How many of you have WinXP and a Wireless Network?

[exciv2000]

I've got a Linksys Wireless base and a Linksys Wireless network card in my Windows XP notebook with Service Pack 1, both of which use 802.11B. I'm using WEP and am on channel 6.

The problem, and I think it is primarily Windows XP's fault is that it seems to forget certain settings. For instance, if I go to the Device Manager and look at the properties for the network card, sometimes I'll find the channel automatically set itself back to 4.

When that's working properly and it's still set to channel 6, the problem I experience is that the network disconnects itself. I then have to click on the network connection in the taskbar, and click the connect button for the available wireless networks... it then reconnects, but only for 5 minutes max, then it disconnects itself again. This is pissing me off.

I've gotten it to work flawlessly before, but it usually requires a full shutdown and cold boot. If the PC goes into sleep mode by itself from inactivity, or if I shut the lid, and I bring it back up, the network is fucked again, and I go through paragraph 3 over and over again.

Any ideas from those in the know?

P.S. I just updated my driver, but it didn't seem to help things much. I'm pretty sure the card has the latest firmware. I also set powersave mode to "Enabled" whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

[ZCHybridCivic]

Standby in Windows is a bad thing. For the past 10 years Bill and his crew of nerds cannot get it to work right. I suggest leaving that setting on diabled and also going into the other power saving properties and disabling those. Just leave the thing on when yer using it and kill it when your not. I'm on 24/7 computers like running all the time at a constant temp..... I have the USB WiFi from Linksys and I have had some issues with it, but they have been solved.....for now....

[M@verick]

I don't have the problem your describing...but every now and then I get these long refreshes when the wifi card is in. Its more annoying than anything else. I'm using a Linksys wifi router with an Orinoco card.

[exciv2000]

I fixed it. In the properties for the wireless network connection, on the wireless networks tab, there is a setting at the very top that says "Use windows to configure my wifi network" or something very similar to that... I unchecked that and WAM BAM it works like a charm every time, all the time :D Windows XP SUCKS!

[M@verick]

Originally posted by exciv2000
I fixed it. In the properties for the wireless network connection, on the wireless networks tab, there is a setting at the very top that says "Use windows to configure my wifi network" or something very similar to that... I unchecked that and WAM BAM it works like a charm every time, all the time :D Windows XP SUCKS!

nice, maybe I'll try that and see if it fixes my refresh problem. Its just that it took so long to get it working with WEP that I'm afraid to change stuff :eek:

[SleeperZ]

Originally posted by exciv2000
I fixed it. In the properties for the wireless network connection, on the wireless networks tab, there is a setting at the very top that says "Use windows to configure my wifi network" or something very similar to that... I unchecked that and WAM BAM it works like a charm every time, all the time :D Windows XP SUCKS!

I'd like to clarify that last statement...Windows SUCKS!

I'm in process of a Linux conversion - I'm sick of the Bill stuff, loaded with security issues and backdoors, and things just not working right!

[exciv2000]

Win2000 works fine for me, all the time. But I've also got a linux box I play with too.

[amy]

A good way to fix that problem is to uninstall windows, then install slackware.

[M@verick]

Originally posted by amy
A good way to fix that problem is to uninstall windows, then install slackware.

holy crap a girl that tunes imports and knows how to install Slackware! Are you for real?

[taikahn]

uninstall windows -- skip linux and install a real unix... Mac OS X ...

woot


no setup, wi-fi just works.





Bah.

[M@verick]

wouldn't you need a mac for mac os x?

[exciv2000]

OSX is FAR from a REAL UNIX. macs blow. Let me quote Maximum PC by saying "Mac people who scream that their apples are faster than PCs are simply so full of crap, they could double as septic tanks." nuff said.

[john]

Bite your TONGUE! Mac OSX is based on the mach kernel, which is infact a true, standards based unix. As far as I know.

And a kickass unix at that.

I've had some wireless stuff working in my house, using Dlink stuff and my laptop when it was running XP. Worked like a charm, was simple to setup, but when I had 128 bit encryption enabled the connection would drop like a stone as soon as I tried to transfer a file of any size (2-3 meg). I'd have to powercycle the access point/router in order to get the connection back.

If it weren't for the initial startup cost, I'd switch from windows to MacOS in a heartbeat for the wife & kids machine. Buying new hardware isn't an option for me.. :(


Originally posted by exciv2000
OSX is FAR from a REAL UNIX. macs blow. Let me quote Maximum PC by saying "Mac people who scream that their apples are faster than PCs are simply so full of crap, they could double as septic tanks." nuff said.

[M@verick]

Actually OSX is based on the FreeBSD kernel. Yes it is a true UNIX flavor. But its not for the masses since it only supports Mac chipsets. But then again, many flavors of unix are hardware specific.