I've done MANY formats and clean installs of XP testing different drivers and configurations. However, I have installed the 8.x driver over the 9.x driver without issue. I would personally recommend using the Intel driver. It can be downloaded here. If you know how to manually install a driver under XP, that would be the way to go, IMHO.

Disabling the power management. Goto the Device Manager. Right click on the 2200BG and goto properties. Click on the advanced tab. There should be an option for Power management. Uncheck "default value" and manually select "Highest." (Which seems counter-intuitive to me... but if you read the specifics of that setting, highest means no power management.) The 9.x drivers MIGHT be slightly different, but getting there should be the same.

Welcome to the family of 2200BG users that have endless problems. Feel free to read my LONG thread about it here.

However here are some tips to try:

- Ensure that only one program is managing the WLAN card: either the PRO/Set software OR the Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC). It is recommended that SP2 users use the WZC. Uninstall the PRO/Set software if you are going to use the WZC.
- Disable power management on the WLAN card.
- Try the 8.x drivers from Dell or Intel

Some of these tips have worked for some, others, nothing has worked. For me, the 8.x drivers solved my problems. Good luck.

Appears to be working.  I rolled back the driver to v8.1.0.28 and disabled power management and so far so good.

Thanks!

Spoke too soon.  Just dropped connection for no apparent reason.  I changed the power management setting as well.  Hmmm...

I would probably slam the Intel part about now except for the fact that I work there.:smileysurprised:

One look at the list of topics on this forum should give anyone the idea that MANY MANY people are having trouble with the 2200BG wireless card. Yet, I have scarcely heard a moderator comment on this....

In the end, I have a centrino laptop (meaning centrino chipset, centrino wireless card) and a centrino certified router... yet my card doesn't work with the latest drivers. That defeats the WHOLE purpose of centrino IMHO.

Hi,

Try this, it might help.

Start,ControlPanel, Power Options, click Power Schemes tab, choose maximum performance. I wish I could clone my 8600 setup and give it to you. It's been connected for 12 days w/o a dropped signal. I restart once in a while, but that's the only time it's disconnected from my router.

Pam

psminn, thanks for trying... but I can say for myself, the system power management has not affected connectivity.

I am willing to give anything a try though. 

Another weird thing that I am seeing is that when I have my D-Link 802.11b/g router (524 I think) in use the signal degrades (i.e. it starts out at 54mbps then drops to 48, 36 and so on) while the signal strenth remains at excellent then the connection drops and it is a pain to get it to reconnect.  If I use my old 802.11b access point (D-Link 900 series) I have fewer dropped connections and if I do experience one I can get it to reconnect very easily.

Sounds like you have two issues - update the firmware on the router, the driver for the card, the power management setting.  It also sounds like you are experiencing interference, either from another WAP on the same channel or from 2.4ghz phone(s).  Moving the router to channel 11 (or one between 6 - 11 that is unused) would fix the latter.