Can anyone help with a wireless problem?

[southsidelayla]

If this doesnt go here, let me know and I'll delete it, but I couldn't figure out where else to put it....

Basically my problem is I have a laptop with a Netgear wireless card. Since I have moved into my current abode, my connection won't stay stable. After about 20-30 minutes, it just drops all of the sudden but still shows that it as connected. I have tried rebooting the wireless router and disabling any firewalls or proxy, but the only thing that will bring it back up is rebooting he laptop. And I don't think it's my ISP's problem, because I can use my roomie's laptop no problem. I thought maybe it was a signal strength thing, but i tried her computer in my room with no problem...

I don't get it. Before i moved here I could pick up a connection and use it for hours no problem. The only thing that I have done differently since I got here is I installed the newest update to AVG.

Any ideas? why do I have the feeling this is some sort of virus or trojan?

[PapaSkin]

are you using netgear software to mange your wireless connection of the windows one?

If using netgear - then make sure you have the most current updated drivers - then also disable the windows management - as it will continue to try to take over any other connections and drop you like that.

Start
Run
"services.msc"

Find a service called "Windows Zero Wireless Configuration". Stop it. Set it to disable.

OR....stop using the netgear one, delete it and use windows...but not both
Make any since?

[southsidelayla]

Totally makes sense.... I'll try that!

Thank ya!

[southsidelayla]

AAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so now it just sits there and says "Cannot Renew IP" It just did this all of the sudden. It was fine last night, has been fine forever. I didn't even turn it off, I just let it sit last night and woke up this morning to my computer acting like it was behind a firewall or something. My roommate's is fine. Mine has a little lock symbol when I try and repair the wireless connection. I have done everything I can think of. HELP!!!!!

[Tokyohoon]

One of your new neighbours is using the same channel as you, most likely. Undo the changes you made (since it was working fine before that) and then change your channel.

[PapaSkin]

You could always remove the wireless connection - reboot and build it back (reboot not needed, but if your pc is acting strange, always the first thing to do).

[surfer5]

You could always remove the wireless connection - reboot and build it back (reboot not needed, but if your pc is acting strange, always the first thing to do).

that is always my first suggestion when people ask me to help with their computer problems. :smile:

oh, and if Tokyohoon is right, i would lock down your router if you haven't already. I am hardline about that. I hide my SSID, use encryption for the passkey, and make it secure. if somebody is freeloading off of your connection, you want to boot their asses out anyway so that they don't look at something questionable that gets traced back to your IP. so, like i said, if you haven't already, i would lock it down.

[southsidelayla]

yeah I think it's time to just chuck the computer all together. I can't reinstall the driver for the wireless card because I don't have the disk. I inheirited (sp?) that thing without all the stuff I would normally keep for a computer. And I checked with the previous owner and she doesn't either. It's like chicken & egg problem.
To reinstall the wireless, I need the internet. yeah. Thank heavens I have a desktop in storage with cables and disks and EVERYTHING I need. Screw sucky laptops! All hail the desktop!

[southsidelayla]

Ok, weirdest thing.
It just randomly started working again. I think uninstalling the free version of Norton may have done it, but it just started.

I think it knew I was going to toss it.

[PapaSkin]

1st rule of IT - NORTON SUCKS!

Also, doesn't your laptop have a built in nic card so you can plug it into your router ? So you could download the wireless driver you need and rebuild the connection?

if not - download it to another computer - get a $4dollar 1gig thumb drive from where ever and move the drivers to the thumb drive - then onto the laptop...and whamo! back up.

Glad it's workin for ya again though. Now with norton removed - go download Avast! and install the free version - give em a valid email address and you'll get a valid serial number good for a year - then next year just renew for free again...it's that easy.

[surfer5]

if not - download it to another computer - get a $4dollar 1gig thumb drive from where ever and move the drivers to the thumb drive - then onto the laptop...and whamo! back up.

people in this thread might appreciate this (off topic completely but your post made me think about it). i interviewed with probably the biggest company in the world (at least as far as software goes) and they completely paid for everything (flew me out, put me up in a hotel, got me a rental car, etc). after the interview, i got a "thanks for interviewing" letter and gift from them. it was a USB thumb drive. guess how big it was.




64MB

i've never even seen anything that small. it had their logo on it and i'm like "why in the hell would you advertise on THIS??" it's funny what people will skimp on.

[PapaSkin]

haha - you'll find that working for "The biggest companies in the world" actually usually sucks - I work for IBM and you are just a number - raises rarely happen and each year I work more hours, have more accounts and do 3+times more of everything. Totally unappreciated and we get bullshit trash toys like 64mb thumb drives like it's supposed to make it better. in fact - my thumb drive just stopped working .chrome wrapped in leather stamped IBM --- Dead...fuckers!

On the flip side, I might be getting a new laptop soon - Mine's only FIVE FUCKIN YEARS OLD! haha..and I bet the new laptop is still last years model. It sucks. :(

[surfer5]

it can happen on the other side of the coin that way, too. i work for a small consulting company (like 12 people) and we have to pretend we are a consulting company of like 200 people. and, even through we travel all the time, i got a laptop purchased for me with nothing else. no backpack/case, no mouse, nothing. just a laptop. and even though i work from home (telecommute - which rocks), i didn't get any hardware. no printer/fax (even though i have to fax my receipts for when i travel), no cappacino machine, and no hot intern to do my bidding. and a hot intern to do my bidding would make up for everything else. but alas, i haven't gotten them to buy in on that, yet. or my wife for that matter. but i keep trying them both.

[PapaSkin]

haha - i work from home too - They won't give us docking stations - mouse/keyboard any of that shit - it's not allowed to be expensed unless you have a medical note from a doctor...and IBM MAKES THEIR OWN FUCKING HARDWARE! (well, ya, we sold it to Lenova now, but STILL!).

I did get them to pay for my fax/printer/copier - they do pay for my office phone and all my interenet charges at home...and general stuff like paper and ink sometimes. Just recently got them to cover my parking for one of my main customers - downtown parking is about $100/mo around here - I got them to pay up to $70/mo - and found a garage for $75/mo...so I only pay $5bucks a month haha..I'm sure that will go away once they catch it.

I'd love to get back to a small company someday! Or even a med/large company that's going well for themselves. (oil/gas industry-any energy markets etc)