"New" T61 suddenly can't make wireless connection

[Muse]

Just got it a few days ago, "refurbished", preloaded with what is supposed to be the default Lenovo configuration with Vista Home Business. I asked it to connect to my wireless network (dd-wrt encrypted, which this, my T60, is dependably connects to), and I was asked to enter the network security key. I looked it up, entered it and it was rejected 4-5 times and then for some undetermined reason it was accepted. I did some Windows Updates, downloaded a seed for Firefox, downloaded and installed Avira Antivir Free, let the machine do some automatic updates and reboot a few times, put it to sleep for a couple of days.

My plans are to remove the 100GB HD, put in a 640GB 7200RPM HD, 4GB RAM and load Windows 7 Utimate 64bit. I decided before doing so I would run Everest Home Edition and do a report on the machine as-is for reference. I open the computer, sign on (Windows says it had done some updates), and opened IE and had no connection. When I try to connect to my network it fails. I'm asked to make configurations to my network, but I don't know what to change and I'm stumbling around in there (dangerous). What could the matter be? I know it's no big deal if I'm going to put a new HD in there, but I want to know what's wrong.

I'm getting messages:

1. Norton Security wants me to configure it

2. The embedded security chip wants me to enable it. I'm not familiar with this. AFAIK, my T60 doesn't have it, or maybe it's enabled on the T60 or maybe not, but I don't know what to do with these messages on the T61, so I've skirted the issue (minimize it without enabling it). The screen has messages saying I'm at risk unless I enable it, but I want to know what I'm getting into before I do that. For all I know, it will do things (I assume) that will be in effect even after I swap the HD.

[ausmike]

hi Muse,...............nice quote of SH & time...

Sorry you having troubles with your t61. most of things are very much same if not similar with your T60 and from what you wrote - maybe something happened during the 'update' process. Not sure which model you have exectly, and there are few known differances between MS and Lenovo Updates for most of the older T series machiens. One of few notorious ones happens to the 'intel wireless' driver(s)..... another is Video -nVidia .. and etc etc.
As a suggestion , I would recommend you do this-
1) install this - from lenovo
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... pdate.html
2) Roll-Back (via DRIVER tab in CONTROL PANEL- HW mgmt section) your intel drivers for Wireless and Ethernet hardware.
Dont reboot!! - just say NO ,,,,
3) Use ethernet cable to connect to the net , and run the above SYSTEM UPDATE....
and only install the WIRELESS then ETHERNET drivers and reboot..

..you should be set to go ,,,

Also as a suggestion , the only three other TVT software I use = FP reader,Power manager and AIRBAG... rest most of all I remove!!! - Never use TVT wireless connection s it often is slower than NORMAL windows version in my view.

Windows 7 Ulti x64 would be great with your new HD you have picked and with 4GB RAM , t61 would Zing !

Hope no this helps

cheers

[Muse]

My T61 is a 6465-CTO with T7700/2GB/100GB 5400RPM/Intel x3100 graphics, Vista Business Professional, FP Reader (although I haven't enabled the security chip yet, Wireless abgn (yes, N is enabled). Like I said, I plan to put in 2x 2GB for 4GB, a 640GB 7200RPM.

What is TVT?

I'll try your suggestions. Is it really necessary to establish an ethernet connection to my network to do this? I can do it, just asking.

Thanks!

Edit: I suppose this is maybe all not necessary since I'm going to put in the new HD anyway and install Windows 7 64bit Ultimate, but I'm curious and think maybe I should fix this anyway before doing the upgrades. I'm also feeling weird about the fact that I seem to have lost something. My T60 (new from Lenovo 4 years ago) came with a recovery partition and AFAIK, I could at any time roll back my system to its original status with a few mouse clicks. However, when I go into Recovery and Restore on the T61 (which is supposed to be in original factory Lenovo condition), I don't see any backup to restore from! WTH! I didn't think to make a backup right out of the box (it was shipped in a Lenovo box, it looked new!!!), and I didn't make restore disks either! Looks like unless your suggestions for roll back succeed, there may be no way I can even achieve an original configuration here. Of course, this might be moot because I intend to upgrade to Windows 7, but just saying...

[ausmike]

Hi Muse.....
TVT = ThinkVantage Techonolgy (in IBM ingo= TVT) sorry for the confusion. Nope not REALLY necessary, but it be easier to do WIRELESS DRIVER(s) updates/reinstalls if you dont use the wirelesshardware itself - but its NOT REALLY necessary - I often find its lots safer; works better and 'more safer' to obstain a successfull error-free driver install. Just my experiance of 20+ yrs with ThinkPads & IBM apps ,,,,,,

Well its kinda non issue , if you going to install new HD & Win7
as a tip..make sure all your HARDWARE is switched on >ie , the radio buttons (Fn+Ctln5) says both Bluetooth &Wireless is ON... (make sure the wireless switch is ON also)

At Install , win7 will recorganise and install necessary drivers..... and its super nice!
After install , I would UPDATE the drivers using the SYSTEM UPDATE ( as advised above) and than AFTER do the Microsoft Windows UPDATEs.

Hope this is helpful...........enjoy your new toy!
Cheers

[Muse]

Thanks so much for these posts. Wow, I hadn't thought of the possibility that Wireless was switched off (inadvertently, of course). That happened on my now-dead Acer a couple months ago. I didn't know about Fn+F5, just did it on my T60 and see the wireless is on (of course), but the Bluetooth is off. Well, I've never used Bluetooth, but am curious. I guess I could get a bluetooth mouse for one of these Thinkpads, for instance.

Someone said I need System Update version 4 for my T61. I should what, download it and have it on a flash drive when I do the installation? Guess so, and I see the link you have above is to this version. Can I use this version for my T60 running XP?

[Muse]

Connected again. Went at the problem from a slightly different direction (can't describe it, don't remember it) and this time I was offered to enter the encryption key for the network (again, the one I had to enter ~5 times before it worked several days ago). This time it accepted the key first time and I'm connected. Why it forgot (it wasn't supposed to, I'm almost sure) I don't know. Maybe the updates that have been running. Still doing Vista, but that will change soon.

[RealBlackStuff]

SystemUpdate V4 is only for Windows 7.
Any other OS requires SystemUpdate V3.14

[ausmike]

Muse .. cheers now u got Mountains of sand(s)..lol .... now ya should be brave enough for next steps have fun!

Cheers!

[westsailor]

At the risk of looking like an idiot, My T60 WiFi suddenly quit working. I did everything I could think of to get it working with no success. Try as I might, I just couldn't get the radio to turn on. I was just about ready to find/replace the Intel WiFi board.

I'm not sure where it was but just happened to stumble across a picture of the front of the T60 with all the 'devices' labeled.

What? There is a hardware switch on the front edge of the palmrest that turns the radio on/off?1? the whole time I've had my T60 I had no idea that switch existed.

Sure enough I had somehow turned it off.

Talk about feeling like a dumb end user.

[Muse]

Sure enough I had somehow turned it off.

Talk about feeling like a dumb end user.

It would be nice of them to simply inform you in a screen displaying the status of the wifi that it was switched off in hardware.

[ausmike]

[quote="Muse] ......It would be nice of them to simply inform you in a screen displaying the status of the wifi that it was switched off in hardware.[/quote]
....

Ahem ... but it DOES !!!

Look for a small screen that pops up with contents that read as : ALL RADIOS ARE NOW OFF
and you have to click OK to make it go away !

I still remember that screen as it especially perturbed me in XPpro days with T60p!