Moron needs wifi help

[Potiphar Breen]

That would be me.

Situation: I just got a T60 with XP, used wifi successfully once, and then tried again in an unfamiliar location. Searched for a wifi connection at the Minneapolis airport, picked the wrong one (of four detected), and pressed the "disconnect" button. Then realized it said "disable!" So I can't connect to wifi, or even search for it. The toolbar icon has disappeared, the "search for connection" menu option is grayed out, and I can't find anything about restoring it in the help directory. The manual, which seems unlikely to be more informative, is 1100 miles away.

Request: Can anyone tell me how to "undisable" wifi? And how to shut down a connection if I do this again? Please?

All I can think to do is restore the OS to its original condition. No doubt that would erase the programs I've installed, and I would like to be able to use while away, rather than reinstalling them once I get home. But getting online with my own machine instead of our host's iBook may be more important.

Many thanks.

[DAH]

DON'T DO A RESTORE!!

Try this first, launch Access Connections. |Start menu | All Programs | ThinkvVantage | Access Connections | Find | That should tell you your Wi-Fi is turned off and offer to turn it on.

If that doesn't work, try Control Panel | Network connections that should give you a list of network adapters, right click on it and choose enable. Sorry I have Vista and the names have changed

[tebore]

You can also try pressing Fn-F5.

[Pocket Aces]

Are you using Access Connections or XP's wireless manager?

Try this:
Go to the control panel, click on Network Connections, locate the icon labeled Wireless Network Connection. Right click it, and click "Enable".

[carbon_unit]

All the above advice is good. It should get you going.

[SHoTTa35]

well probably all you have to do is go to Network Connections in Windows XP and then just right click your wireless icon and choose "Enable" . No major need to panic as it's an easy fix.

"It's so easy a caveman could do it"

(LOL i wasn't planning on saying that, i noticed after i typed it then i put it in quotes)

[Potiphar Breen]

Thanks, all. I am now up and running. Amazing how simple things become when you either know what you are doing or have your brain in gear. My only excuse is that when I last owned a laptop, wireless connections were not an option.

Glad I found this place. You all are a wonderful resource.

[kjempe]

well probably all you have to do is go to Network Connections in Windows XP and then just right click your wireless icon and choose "Enable" . No major need to panic as it's an easy fix.

I got a similar issue here. Wifi`s working like a charm except for Fn+F5 giving me some error message (enabling/disabling the device as described above works though). The message is as follows when trying to disable it via Fn+F5 (translated from German):

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"The operating mode of your 802.11-Connection cannot be changed. Update the driver for the wirleless LAN-connections adapter."

When trying to enable the device, it gives the following:

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"The adapter for wireless LAN-connections is not properly configured. Reboot the system. If the error keeps occuring you may have to update or replace the driver."

Any clues? I doe have the recent driver from Lenovo installed and the Wifi adapter in my R50e is a Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG. I do not have Access Connections installed.

[GomJabbar]

You also need the Hotkey driver and I believe the ACPI Power Management driver. If you use Vista, you also need the Lenovo Interface Driver.