Wireless Connection Flakey

Question

Hi all -- I'm having problems with my wireless connection on a Notebook Inspiron 1545 running Windows 7.

If I use a wired connection -- all is well -- but with Wireless -- I am able to connect to the Internet -- some programs connect -- others do not.

Examples -- AOL Instant Messenger Connects. Most web sites under Google Chrome / or IE do NOT connect -- but some do... one that comes up is Google Mail. A couple that do not come up -- cbs.sportsline OR usatoday.com -- note -- as stated above -- if I attach an ethernet cable the pages come up as expected..

Any ideas what could cause the wired access to act so flakey ?

Some Notes --

Other computers are running ok on this connection point (cable modem - router from Netgear).
I did try disabling the Firewall (McAfee), but behavior was the same.
This problem has presented itself in the past and then things seems to start working -- problem is intermittent in nature.

Thanks in Advance -- HisRocker.

HisRocker · Answer

An update on this issue -- after discovering that the previous setting (which had worked) had a WEP security setting -- I used this setting - WEP 128-bit - and now the Dell Notebook / Windows 7 works correctly -- can get to all sites.

What is it about the WPA / WPA2 that gives the computer / OS issues??

Thanks,

HisRocker