R60 WiFi Working Intermittently

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#1 Post by **ZaZ** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:24 pm

I've been having some trouble with my R60 of late. The past few weeks it seems the WiFi card will stop working intermittently. I'll be on the network with everything working, but it will abruptly stop letting me connect me to anything. It says in the system tray that I'm connected to the network, but I can't get on the Internet or connect to any network resources. If I use one of my desktops it works fine. I use Windows Networking, not Access Connections if that makes a difference. If I wait about five minutes it'll start working, but after a bit of usage, maybe 20-30 minutes, it does the same thing again. I've updated to the latest driver. When I run PC-Doctor while it's not connected it fails the TCP/IP test. I got my router about the same time as my R60. This is the first time I've had any issue with connecting. Anyone else seen this or have a possible solution? I suppose I could swap the WiFi card for a new one, but if there's something I've overlooked or a less costly option, I'd prefer that route. Thanks for any help.

Peter PumpKin Eater · #2 Post by **Peter PumpKin Eater** » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:12 pm

do not automatically think hardware, as over 90% of issues are software related... you maybe a victim of spyware or tcp/ip corruption... try the path of least resistance... use winsockfix and or tcp/ip fix to see if all you are witnessing is a corrupt connectivity "stack" ...http://winsockfix.en.softonic.com/
http://www.xp-smoker.com/freeware.html

if you get consistency after running utilities, run a scan from http://housecall.antivirus.com

if nothing is found, consider that wifi signals are sucept to microwaves, magnets (from MRI, CT machines) ... dont forget to check your source, the router: most residential grade routers need to be rebooted every couple of months... if continue to have a consistent drop off, using a pinging software can assist in the diagnosing: the drop maybe your network equipment/ configuration outside of your system.

if these tips work for you, will consider helping me? i have an R60 with no recovery discs... i need disc/s to restore machine as it currently is not bootable and is stuck in the Thinkvantage loop: after booting with another thinkvantage disc, i am unable to restore unit as it claims it is missing the factory restore image on the drive... if you do not have system restore disc that came with your R60, you can create one that is void of all your personal info using the thinkvantage software accessable via your Start/ Programs Files...
thank you in advance.

#3 Post by **ZaZ** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 7:40 am

Thanks for the reply. I think it is unlikely a software issue. Prior to this starting I had just re-imaged my drive using a DiscWizard image I made not long after I received the machine two and a half years ago. Unless there's something wrong with the image, which I doubt because I've never had a problem with it before, I think it unlikely that it's a software issue.

What OS did your R60 come with?

Peter PumpKin Eater · #4 Post by **Peter PumpKin Eater** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:53 am

sorry to hear you have a hard issue.... the good thing is that the wifi card is inexpensive to replace... ~30$ .... here is a ebay link for 25$
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Lenovo-Atheros- ... 1|294%3A50

my R60 had XP Pro on it... COA Tag is XP PRO.... i wouldnt care if XP Home recovery was an option... i have not had time to tinker with it, but i suppose i can download the SATA/ MB drivers, place them on CD and then throw the disk in as the XP PRO install initiates....

thanks again.

#5 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:19 am

@peter...
No need for the whole eBay link.
It works fine if you just get the link from the left (http...) until after the item number, like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Lenovo-Atheros- ... 0276364037

And an XP-Home installation is not possible with an XP-Pro key!

Peter PumpKin Eater · #6 Post by **Peter PumpKin Eater** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 11:49 am

so sarrry.... you are correct on both accounts...

gratzi

sjthinkpader · #7 Post by **sjthinkpader** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 2:19 pm

Are you using 2.4Ghz house phones? Where is the WiFi AP located? Are there other 2.4Ghz device between your R60 and the WiFi AP?

#8 Post by **ZaZ** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 6:47 pm

Thanks for the reply. I haven't had a regular phone since the last millennium. There's no wireless headphones or anything I can think of. About the only wireless things I have are keyboards, which I believe are RF. Like I said, I just re-imaged the thing before this started happening. I've never had a problem with the image for over two years. I may just re-seat the thing to see if that helps, but I don't like to pull it apart because the last time I did I broke one of the clips on my palm rest. Luckily a fellow ThinkPadder had one at a reasonable price. I'd prefer to explore other causes first.

Peter PumpKin Eater · #9 Post by **Peter PumpKin Eater** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 8:49 pm

the wifi card should be accessible from a plate under the unit...

should be extremely tame with the exception of the delicate antennae connecting wires.... the ebay link posted earlier has pics of the access plate.

#10 Post by **Harryc** » Thu Dec 04, 2008 9:40 pm

Go into device manager and into properties for the WiFI card, then the advanced tab. Disable power save mode.

#11 Post by **ZaZ** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 4:03 pm

Well, I've had this machine for two and a half years. Whatever it was set to before, it always worked. I don't know why disabling power save mode would make it work now. Thanks for the suggestion. I think if anything it's loose or it's going bad.

R60 WiFi Working Intermittently

R60 WiFi Working Intermittently

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