Vista - problem accessing wireless network

I am trying to connect a Dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, running Vista Business,
to a wireless network set up on a desktop running XP(sp2). I have previously
connected the lappie to similar networks without problem. However...

The network shows up as 'available'. When I click on 'connect', it says it
can't, because it is not automatically configured to do so. So I manually
set up a profile for the connection under the list of sutomatic connections.
It then said it couldn't connect because the security settings were wrong.
Now, if you hover the mouse over the network in 'available connections', it
says the security type is WEP-PSK. This is not an option under the security
types listed under connection properties. I've tried using all the WEP
options available, with no success. The thing always says that the security
details are wrong. Any ideas?

Incidentally, as an experiment, I tried disabling all the security on the
network and then connecting. It said it had connected, but with 'limited
connectivity', and wouldn't let me access the network. Don't know if that
problem is connected...

Hi cornsay
what is the Wireless router that you are using, You need to check on your router whether there are any MAC filter enabled so that in computer with the given MAC Address can connect. From what you say the problem lies on the router you need to check that first.

Hope this Helps

Cheers !!

Hi John,

thanks for your reply. The router is an Edimax AR 7024-WG. I've checked
and it has no MAC filtering set up.

Things have changed slightly; it's no longer requiring me to manually set up
the connection. But still, when it prompts for the passphrase, and I enter
the correct characters, it refuses to connect.

Incidentally, other laptops running XP connect fine to the network, which
makes me suspect this is something to do with Vista.

Any other ideas?

Hi cornsay,

on your wirelees Router what is the Authntication protocol that your using. Can you try chaging it. and then try to see this is most likly a problem with your authnticon protocol. for a while remove the Security Enabled on the Router and see where you can connect.

Try that and repost so that we could verfy most of the things.

hope this helps

Cheers !

Hi John,

thanks again, and sorry it took me a while to get back; I had to wait till
nobody else was using the network before mucking around with the settings.

So, first thing: if I disable all security, I can connect fine. But
obviously, this isn't a long term solution.

The router uses a WPA pre-shared key, TKIP encryption. The only other
option available is WPA RADIUS, which isn't really an option for me. There
aren't any firmware updates available from the manufacturer (it's an Edimax
AR-7024WG).

I also can't see any way - as I have done on other routers - to specify the
IP addresses of the computers that are allowed to connect, and block the
rest; otherwise I'd just do that.

Any more ideas? I appreciate your help...

"cornsay" <cornsay@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:0F2F4507-AC8D-48D4-ACC9-BA0D413A4148@xxxxxxWireless routers are fairly cheap. If this is for a business, just get a better
router.

Tom Lake

Hi Cornsay,
this is a problem with your wireless modem it does not support on vista. by the way have you upgraded vista to sp1. There are lots of other users that are having the same problem with these types of modems. Well you can try the following out.

Changes that may help to increase the compatibility of Vista with older networking devices:



Disable the IP Helper service:

1. Go to Start and type in "services.msc" (without the quotes) and press Enter
2. Scroll down to the IP Helper service, right click on it and select Properties
3. In the dropdown box that says "Automatic" or "Manual", set it to Disabled and then click on "Apply"
4. Then click on "Stop" to stop the service from running in the current session
5. Click OK to exit the dialog



Disable IPv6:

1. Go to Start and type in "ncpa.cpl" (without the quotes) and press Enter
2. Right click on each network connection and select "Properties"
3. Remove the checkmark from the box next to "Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)
4. Click OK to exit the dialog

NOTE: You should do this for each network connection.



Disable the DHCP Broadcast Flag:

Link: Windows Vista cannot obtain an IP address from certain routers or from certain non-Microsoft DHCP servers
Go to Start and type in regedit and press Enter.
Locate and then click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\{GUID}
In this registry path, click the (GUID) subkey to be updated.
If the key DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag does not exist, use the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value. In the New Value #1 box, type DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag, and then press ENTER. If the key exists, skip this step.
Right-click DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 0, and then click OK.
Close Registry Editor.
NOTE: You should do this for each and every GUID subkey.

Also please check the following link
Windows Vista cannot obtain an IP address from certain routers or from certain non-Microsoft DHCP servers

Hope this Helps

Cheers !!

Hi John,

thanks once again. I've tried all those things, and no joy; so I guess I'll
have to take Tom's advice if I want to solve the problem.

I might upgrade to SP1 first though, in case that resolves it. I haven't
yet, because apparently, the upgrade can cause horrible problems with my
soundcard driver... but that's another story!

Thanks.