Wireless Router

[drfsupercenter]

Not sure if you guys could help, but for those of you Windows XP experts, maybe you could. I have a wireless router and I use one of those little USB adapters to connect (it is a Linksys router). Back when I used to have XP Home OEM version it connected when I turned the PC on. I recently upgraded to Professional - the store-bought version, and now it will NOT automatically connect. I have to right click and say "repair" every time I turn the computer on. Can I make this automatic or is Pro different?

[anonymez]

try downloading & installing SP2 (service pack 2) for windows xp, if you haven't already done so, or if your version didn't already contain the upgrade. countless fixes in networking have been made since 2001 :)

might sound obvious, but have you got your latest drivers?

btw, we have a 'general computing' subforum here, this doesn't have to be off-topic :)

[nwg]

I would try reinstalling everything and maybe even reset the router and start all over again.

I have a wireless router running on XP Pro and a laptop with XP Home. They work together ok.

Make sure you have assign IP address automatically to on (called DHCP).

I also suggest upgrading to XP SP2 if you haven't already.

[drfsupercenter]

I have SP2 - that is where the problem occured. When I installed that. As far as reinstalling everything - you mean Windows?

[nwg]

I have SP2 - that is where the problem occured. When I installed that. As far as reinstalling everything - you mean Windows?

No, just the router and the USB adapters. It should have a setup. My Belkin router has setup via the Belkin website via a 192.168.2.1 IP address.

[drfsupercenter]

All it has is a CD. It says when you plug it in and it gives you that New Hardware Found screen to say to install the drivers from the disc. That is it. I think it is more of a Windows setting than anything.

[nwg]

All it has is a CD. It says when you plug it in and it gives you that New Hardware Found screen to say to install the drivers from the disc. That is it. I think it is more of a Windows setting than anything.

Then, how do you setup things like WEP, WPA encryption etc.

[drfsupercenter]

I have no idea. I don't have WPA even turned on. I know it can be done, however, through the router settings (192.168.1.1) but it is not per computer. All the other computers in my house connect fine, just not mine.

[Chewy]

1. everything's good to go in device manager, no yellow exclaimations?

2. right click on MY Network PLaces Icon desktop/properties
no extra garbage there?

Use the network setup wizard, answer all the questions correctly,
keep trying.

[drfsupercenter]

No yellow question marks here. Here are some screenshots if that would help you:
http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/8515/devicemanager8qk.png <-- the device manager
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/1884/devicemanager21ff.png <-- the General tab
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/1487/devicemanager33gp.png <-- the Advanced tab
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/8256/devicemanager49qa.png <-- the Driver tab
http://img331.imageshack.us/img331/6782/devicemanager55za.png <-- the Details tab
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/219/devicemanager69gs.png <-- the Power Management tab

How do I get to the My Network Places? I have done it before, but I forget. As far as the setup wizard I will try that and let you know how it works out.

[Chewy]

Lots of yellow question marks with exclaimation marks!

"2. right click on MY Network PLaces Icon desktop/properties"

[drfsupercenter]

Um... Those yellow question marks are for the Other Devices or whatever. As you can see, the wireless router, the one above the question marks, works fine. And pardon me for sounding stupid, but WHERE do I right click? Where do I find the My Network Places icon to right click on?

[Chewy]

Um... Those yellow question marks are for the Other Devices or whatever. As you can see, the wireless router, the one above the question marks, works fine. And pardon me for sounding stupid, but WHERE do I right click? Where do I find the My Network Places icon to right click on?

On your desktop! classic interface

or open network settings in control panel, durn xp and dozen ways to skin a cat!

[nwg]

Um... Those yellow question marks are for the Other Devices or whatever. As you can see, the wireless router, the one above the question marks, works fine. And pardon me for sounding stupid, but WHERE do I right click? Where do I find the My Network Places icon to right click on?


There should be a shortcut to Network places in the start menu. If it is not, right mouse click on the start menu and select properties.

Select the start menu tab at the top then,

Select customise then,

Select advanced then,

In the start menu items options. There is a tickbox for Network Places. Tick it and it show up in the start menu.

[Chewy]

the other devices are your ethernet card/chipset
modem
video card/chipset

and they probably are not causing too many issues, however the video driver is a must!

[drfsupercenter]

I installed the nVidia drivers properly - kick the company for that! As far as the router goes, that driver is installed fine.

[Chewy]

I installed the nVidia drivers properly - kick the company for that! As far as the router goes, that driver is installed fine.

Not knowing your motherboard(old or new)? you might need a
mobo chipset driver, that would give you the agp and enable the vid card.

Did you get the wireless network working?

[drfsupercenter]

It is a PCI card - and a Dell motherboard, about 3 years old.

[Chewy]

Dell has decent support they should have downloads for your model,
of course if you added a vid card they won't have that, but it's probably your agp/nothbridge chipset on the motherboard that you need a driver for.
Or is the onboard video still enabled in bios?

[drfsupercenter]

Dell has decent support Yeah right. They recently switched to a new system that makes you pay for software support - all that is free is hardware - and they wouldn't even help me install a hard drive because "it was not a Dell product". So basically that is not an option. As for AGP, I do not even have an AGP port - it is a PCI card. I installed the drivers off the CD but I guess that did not get recognised by XP. However, I will try the My Network Places when I get home - I am at school now.

[Chewy]

agp has been out for several years, did you have onboard video?
That would have been agp!
If your pci vid card is in the top slot it's probably sharing resources.
The northbridge chipset on the motherboard is in charge of agp and usb.
Dell doesn't charge for driver downloads, AFAIK!

These things are all interconnected(related).

rightclick desktop/properties/settings
what's it say about your video?

[tigerman8u]

I would d/l the drivers for the mb including newest video drivers etc. and get rid of the yellow check marks.

[drfsupercenter]

Well, nonetheless my video card works perfectly so I have no idea about the question marks. That has nothing to do with the router however. I had integrated graphics card - and I disabled it. It may be AGP but I do not have an AGP port as to insert an AGP card into. As far as the PCI slot I am not sure if it is in the top or the middle.

[drfsupercenter]

Here are some more screenshots for you:

http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/2771/mynetworkplaces3ke.png <-- My Network Places
http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/4626/networkconnections2of.png <-- Network Connections
http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/8818/status7pi.png <-- Wireless Network Connection Status
http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/6140/details2hn.png <-- Network Connection Details

As you can see, My Network Places is empty. Is that why it is not automatically connecting? Or is there another problem?

[Chewy]

Did you run the network setup wizard?(echo)

[steveareno1955]

I too had the same problem. My computer had no problem connecting to the linksys router and I don't know if it was after one of XP's important downloads but my computer quit seeing the router and I had to fix the connection everytime. Thought my old Linksys was going kaput so I went out and bought a brand new one and it did the same thing. Started to mess around and shut off the Zonealarm firewall and guess what no problem. My main computer is the only one I used Zonealarm on. Switched back to XP's firewall and it works fine. One of my laptops has zonealarm on it but its XP home edition and it has no problem. Just the one that had Pro on it.

Don't know if this will help you but it worked for me.

[drfsupercenter]

I do not use Zonealarm - Just Windows firewall. As for network setup wizard, I did that when I first opened Internet Explorer. Should I click to Add a network place to My Network Places?

[Chewy]

When I create a Lan(workgroup), I use the network setup wizard,
start/programs/accessories/communications/........
then I name the workgroup and answer the questions, reboot, let
them all see each other, share files etc.
Now browsemaster elections are another story, vbg!

[drfsupercenter]

Hmm. I am quite the opposite of you - I am good with software but really bad with hardware.

I can try removing the network - as it was just a default setting, and I have no idea how it was set up - I just said "I have a broadband connection" and then I could get on the Internet. I will try setting it up your way and hope it works

:-)

Heh, the reason it worked before is probably because my dad put it on for me, and he knows a bit more about that stuff, mainly because some of his clients are good with computers :-)

[Floppy]

Um... Those yellow question marks are for the Other Devices or whatever. As you can see, the wireless router, the one above the question marks, works fine. And pardon me for sounding stupid, but WHERE do I right click? Where do I find the My Network Places icon to right click on?

Not necessarily for other devices or whatever unless you have other devices yet to be installed...

What Im trying to say is that some devices have other hardware that also need drivers... However I notice you have a ethernet controller unistalled with a interrogation mark under device manager. get the drivers for it and away you go....