Trying to connect to apartment complex free wireless network...

Hello! I own a Dell XPS M1330 laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium 32 bit, service pack 1) that is about three and a half years old. I realize this Dell model has been discontinued. Work with me here. I STRONGLY believe after 6+ hours of personal troubleshooting that the laptop model is NOT the problem. I have lived at the same apartment complex the entire time I have owned this laptop. Up until a month ago when a new management company (the third one I’ve had) took over, I was able to use the free WiFi they offer at the office and the laundry room without one single speck of a problem weekly for YEARS. Suddenly I am getting: Unidentified Network: No Internet Connection with a public park bench (which it is a public network, I suppose) and a “!” over my perfect five bar signal. Therefore, we can rule out signal strength as the problem. I have a Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mino-Card, the card that came pre-installed with the laptop when I bought it brand new. Also, I know the Dell Wireless Card WLAN Utility is installed on this computer but I’ve always used Windows Network and Sharing Center to control the WiFi network I am connected to. I saw something somewhere about this maybe being the problem but since I’ve never used it I don’t think it has anything to do with my problem…

Talk about the router will be brief as it is my apartment complex they will not allow me access to the router so I know virtually nothing other than it is a Cisco wireless router, there are three office computers connected to it that run the internet just fine, and DCHP is enabled on both my laptop and the router (I may or may not have snuck in against their wishes to figure this one out…).

Also noteworthy are two things. One: I can connect to about a dozen other public WiFi networks around the city malls, coffee shops, bookstores, the college campuses, ECT. So connecting to WiFi is not the problem, this WiFi network specifically is (AKA. My NIC is NOT dead). I can also connect to my boyfriend’s private network at his house. The second thing worth noting is that once, I got the manager to cave and re-set the router for me. It connected! I re-started my computer and it still connected! I took my laptop back to my apartment, brought it back re-booted an hour late and it still connected! The next morning; back to the same old annoying problem. I asked him if they did ANYTHING with the computers at night and he said no. Ugh.

As I stated, I have 6+ hours of troubleshooting pre-done on this problem. I have tried what I am able to with no access to the router (okay, maybe I snuck in and did a couple more things…) including:

• Re-start laptop.
• Re-start router.
• Disable all firewalls/virus protection programs/ect.
• Connect to the internet in Safe Mode.
• Disable Bonjour.
• Uninstall wireless card/re-install wireless card/un-install drivers/re-install drivers/update drivers.
• Reset the TCP/IP stack.
• Network Troubleshooter in Windows 7.
• System Restore since adding new Microsoft updates/software.
• Re-name network to “Home Network”.
• Disable/Enable TCP/IP-v4 & 6. Manually filling out these fields from a working machine (IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, DNS servers) did not fix my problem either.
• Calling Dell.
• Calling Microsoft.
• Windows Diagnostics “Fix” lack of valid IP configuration.
• Checking the network security.
• Putting a static IP address.
• Changing the DNS.
• CMD prompt to renew IP address. (ipconfig /release)
• MiniToolBox.

Ummm…I think that’s everything you need to know/I’ve tried. If anybody has a suggestion that I tried already I will be sure to say so and update this list. A few more endnotes: I am no network administrator; you know what I’m saying? I troubleshoot based on Google results and often have to Google documents to help me understand what I am reconfiguring when I do some of this stuff. So I have basic troubleshooting knowledge  but not network administrator knowledge. What I am really looking for here is suggestions for things I can do from my laptop, or even a suggestion of something I can ask the office to let me do to the router on one of the working computers, or even a list of things to try at a working computer involving the router if that makes sense. Also: I have seen desktops in the office portion, Android phones, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and an HP laptop all connect successfully to the network. Unfortunately, I seem to be the only Dell in the complex. Also, they HAVE a network guy that they can call on the phone. If somebody could give me a suggestion that I could maybe call him on the phone and do with him involving the router that might help my laptop specifically with its problem, it would be GREATLY appreciated.

I think this is long enough and it stopped making sense about a paragraph or so ago. My apologizes. I will now copy and paste my ipconfig while connected to the network with no internet access. That reminds me, yes, I have a Cricket Wireless plug-in adapter. That is NOT part of this problem. Thanks.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

 

C:\Users\Megan>ipconfig /all

 

Windows IP Configuration

 

   Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : MegansComputer

   Primary Dns Suffix  . . . . . . . :

   Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid

   IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

   WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

 

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-5F-3D-B2-5B

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetLink (TM) Fast Ethernet

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-21-9B-ED-05-4D

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

PPP adapter Cricket Wireless:

 

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Cricket Wireless

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.123.60.44(Preferred)

   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255

   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0

   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.133.20.11

                                       10.132.20.11

   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

 

Tunnel adapter isatap.{723D5DCC-E6A6-4A04-B90B-A000E01B693D}:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

 

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

   IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:6e:3629:ba54:5392(Prefer

red)

   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::6e:3629:ba54:5392%11(Preferred)

   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::

   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

 

Tunnel adapter isatap.{7C2791DD-F928-46D0-9E59-2441FC2B4B0E}:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

Tunnel adapter isatap.{19B7726E-31DC-4D74-B126-AEB56D5AC0BF}:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

Tunnel adapter Reusable ISATAP Interface {33D2DBC3-005F-489D-B58F-EE6FE9FF318B}:

 

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #4

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

 

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 8:

 

   Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #5

   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0

   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes