Access Connections, suddenly cannot connect to home router.

[dpm_dpmartin]

Hi all,

My Thinkpad T41, running Windows XP SP2, has suddenly lost the ability to wirelessly connect to my home router. Something it has been doing quite successfully for years... as well as connecting flawlessly at work and on customer site.

I'm currently hooked into the back of the router via an Ethernet cable because something seems to have gone drastically wrong. When I use Access Connections (4.12) to "Connect" to my wireless network (also has no security, so that simplifies things) the small dialogue box pops up and says:

Connection Failed, with a red cross next to "Applying wireless settings"... when I click "Help Me Fix This..." it says I am "disconnected" and the cause was that "Associated Failed" and presents me with error 010 and 2 options...

1 - verify encryption settings
2 - verify radio channel has not been restricted

I checked that security is in the clear on the router, it is.

However, when I want to scan for other wireless networks, using the big Find button on the Access Connections main page, I get "No networks found." and I can try that as many times as I want - nothing.

If I "View Status" of the connection on the bottom-right toolbar, I get a window that says "radio powered on, but not associated" and - the strangest thing - an associated MAC address of 00:00:00:00:00:00 and an "Adapter Details" MAC address of 00:00:00:00:00:00, with firmware version = "N/A"... which sounds worrying.

Device Manager reckons the device is working properly.

So, if I go into Start -> Connect To and choose the wireless connection I get the normal message about "Windows cannot configure this this wireless connection" 'cos I've given the responsibility to another program.

If I click "Change advanced settings" then go to the "Wireless Networks" tab and check the "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" and click "OK" then it chugs away for a while, before a balloon at the bottom says "Wireless networks detected" and I can click connect on my network... hey, presto - I'm accessing the web via wireless again, but managed by Windows.

Access Connections still does the same stuff... telling me that no networks are found.

Oh, if I press Fn + F5, I get the black screen that seems to be telling me I'm connected to my home network on the Location Profile tab (my home network has a green box next to it) but if I switch to the Wireless Radio tab it tells me the wireless radio is switched off and if I click "Power On" the status remains as "off"... this is true whether the connection is being managed by Windows or not.

Any advice here is appreciated, it's quite a conundrum for me.

[Harryc]

Uninstall access connections and use Windows networking.

[GomJabbar]

With the Intel adapters anyway, you can uninstall Access Connections, choose uninstall your Intel Proset Wireless software, but instead do a repair install when given the option. Reboot, then reinstall Access Connections (if you want Access Connections). This should work. It's worked for me in the past - on more than one occasion.

I choose to use Access Connections in XP, but use Window's to manage my wireless connections in Vista and Windows 7.

[dpm_dpmartin]

Uninstall access connections and use Windows networking.

I think that might well be a resolution... but it does give me no understanding of what might've gone wrong, nor does it correct the issue. Ideally, I'd prefer to be back where I was.

[livevil]

Hi!

I've been through a similar problem few years ago and I've been able to solve it by reinstalling the proper drivers as I mentionned in this post.

Since then, I remember the problem occured once again, but this time I had a folder ready with all the divers and the "how to", and it was repaired in 15 minutes.

[dpm_dpmartin]

I am having an odd day... or my Thinkpad is.

I took the Thinkpad on to customer site this morning... I could connect to a wireless network using Windows networking, and I could get to the Internet fine - but for the life of me I could not tunnel into my work's network. I tried many, many times. Eventually I got frustrated - held the power button down for 10 seconds - and walked, miserably, up to my office.

Booted the Thinkpad in the office... plugged in an ethernet cable and everything was fine. Did some work, then decided to just open up the Access Connections dialogue and pressed "Find"... whoa! ...I was presented with a bunch of networks!

This is exactly what wasn't happening before.

So... I managed to connect wirelessly in the office earlier today and now I have just managed to connect wirelessly at home.

Did nothing regarding uninstalling / installing...

Very perplexed.

[livevil]

I remember what you did once (or twice) worked for me. Msot of the time, when I couldn't connect to the router at home, the router was the cause (he kept the last connection and wouldn't accept a new one since I was already "connected"). A reboot of the router would do the trick.

When it didn't, I try to connect directly through ethernet to see if the router is still alive. When there's no problem with the router (logged as admin), the wireless connection generally pops up few second after. I never figured out why.

When it doesn't and the router looks fine, I had to do the uninstall/reinstall steps (I spent nights trying to solve this out, without reinstalling, but with no luck).