WiFi network help, please!
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you're both trying too hard. Its unlikely to be the 802.1x issue
The problem now is that he's using WEP not WPA, and in most cases XP cannot autoconfigure a WEP connection. You have to do it by hand.
This is a standard problem with WEP but rarely documented
Details here on this helpfile from Netgear
Unable to connect to network: Validation and Certificate Errors in Windows XP and Vista
note that you may still come across the issue of whether the WEP has to be "open" or "shared" - that can be changed here at the same time. If one fails, try the other
The problem now is that he's using WEP not WPA, and in most cases XP cannot autoconfigure a WEP connection. You have to do it by hand.
This is a standard problem with WEP but rarely documented
Details here on this helpfile from Netgear
Unable to connect to network: Validation and Certificate Errors in Windows XP and Vista
note that you may still come across the issue of whether the WEP has to be "open" or "shared" - that can be changed here at the same time. If one fails, try the other
Last edited by Milo Minderbinder; 10th Jun 2012 at 16:58.
it's not often I am accused of that!
As a techie ignoramus, the last time that one of our family lappies refused to recognise the modem/router, I took the lappie to the modem router, attached required cable, did not a lot and it worked. Then, having looked at the domestic network through that link, after a while - patience required - and patience is not my strong point -, said router acknowledged the lappie as both a hard wired and a wifi goodie. Lots of turning things on and off required. In fact, the router has a memory much better than mine about what has/has tried to connect........
In the end, lappie did respond. (All were configured with the same security), but lappie had forgotten security......
Which is bloody wierd as junior daughter's lappie is seldom here, but has a great memory for this stuff.
In the end, lappie did respond. (All were configured with the same security), but lappie had forgotten security......
Which is bloody wierd as junior daughter's lappie is seldom here, but has a great memory for this stuff.
Thread Starter
Thank you Milo - did that sequence - wouldn't allow the configuring as it said that connection was already configured, so added a 2 to the connection ID (Plusnetwireless2) and it accepted that. However, when I checked for valid IP addresses, ... ZILCH , or, rather, "invalid address"
Interesting comment from AO - I have connected the lappie via ethernet cable and it is quite happy with that - just this ^%&"*** WiFi thing has problems
Interesting comment from AO - I have connected the lappie via ethernet cable and it is quite happy with that - just this ^%&"*** WiFi thing has problems
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Jack
delete ALL existing wirelesss connections that may be there and create it from afresh. Simply amending the failed connection will not work
network name has to be exactly the same as its broadcasting
whats happening is that the existing failed connection is blocking your attempt at creating a new one
delete ALL existing wirelesss connections that may be there and create it from afresh. Simply amending the failed connection will not work
network name has to be exactly the same as its broadcasting
whats happening is that the existing failed connection is blocking your attempt at creating a new one
Thread Starter
Thank you again Milo. I can see the reasonong there. Will give that a whirl but just as an update, I dug out a second laptop and a different WiFi adaptor, fired it up and all same, same!!! If I get any joy out of either, will report back. G'night all and muchas gracias.
!!! If I get any joy out of either, will report back. G'night all and muchas gracias.
Thread Starter
Update - This is being posted from the subject laptop!!! What happened, what was done???
I have absolutely no idea what the magic solution was!!
During the last three days I have consulted, questioned, rehashed, rebooted without count, re-installed windows XP, twice, then XP Pro, once, changed adaptors three times, consulted my ISP twice, reset the router twice, reconfigured the wifi connections at least five times, ... all with the same result - ZILCH, VERY strong signal reception and TOTAL failure to connect. Finally, searching through my collection of "It'll come in handy someday" items, I found a third adaptor BT Voyager 1060 Laptop. Nothing terribly different with this item as compared with the others but nothing to lose, so yet another install. Result? ... This thread input. What happened, what changed? Not a clue - certainly nothing in the reams of troubleshooting advice I've read in the last three days suggested trying another adaptor. Ain't computers absolutely marvellous?
Again thanks to all - unlikely, but this MIGHT just be of help to some other Windows 'victim'
I have absolutely no idea what the magic solution was!!
During the last three days I have consulted, questioned, rehashed, rebooted without count, re-installed windows XP, twice, then XP Pro, once, changed adaptors three times, consulted my ISP twice, reset the router twice, reconfigured the wifi connections at least five times, ... all with the same result - ZILCH, VERY strong signal reception and TOTAL failure to connect. Finally, searching through my collection of "It'll come in handy someday" items, I found a third adaptor BT Voyager 1060 Laptop. Nothing terribly different with this item as compared with the others but nothing to lose, so yet another install. Result? ... This thread input. What happened, what changed? Not a clue - certainly nothing in the reams of troubleshooting advice I've read in the last three days suggested trying another adaptor. Ain't computers absolutely marvellous?
Again thanks to all - unlikely, but this MIGHT just be of help to some other Windows 'victim'
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Is the wifi access point broadcasting on "auto" channel or up at channel 13 by any chance? as you'll possibly find the beaconing is picked up by the card but the channel is unavailable as the card or drivers think you're a Yank.
Thread Starter
Thanks Mike - as indicated above, it is ,for the moment at least, sorted. No idea how or why! What this little saga has shown, yet again, that info on WiFi problems requires a depth of knowledge of 'techie speak' which I don't possess
It seems (to me) quite extraordinary that a PC function which, nowadays, is almost totally essential, continues to be presented in a form which is almost unintelligible to non-geeks, As to fault finding, as I now know, the process requires a familiarity with PC gobbledegook which exceeds anything I have gained from some 20 years of building, using and swearing at the things. Methinks there is a little fortune to be made by the first person to write an automatic check and fix program(me). .. or the manufacturer of a fool-proof system!!
It seems (to me) quite extraordinary that a PC function which, nowadays, is almost totally essential, continues to be presented in a form which is almost unintelligible to non-geeks, As to fault finding, as I now know, the process requires a familiarity with PC gobbledegook which exceeds anything I have gained from some 20 years of building, using and swearing at the things. Methinks there is a little fortune to be made by the first person to write an automatic check and fix program(me). .. or the manufacturer of a fool-proof system!!
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It seems (to me) quite extraordinary that a PC function which, nowadays, is almost totally essential, continues to be presented in a form which is almost unintelligible to non-geeks, As to fault finding, as I now know, the process requires a familiarity with PC gobbledegook which exceeds anything I have gained from some 20 years of building, using and swearing at the things. Methinks there is a little fortune to be made by the first person to write an automatic check and fix program(me). .. or the manufacturer of a fool-proof system!!
1) Learn more about IT
2) Pay people like myself who have spent decades designing, refining, and productionising systems such as wifi to figure it out for you
If you're unwilling to do one of these, then you need to do the other. Why as a software writer would I cut off my livelihood simply because you unreasonably want things to be 100% reliable?
Wifi problems, such as the channel 13 issue above, are the result of governments (specifically the US Govt) reserving a chunk of the radio spectrum for their military and banning wifi manufacturers from using it. It's not a problem created by us "IT geeks" yet you want to sit back and demand a noddy system? It'll be a long time coming.
Thread Starter
Fascinating viewpoint, Mike, and undoubtedly valid (from your perspective). However it is rather claiming special privilege for IT as against any other technical product. As an analogy, one buys a car and decides to fit an accessory - say a towbar. One would therefore have to take a course in garage mechanic-ing in order to do so?? plus the manufacturers of said towbar would generate unclear terminology for the components in order to force customers to employ garages to carry out the work - this in spite of the fact that all cars have the fixing points already installed to allow simple attachment. Not an exact comparison, perhaps but covers the generalities. Additionally,. why is the WiFi arena so littered with 'geek speak' and traps for the unwary when the basic computer build is relatively straightforward and 'Lego-like' in concept and execution? Just to provide employment for the techies?
I would have supposed that far from cutting off your livelihood, designing a piece of software to automate what ought (in tnis day and age ) to be simple, would give you an income stream for a life of leisure!!
I would have supposed that far from cutting off your livelihood, designing a piece of software to automate what ought (in tnis day and age ) to be simple, would give you an income stream for a life of leisure!!
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To expand on your towbar analogy, consider this:
- The towbars wouldn't be fitted with the fixing holes in the same place for cars manufactured in different countries because the fixing holes are mandated by the local governments, although there's a fair amount of standardisation been attempted
- The towbars could be made of cheese and you would be able to fit it to your car, but only when you tried to use it would you realise why you needed a steel one
- Towbars in themselves and the towing of cars is quite a good analogy. Your stance is that anyone should be able to fit one themselves and tow anything without referring to a specialist, yet: Towbar Legislation Car Tow Bars Regulations Law Commercial Standards shows the laws surrounding towing.
The bottom line is, that if everything in IT was a simple as towbars then IT support wouldn't exist. It isn't, so we do. Wifi is a munge of international standards, drivers written to a price by whomever the supplier can get that's cheapest, all sitting on top of something that needs to work cross-platform to a 1960s design whilst providing adequate protection from automated and highly targetted attacks from those who are less scrupulous than most you find on PPRuNe.
I think a fairer way of saying it would be: "If nobody wanted to hack you, we'd be able to make systems which worked a lot more of the time"
- The towbars wouldn't be fitted with the fixing holes in the same place for cars manufactured in different countries because the fixing holes are mandated by the local governments, although there's a fair amount of standardisation been attempted
- The towbars could be made of cheese and you would be able to fit it to your car, but only when you tried to use it would you realise why you needed a steel one
- Towbars in themselves and the towing of cars is quite a good analogy. Your stance is that anyone should be able to fit one themselves and tow anything without referring to a specialist, yet: Towbar Legislation Car Tow Bars Regulations Law Commercial Standards shows the laws surrounding towing.
The bottom line is, that if everything in IT was a simple as towbars then IT support wouldn't exist. It isn't, so we do. Wifi is a munge of international standards, drivers written to a price by whomever the supplier can get that's cheapest, all sitting on top of something that needs to work cross-platform to a 1960s design whilst providing adequate protection from automated and highly targetted attacks from those who are less scrupulous than most you find on PPRuNe.
I think a fairer way of saying it would be: "If nobody wanted to hack you, we'd be able to make systems which worked a lot more of the time"
Psychophysiological entity
Of all my struggles to get free internet last summer, doing what milo said, and wiping the slate clean was often the only way to get it going. When finally I got a good signal and WEP typed in carefully . . . nothing. Get rid of the list, and away it went. Happened several times.
This forum introduced me to inSSIDer 2.0 , a freebie for which I'm often very grateful. If nothing else, it will give you the lowdown on which channel to use.
This forum introduced me to inSSIDer 2.0 , a freebie for which I'm often very grateful. If nothing else, it will give you the lowdown on which channel to use.
