Wireless connection problem - please help!!

Question

I have an Inspiron 6000 and am connected to the internet with BT total broadband. We switched to broadband with them in the summer, and initially everything was fine - my laptop has a wireless card in it, and I was able to use wireless no problem. However, a few months ago, the wireless suddenely stopped working on my laptop, and since then I haven't been able to get connected. The connection manager on the laptop recognises my wireless network, and there is a strong signal strength, but when I try to connect, it just says 'not connected'. The problems seem to be similar to the thing on the dell support website about verizon modems/routers, but as far as i know, i don't have anything from verizon... What baffles me most is that I had a perfectly good wireless connection and then out of the blue it stopped working - the only thing I can think of is that my Dad tried to connect my printer to my laptop, but I can't see how that could be a problem because I've connected/disconnected the printer before with no problem. Also, there is another Dell laptop in the house which is also connected via wireless, and that is experiencing no problems (it is an Inspiron 1500). I have tried talking to the BT people, and we've been through loads of things trying to fix it, but nothing seems to have worked. I would be so grateful for any advice as this is driving me mad! Also, I am not much good at computers/computer jargon, so if people could possibly keep it as simple as poss that would be fantastic!!

volcano11 · Answer

To help troubleshoot this problem, go to Start > Run and type cmd then click OK. In the command prompt window that opens, type ipconfig /all then hit the enter key. Write down the output from this command or select it and save it to a txt file, then copy this output into a reply to this message.   As another troubleshooting step, see if you can connect to the router by a wired ethernet connection.  Let us know the results.   Steve

SarahP1 · Answer

Thanks so much for replying. I have done the start/run thing you said, and this is what I got...   Windows IP Configuration   Host Name....: Sarah Primary DNS Suffix...: Node Type.....: Hybrid IP Routing Enabled....: No WNS Proxy Enabled....: No DNS Suffix Search List.......: home   Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection   Connection-Specific DNS Suffix.....: home Description......: Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller Physical Address..........: 00-12-3F-DB-CA-86 Dhcp Enabled.......: Yes Autoconfiguration Enabled......: Yes IP Address.........: 192.168.1.64 Subnet Mask........: 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway...........: 192.168.1.254 DHCP Server............: 192.168.1.254 DNS Servers...........: 192.168.1.254 Lease Obtained......: 11 December 2006 12.28.03 Lease Expires........: 12 December 2006 12.28.03   Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection   Media State..........: Media disconnected Description.........: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection Physical Address...........: 00-13-CE-0E-84-6A     I hope this makes some sort of sense to you because I don't understand a word!! I have connected the laptop via ethernet and there's no problem - this is how I've been connected for the last month or so since the wireless went wrong. Also, the wireless icon on my router is lit up, and also the wi-fi icon on the laptop. Not sure if this is of any significance...   Thanks again,   Sarah

cyberking · Answer

hi sarah, there are a few more info u can contribute. do u have a dsl connection or a cable one? also pls put in the name and model no of the modem and the router u are using. there's one simple step u can perform. shut down the pc. now turn off ur router. then turn off ur modem. wait for abt 2 minutes. then turn on the modem. wait abt 30 sec. turn ur router on. again wait 30 sec. now turn ur pc back on. this process will basically refresh ur entire network and u should get connected. if still ther are problems, post a reply here. regards, sam.

SarahP1 · Answer

Hi Sam,   Thanks for getting back to me. We have a DSL connection. We have a BT Total Broadband Home Hub router - I don't really know anything more about it than that. Also, I don't know about the modem - is it inbuilt into my laptop?   I've tried switching off the router, computer etc etc, because this has worked when we've had little blips in the past, but this time it doesn't seem to be working.   Thanks,   Sarah

volcano11 · Answer

The ipconfig output you posted is not very useful. It is telling us that you are connected using ethernet and that the ethernet connection is working.  You need to do this again without the ethernet cable plugged in, making sure that your wireless card is turned on and attempting to connect to the wireless network.   Steve

MPDawe · Answer

Sarah, I'm experiencing the exact same problem.  Did you find out what was wrong? Mike

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Was this post helpful?