporadic connection)...

Home printing solution

lemonfridge — Sat, 24 Dec 2005 06:40:48 -0800

Help me set up a printing system for the whole family... For a while now I've had problems with our current set up for printing stuff out. We have a wireless network, and a printer connected to my Dads XP PC as he uses it most. The printer is shared on the network, but often has problems when I try to print from my PC (keeps printing the same thing over and over, or skips images and just prints txt in Word, gets the quality settings wrong etc etc) and I cant print from my iBook.

Im looking at getting an Epson Stylus Photo R300 with a Continious Ink Supply, and a wireless print server.

Hopefully this will allow me to print my high-quality glossy prints and discs, and my dad to print out his documents and work, without spending too much on ink.
(my dad prints mostly in B&W, and I print mostly in colour)

Questions:
1) Will this solve my problems?
2) Will the D-Link DP-311U print server play nice with my Netgear DG834G?
3) Will I be able to print from my iBook?
4) Is there a better/cheaper way?

(not) Harry Potter and the black art of TCP/IP.

empedia — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 11:08:19 -0800

I have a Wireless Ethernet bridge which I have connected to a PC via an ethernet cross-over cable. This is working fine in terms of allowing access to the wireless network I can browse the net from the PC etc. with no problem. The problem comes when I try to ping this PC behind the wireless bridge from another PC. My other PC's on the network simply refuse to see it - all PC's are connected to the same wireless network and have no problem seeing each other except the PC connected via the wireless ethernet bridge. All PC's are in the same Windows XP workgroup and indeed in the workgroup the bridged PC can be seen in the network neighborhood by all the other PC's with no problems but cannot ping it or access it via TCP/IP etc. All PC's are in the same subnet - mask is 255.255.255.0. All PC's are configured to have the default gateway of the Router - 192.168.0.1. All IP Addresses are static as well. What am I doing wrong here or will the wireless bridge effectively hide the second PC from any other PC's on the network - clearly not an acceptable situation. I'm 99% certain this is not a firewall issue either as the second PC can see other PC's on the network with ease. I'm going slowly mad over this so any help gratefully received. TIA, Matt

Bafflingly consistent wireless problems

rwhe — Wed, 15 Jun 2005 15:50:47 -0800

Using two different Netgear WiFi adapters under Windows XP, we can connect to our home network, but can't ping any domains or see any websites (though we can under Knoppix). My wife just bought an Averatec notebook from a friend, who never had any problems with it. It runs Windows XP Home Edition and came with a Netgear WG111v1 wireless USB dongle. We can connect from the laptop to our home network via our Linksys WAP11, but can't see the Internet. The Netgear software says we have made a strong connection and we can even see some traffic in the monitor utility, but we can't ping google.com or surf via IE. My wife's old laptop connected wirelessly via a Netgear MA401 PCMCIA card, but when I plug that card into her new laptop, we get the same problem. (I am using the latest drivers for both adapters.) I can also connect wirelessly to our LAN with my Zaurus PDA (runs Linux). Oh, AND I can surf the web using the PCMCIA card on her laptop if I run Knoppix on it! There seems to be something peculiar about the combination of Windows XP and our home network, but I'm damned if I can figure what it is. (I'm probably damned for letting "Win" XP in the front door anyway.) I've been working on this night and day, and my google-fu quails before the task. Can anyone help me? I would love to fix this for my dear wife.

Need a good Xp Wifi Connection helper - Built in Windows + netgear versions are no good.

falconred — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 17:24:45 -0800

I'm looking for a good Windows XP WiFi connection helper. The default Windows and NetGear ones are a bit crap. [mi] Here's my situation: Two access points broadcast the same name ("Linksys"), but are on different channels are have different MAC addresses. One of them is great, the other one is extremely laggy (on the order of 1200-1800ms).

Because they have the same name, I can't tell them apart in the Windows XP utility.

The NetGear utility lets me tell the two connections apart (via MAC address) but for some reason likes the laggy connection better and, even when I expressly tell it not to, "helpfully" connects to me to the laggy one as much as possible.

Changing one of the broadcast names is not an option.

So, does anyone have a suggesstion for a connection utility that will allow me only to connect to a specific connection (and stay with that one no matter what!), based on MAC address?

Home Network Issue

alball — Thu, 11 Nov 2004 06:35:08 -0800

While I am working, every 10 mminutes or so, my Toshiba tablet computer keeps dropping my own home network and informs me that there are other networks available (the neighbors'). How can I tell it to ignore all networks except my own?

My wireless Mac and wired PC transfer to each other at 2.5 MB/s. Can I speed this up any?

ascullion — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 07:48:36 -0800

I've got a network in my home - one PC, connected by wire to the router, and one Apple, connected by an Airport card (which I believe is 802.11G). The fastest speed I can get transferring files from one to the other is 2.5MB/s, which seems slow. Am I right, or is this standard?

Best way to set up a LAN using equipment I already own.

Mayor Curley — Fri, 28 May 2004 07:09:21 -0800

The new network Friday challenge: I need to set up a network for my new place and I wanted to do it with my available stuff. How close can I come? More inside. Moving into a new place. Cable is only wired downstairs and we don't want the multiple-TV temptation of having it upstairs. Three computers will be upstairs, and I want all of them to have network access via the wireless router in the living room.

The desktop computers are running:

Windows XP
Suse 8.1
Windows 98 SE

To connect them I currently have:

a netgear wireless router
1 wireless pci card
about 6 standard ethernet cards
a network bridge

My questions are 1) what is the best way to hook them up without dropping 130 bucks on two more wireless cards and 2) what's the cheapest way to hook them up?

Why is my wireless disconnecting on my Windows 2000 pc?

humuhumu — Tue, 13 Apr 2004 14:15:48 -0800

Problem with a wireless card on Windows 2000. The manufacturers and Google have been no help. Ask Metafilter will solve it though, won't you...? [more inside, of course] I have a small desk downstairs on which sits a laptop. It doesn't move much. Until this weekend, it was an old Acer running Windows 98. Plugged into this was a Netgear MA521 Cardbus wireless card, which linked up perfectly with a Linksys router two floors up in the attic. Never had a single connection problem with it, signal strength always around at least 70%.

This weekend, I replaced the laptop with a slightly younger Sony Vaio. That was running Windows 98 but not very well, so I did a clean install of Windows 2000. Wireless card was installed and ran perfectly. Until, that is, I installed the relevant Windows Updates. Now, the connection drops every few minutes. There it goes again, in fact. There's no warning; no drop in signal strength; and the connection is picked up again almost immediately - as soon as the connection goes, the card scans through the channels until it finds the right one, and instantly connects. Downtime is no more than fifteen seconds. But it's intermittent, happens more often when I'm surfing then when I'm not, and is bugging the hell out of me. I can't find anyone else who's suffered this, and I don't know if it's card related, OS related, or laptop related.

Can anyone shed some light on what the problem is, or how I might solve it? All drivers, etc, are up to date.