I'm still confused :(

Question

I have been reading the posts and articles but cannot fix my problem. I have an Inspiron 6400. Every time the screen saver comes on or the computer is turned off I lose our dsl connection. I have to do the following to restore it: Go thru the start menu to run type in 'services.msc' Find wireless zero config on that list right click and hit start From there, I exit out of the screen and go thru the control panel to network connections and find our local connection. I right click the icon then hit properties. on the wireless network tab, I check the Use Windows to configure my network settings. Then I hit okay. On the same icon, I right click and select view available connections.   After all of that, I am *magically* online. Then the screensaver comes on and I must begin all over!!   I contacted the isp and they said I need to 'disable Dell Wireless zero config' but cannot figure out how to do that. Please help! Clearly I am not as computer savvy as I thought...   one more thing: I can receive email but not SEND email thru the Outlook Express 6 which I was told is a McAfee firewall issue.?.?.   Any help anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated!!   Lindsay

lins430 · Answer

LOL..why didn't I think of that???   I work in a medical office so we have to have a screensaver for HIPAA compliance.

lins430 · Answer

Wireless router: Gateway 2 Wire (AT&T)   I'm not sure about the card??  I am sure I can find that information though..

NemesisDB · Answer

can you explain your network setup a bit more?  for instance, is your dsl modem connected to a wireless router?  If so, what brand and model.   what type of wireless card do you have?

sandr5 · Answer

....turn off the screensaver...     Sorry, I couldn't resist.

NemesisDB · Answer

is the screensaver a normal windows screensaver?  simply running a screensaver should not disconnect or otherwise influence your network connection.  that said, if the system goes to sleep after a certain period of time, this would cause the disconnect.  does it happen anytime the screensaver comes on, or just after it's been on for a while?   Generic advice is to upgrade your wireless card's drivers (this is where the type will matter) and also the firmware on the router.  You can get an idea of the wireless card you have by clicking start, clicking run, typing CMD and pressing Enter.  Then type   IPCONFIG /ALL   and press Enter.  Copy and paste the results here (the model of card is generally listed in the 'description' line).   Assuming you are currently running XP SP2, you might also try this patch:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893357

lins430 · Answer

Nemesis,

You are right... The computer would go into "sleep mode". I fixed that. The screensaver does not disconnect the connection.

I also fixed the email problem I was having earlier.

New problem: As I am working online, the internet will disconnect for no reason. It just disconnected a moment ago and I have been actively working on this computer and online.

Here is some of the info you requested:

Windows IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : David
        Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
        DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : gateway.2wire.net

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : gateway.2wire.net
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-16-CE-54-12-4B
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
        Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

NemesisDB · Answer

Drops will happen from time to time.  It's hard to necessarily give a specific reason.  You can try things like changing the channel that the wireless network is on (you do this from the router).  You can install a program like netstumbler on your computer to see what other networks are in the area.  You can then select one not in use.  Channels do overlap so if somone is using channel 1, ideally you'd want to be at least at channel 6.  In crowded areas, just do the best you can.   Other than that, just make sure everything is up to date.  Install any available firmware upgrades for the router.  Install the WPA2 patch I mentioned earlier.  Install the latest driver updates for your wireless card.  The driver updates can be found here:   http://ftp.us.dell.com/network/R151519.EXE   They contain both the driver and dell wireless utility.  If currently using the dell utility to manage your connection, just run the file.  If you're using windows to manage, it's probably better to extract the drivers from the above file and just update them (instead of installing the utility as well).   If you need help on how to extract the drivers without installing the above package, just ask.

lins430 · Answer

Nemesis,   First, thank you so much for all of your help, I really appreciate it.   I will get all the info together that you told me about but before I do that, the AT&T people mentioned 'disabling the wireless zero config' that Dell is installed. Will these processes you mentioned enable me to do that or is this another way around it?

NemesisDB · Answer

lins,   One of two utilities can be used to manage the wireless connection for your card.  One of these is the dell utility bundled in the file I linked to.  The other is built into windows (wireless zero config).  Either should work fine, but you can't use both at the same time.   As far as personal preference goes, I prefer wireless zero config (mainly because it's the same on all my computers).  It often has a few less features than 3rd party utilities but also generally uses less resources.  If you're having problems, you should absolutely try both and see which one works better.   As far as I know, if you run the package I linked to, it will install the dell utility and prevent wireless zero config from controlling the connection.  If you do not want this to happen (for instance, I like windows managing), then you would need to manually pull the drivers out of the package instead of just running it.

lins430 · Answer

My Dearest Nemesis,   You are the bomb.com buddy. That patch worked. I ran it, made sure the internet worked properly, restarted the computer and the internet came right back up! wooohoo, I'm so happy, thank you so much for all of your help.   Lindsay

NemesisDB · Answer

glad it's working for you  :)

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Was this post helpful?