Wireless Networking Probs with XP

[Mark Williams]

Hi,

I'm having a strange problem with wireless lan and XP which I've not seen before, and I wondered if anyone else had come across it or might have an idea what the problem is?

If I take a standard XP build, on any machine, and plug in the card, enter my ssid, wep key etc, the connection is fine. I can then use the connection to update the OS using Windows update, but after the update has completed, I can no longer attach to the wireless lan - period, and I can't find a way to get it back, short of rebuilding the machine (which works!). I don't think the hardware is responsible, as it's all the latest drivers etc, and it works brilliantly before installing all the updates.

Has anyone got any idea which of the multitude of patches needed on XP these days might be causing the problem?

Cheers

Mark.

 

[Jack the ripper]

hope this helps it did for me
How to Troubleshoot Wireless Network Connections in Windows XP

View products that this article applies to. This article was previously published under Q313242
SUMMARY

Windows XP supports 802.11b wireless networking with the Wireless Zero Configuration service. With 802.11b wireless networking, you can enable easy configuration and switching between wireless networks. To use this support, you need a wireless network adapter that is compatible with Windows XP.

For information about which wireless local area network (LAN) adapters are compatible with Windows XP, see the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). To do so, visit the following Microsoft Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/hcl

 

[Jack the ripper]

To Troubleshoot Wireless Network Connections in Windows XP

1. Check the HCL to determine if there is a Windows XP-compatible driver that is available for your wireless adapter.
   • If there is a compatible driver, install the updated driver before you perform any of the following troubleshooting procedures.
   • If there is not a compatible driver, you may be able to use the network adapter, but the configuration and functionality may be very limited.
2. Determine if the driver that you are using recognizes the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration service:
   1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Network and Internet Connections.
   2. Click Network Connections, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
3. View the available options:
   • If you do not see the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder, or if you cannot view the properties, there is a problem with the driver for the wireless network adapter. To troubleshoot this problem, see the "Driver Installation Issues" section in this article.
   • If you can view the properties for the Wireless Connection icon, but you do not see a Wireless Networks tab, see the "Drivers That Do Not Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service" section in this article to continue troubleshooting.
   • If you can view the properties, and you can see and access the Wireless Networks tab, see the "Drivers That Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service" section in this article to continue troubleshooting.
   • If the Authentication tab is missing in the Wireless Connection properties, make sure that the Wireless Zero Configuration service is running.

Driver Installation Issues

If you do not see the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder, or if you cannot view the properties for the Wireless Connection icon, there may be a problem with the driver installation. To troubleshoot this issue, verify that you have the latest available driver from the device manufacturer, and then follow these steps to start determining the source of the issue:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
2. In Computer Management, click Device Manager in the console tree.
3. In the details pane, double-click Other Devices and look for the wireless network adapter. If you locate the adapter in the Other Devices folder, this indicates that a driver has not been installed. To resolve this issue, obtain and install a driver from the device manufacturer.
4. If you do not locate the adapter in the Other Devices folder, look in the Network Adapters folder.
5. When you locate the wireless network adapter, write down the make and the model of the adapter.
6. In the properties for the wireless network adapter, under Device status, verify that the message "The device is working properly" is displayed.
7. If the wireless network adapter is not in the Network Connections folder, there is either a problem with the device, or the driver may not be installed. In this case, you should see an error under Device status. You can search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about the error code to troubleshoot this problem. To search the Knowledge Base, see the following Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/

Drivers That Do Not Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service

If you can view the properties of the Wireless Connection icon, but you do not see the Wireless Networks tab, this indicates that the network adapter driver does not fully support the Wireless Zero Configuration service.

In this scenario, you may be able to configure Windows XP to use the connection, but the configuration options may vary depending on the network adapter and the driver that are in use. To resolve this issue, try to create a working connection:

NOTE: If you cannot create a working connection, contact the device manufacturer for advice about how to configure the adapter for Windows XP.

1. In the Network Connections folder, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
2. Click Configure, and then on the Advanced tab, configure your wireless network by using the available configuration options. The available options and option names may vary depending on the driver manufacturer.
   
   The following list describes the basic configuration options:
   • Service Set Identifier (SSID): This setting should match the configuration of your wireless access point or router. If you do not have an access point, this value should be the same on all the computers that are in your wireless network.
   • Wireless Equivalent Protocol (WEP) or Encryption: Disable WEP on both the access point and in these properties for testing purposes.
   • Mode or Network Type: If you have an access point, set this option to Infrastructure. If you do not have an access point, and you are connecting computer to computer, set this option to Ad-Hoc.
   • Data Rate: Set this option to Auto or to 11 Mbps.
   • Power Save: For troubleshooting, set Power Save to Off or to Disabled. After the connection works properly, you can change this setting.
3. After you configure these options, click OK to save the changes that you made.
4. Test to see if your connection works. If a red X is displayed over the connection icon in the Network Connections folder, or if you cannot connect, continue troubleshooting.
5. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
6. In Computer Management, double-click Services and Applications in the console tree, and then click Services.
7. In the details pane, right-click Wireless Zero Configuration, and then click Properties.
8. In the Startup type box, click Disabled, and then click OK.
9. Quit Computer Management, and then restart the computer.

With this configuration, you should be able to connect to the wireless network if the other network configuration is correct. If the Wireless Connection icon is displayed in the notification area as a working connection, the wireless connection should work.

To resolve any remaining issues, use standard TCP/IP network troubleshooting techniques. Drivers That Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service

If the Wireless Networks tab in the properties of the Wireless Connection is available, the driver is aware of the Windows XP Zero Configuration support for wireless networks.

To configure Windows XP for your wireless network:

1. In the Network Connections folder, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
2. On the Wireless Networks tab, in the Available Networks box, click your network, and then click Configure.
3. In the Configuration window, provide the SSID that your network is using, in addition to WEP settings (encryption), and authentication settings that are necessary for your network. If you are not using a wireless access point or router, set the network mode to Ad-Hoc.
4. If your network is not listed as an available network, click Add to manually configure settings for a network. When you save these settings, you can use them automatically when the network is available.
5. After you save this configuration, repeat this process on the other computers on your network.
6. After you configure the settings for the other computers, you should see the network SSID name in the Preferred Networks list. If you see a blue circle, the network has been located; if you see a red X, there may be a problem with the radio signal between stations on the network, or the configuration may be incorrect. Confirm that the settings on your network are correct, and move the computer closer to either the access point or router, or to the other computer on the wireless network.

After you complete the configuration steps, the wireless connection should be correctly configured.

If you encounter issues when you try to connect to the network, double-click the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder to view the connection status. In the connection status, there is a signal strength meter that you can use to verify the strength of the signal between computers.
from http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=313242