Wireless help needed!!!

[coz007]

When I leave my computer hibernating for awhile and I open it up my notebook says that it cannot find my network. I leave it on for like 15 min and continue looking but it will not find it. But when I restart my computer my laptop finds it with no problem. How can I find my network without restarting my computer. Does it have something to do with my firewall wireless router. Please help.

[riverwater]

You don't use your ThinkVantage Access Connections?

When I leave my computer hibernating for awhile and I open it up my notebook says that it cannot find my network. I leave it on for like 15 min and continue looking but it will not find it. But when I restart my computer my laptop finds it with no problem. How can I find my network without restarting my computer. Does it have something to do with my firewall wireless router. Please help.

[GomJabbar]

If I am not mistaken, I have seen this happen with ZoneAlarm software firewall. When you can't connect, try shutting down any software firewall you have (for a test) and see if your connection comes back.

[coz007]

Im using windows firewall and Norton Corporate Edition 10.1 antivirus. Would either of them do this?

[GomJabbar]

No, I kind of doubt if Windows firewall or Norton Corporate AV would be your problem.

The problem might not even be your laptop, but rather your wireless access point (router). When you come out of hibernation and cannot connect, try turning off the wireless router, then turn it back on. See if you can establish a connection after your wireless access point is fully rebooted. A couple of possible workarounds are to use manual settings for TCP/IP or else use Windows to manage your wireless connection.

' just what I think. This is not really my area of expertise. I know a little, but others here are trained in this sort of thing.

[coz007]

Right now my computer can find 4 different wireless connections. When Im having my problem I cannot find ANYTHING. Its a black screen and when i refresh it says it cannot even find the router. My brother is online and im still looking for the router or any connection at all in our area. When I restart it automatically finds the router.

Well we have three laptops here and none of them have had this problem.

[coz007]

Also my Local Area Connection wasnt disabled. Would this affect my Wireless?

[GomJabbar]

When you come out of Hibernation, does the wireless LED light up on the bottom of the display lid? If not, try turning on your radio with Fn + F5.

Here is a tool you can download and install (it's already included in Internet Explorer 7).

Network Diagnostics for Windows XP is available to help identify and fix network connection problems

[DAH]

That tool will not help in this case. What software are you running? ThinkVantage Access connections, or Windows wireless? What version of the drivers are you running? What happens if you use Function F5 to turn your wireless off and back on?

[GomJabbar]

That tool will not help in this case.

Perhaps not, but on this other page that describes the use of the tool, it states the following.

While the Network Diagnostics tool is actually pretty smart about what it can identify and often fix, especially wireless problems, the tool isn't perfect. But when Network Diagnostics can't fix a problem, you can still use the tool to get enough information to fix the problem yourself.

Using the Network Diagnostics Tool

The tool might help to pin down where the problem lies.

[Scratch]

I never Hibernate a laptop so I haven't had this experience, but some things to look at could be:

If the radio icon is not illuminated after resuming from hibernate then check the hardware PM settings first. This is all meaningless if the radio isn't automatically coming on when resuming operation.

1. If using Access Connections ensure that the Zero Wireless Config Service is disabled or Windows will try to take over your radio at regular intervals. The 2 wireless control packages fight each other.

2. Verify that your Device Power Management settings aren't disabling or turning off your radio when not in use. Access Connections can do this for you when changing profiles and it works flawlessly (at least in my use case).

3. Set up a wireless profile in Access Connections and once your machine resumes from hibernation, click on the AC tray icon and the wireless profile name and connect. This should turn on the radio and resume the connection per your saved profile settings. be specific in the config of the profile. i.e. preferred network, pw, security settings, passphrase, channel connection speed, tcp-ip set points, etc.

This is also taking for granted that your radio switch on the machine front is not in the off position because you indicated that the connection was working when entering Hibernation.

Unless you're putting the machine down for a long period or you have multiple long to launch and config by session apps running I would recommend Sleep States rather than Hibernation.

[coz007]

This is my first thinkpad so things are a bit new to me.

My radio light is on when im trying to connect.

I believe I have both the windows AND thinkpad wireless acess on at the same time. (One icon is the computer monitor and one icon looks like a bar graph). Do i need to turn one off?

I often switch between "always on" power settings and "thinkpad default" when i am on battery.

When this happens my computer doesnt find ANY networks and usually there are more then 5 around my neighborhood that I can see.

[GomJabbar]

Scratch gave some good tips above. Regarding the other icon that looks like a bar graph, that should be Intel's icon. If you go to Start > All Programs > Intel Network Adapters > Intel(R) PROSet for Wired Connections, you will see a box at the bottom left for Show the tray icon. Highlight the appropriate adapter above and uncheck the box if you do not want that extra icon.

Regarding Windows managing you wireless along with Access Connections, the WZC service Scratch mentioned can be shut off to prevent Windows from doing that. Another method is to go to Start > Connect To > Show all connections, right-click on your wireless adapter and choose Properties, then the Wireless Networks tab, and uncheck box to Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings. Note that if the WZC service is stopped, you will not see the Wireless Networks tab mentioned.

[coz007]

I left my laptop at home today and when I get home I will try some of these suggestions.

The reason I dont think its my router is because I dont get any of the four or five internet connections I usually pick up from around my neighborhood. Should I try disabiling my firewall? Then trying to connect?

[Scratch]

I'm running Zone Alarm Pro firewall on my T60p. The only step that I needed to take was to be sure that I had created a trusted network (subnet) entry for my home wireless network to allow connection automatically.

The ZA firewall is supposed to recognize new networks and allow you to set their status (trusted, internet or blocked zone setting) at the time of recognition. They're added to your trust list with whatever status you've assigned and this is recalled whenever this network is seen as a possible connection. This works most of the time, but on occasion, especially after ZA updates that network trust is lost and I need to fall back on the the subnet trust to get the initial connection. After that it's typically fine until the next update.

I prefer TV AC to MS XP for maintaining my wireless profiles. Other's go the MS way. I can only tell you that once I disabled the MS WZC and several of the Intel options (via MSconfig) my wireless performance and stability has improved immensely.

I hope this works out for you as well.