No wireless networks found in range.

[bass1175]

I have a t43 with a wireless mini pci adapter. It recently disconnected me from online and ever since I get the message no wireless connections found in range, which is not true. I deleted the adapter and reinstalled the drivers with the same message. Any help is appreciated.

[killer]

It sounds like it is broken with a capital F.

[beGi]

You can try restart/reset your router, for start (remember/backup your settings if you preform reset because it will remove everithing)...

Also do you have another unit to check that router is actually transmitting?

Try to install netstumbler and see if you receive your AP signal. Netstumbler is independent of windows wireless interface so that can help to figure out what is wrong...

[bass1175]

Thanks for this rapid response guys.

I also have linux installed on my machine and I just logged into linux and the card works and connects to my network from there but not from windows.

Im really not sure why its doing this, I might download access connection just to see what happens since xp is not picking up any signals.

[bass1175]

I just installed access connections and not finding anything in range as well. However it keeps telling me wireless radio is off, and I keep having to click power on.

The led on the lcd indicates the radio is powered on but access connections says its off.

I would have thought its a bad card but the card is able to connect on linux.

[sjthinkpader]

Have you updated the AC and WiFi card drivers, manually or via System Update?

[virge]

Access connections randomly killed my BT connection one day. My T42P is docked with the lid closed so its not like I pushed any of the Fn combos either. I tried many things, but the one thing that worked was removing Access Connections altogether. That gave me back my Fn+F5 feature and then the BT stayed on.

[bass1175]

Thanks again guys, I just updated everything with thinvantage and nothing. I also enabled most of the services in services.msc and msconfig to general startup and still nothing. finally I decided to do a windows repair from the installation cd, still not a fresh install but figured to give it a shot and that also didnt work. Anything else you guys recommend? I deleted and installed the adapter several times with the latest driver installed to no success. Any further suggestions are very welcomed.

[beGi]

System Restore?

AntiVirus scan?

[bass1175]

Well I exhausted everything I know how to do and finally decided to reinstall windows. Everything is back up again thanks for all the help, and if someone thinks they know what went wrong please share. Thanks again.

[pjm99au]

Hello, sorry I can't enlighten you as to what specifically went wrong but can sympathise as the exact same thing happened to my t41 two weeks ago. The only way I found to fix it, as you did, was to do a repair install of windows. If I was to guess, a recent XP update or a Thinkpad system update has broken the windows wireless controller software. The only way I knew how to reinstall them was a complete repair (back to XP SP2) but someone might have a simpler way for the future.

Peter

[Spiracle]

I'm in the same position on my T41. Ubuntu works fine but not Windows. The fact that this seemed to happen spontaneously a couple of weeks ago seem to suggest that Windows update is at fault. I'm going to look for a likely candidate in 'Add/Remove' and go from there.

Phil

[beGi]

See if windows zero configuration service is running...

If you use access connection then previous suggestion is irrelevant...

[Jules Tohpipi]

A similar thing is happening to me too. I've tried installing/re-installing the driver. Rolling back on system restore. Rolling back to SP2. But still no luck.

Strangely, my wife's T41 is affected (Intel 802.11b only card) but my own T41 (Philips 802.11b/g card) has not been affected.

I don't have a hidden partion or recovery discs. Can I re-install Windows using any XP Pro installation discs (and use my COA to activate) or do I need IBM special OEM installation discs ?

[bass1175]

Each xp insallation has its own key, so the key on the bottom of your machine will only work on the discs that came with your machine and similar thinkpad cds. If you do a fresh install with another xp cd you will need the keys that came with that certain cd. I tried this and not sure why they complicate it.


I was wondering if you can see if the problem is fixed by starting windows in safe mode with networking. I had in mind to try this but totaly forgot probably out of frustration and went ahead with a fresh install.

See if you can f5 your windows and get into safe mode with networking and see if that fixes the problem temporarily. Might give us some more clues to this issue.

[Spiracle]

Some peculiar events since my last post.

I noticed that the Window WiFi worked fine at work, where I can only see two networks. It also worked during the day at home but failed in the evening - in the evenings at home (I live in a city) I can usually see 10-15 other base stations with Ubuntu, but only 4-6 during a weekday. I changed the channel on my base station and the wi-fi mysteriously became reliable again. I haven't had the T41 fail to see any networks at all again but it still returns an error from ipconfig.

All in all a bit of a puzzle. I haven't made any configuration changes to my laptop and still get an error after running ipconfig, but changing the base station channel makes it work.

I'm wondering whether a recent MS update has made the windows wi-fi stack perform less well when the local spectrum is saturated?