Intel Wireless 2100 doesn't work with latest driver

Question

Hi   My Intel Wireless 2100 3A miniPCI adapter doesn't seem to work with drivers later than A18.  With the same configuration, the A21 drivers currently on the Dell website render the card inoperable as do the newer drivers I have taken direct from the Intel site in the past.   Has anyone got any ideas why this may be?   The card is installed correctly, listed in device manager with the correct driver date and version Windows Wireless settings configured and tried letting the IntelPro software manage the configuration instead - but still nothing - won't connect to the network - no signal. Tried rebooting/uninstalling/reinstalling/disabling Windows Wireless Zero Config service/removing IntelPro software etc. Only when I revert back to the previous drivers is everything fine again. It's just extremely annoying - updating drivers is good practice (and recommended by Dell) yet in this case renders the device as much use as........ a wireless card that won't do wireless.   The wireless network is WPA-PSK with hidden SSID (and this worked fine with A18 drivers).   Thanks for any help.   Jamie.

Short_Bus · Answer

You can try going to Intel's site ( http://support.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/CS-010623.htm) and downloading their OEM version of the driver.  I had good success with these drivers and my wife's Intel 2200BG adapter in her Inspiron 600m.

jamieburchell · Answer

Hi

Thanks but the drivers from the Intel site don't work for me either. The INF file looks the same as the one Dell is using with Dell specific entries in it. The latest Dell driver doesn't work for me either.

The A18 revision of the Dell Intel Wireless 2100 driver is the only ones that will work but I can't work out why.

I have started from scratch - uninstalled card, ProSet drivers, removed Intel directory and INF files as well as the W20MLRES.DLL, W20NCPA.DLL, W70n5.sys, W70N5MSG.DLL, W70n51.sys files in the sytem32 directory - rebooted and tried installed each of these latest drivers. The card installs correctly and I am able to configure it but afterwards Windows just says Wireless Network Connection not available.

Lucky me looks to be the only one with this issue.

Thanks.

Jamie.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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