Dell Latitude CSx wireless connection not working: help please!

Question

My former company computer, a Dell Latitude CSx, has been refurbished with Windows XP O/S, etc. and the technician did away with all the old partitions on the hard drive.  The laptop has an infrared port, an SMC IrCC - Fast Infrared Port on the Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to ISA bridge (controller).  When this was my work computer I used to connect to the internet at home all the time through our Linksys wireless router which was connected to our cable modem.  (I've since gotten a newer Linksys router, which is working fine.)   The problem is that the Latitude does not recognize the wireless network at all.  I've checked the infrared port on the control panel and gone through the related screens and it says that it is working properly.  However, even though the box for '...indicate on taskbar when wireless network is detected...' is checked, nothing related to the infrared port or a wireless network appears on the taskbar.  I can't even seem to begin to initiate a connection or diagnose why nothing seems to be functioning.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated.   Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

volcano11 · Answer

The infrared port has nothing to do with using a wireless network.   If you open Control Panel and expand the listing for Network Adpaters, does a wireless network adapter show up there?  If you open Newtork Connections is there a wireless network connection listed there?  If so, if you right click it and select 'View Avaialble Wireless Networks', does your wireless network show up there?  If it does, if you select it and click on the Connect button, what happens?   Steve

stepbystep · Answer

Steve, Thanks for your response.  When I open 'Control Panel', I do not have an icon labeled 'Network Adapters' but I do have an icon labeled 'Network Connections'.  When I click on 'Network Connections' a wireless network connection does not show up at all.  It only shows local area connections associated with my 3Com card.   Terry

volcano11 · Answer

Does this computer have a wireless network adapter?  It should be evident, as it would have to be a PC Card adapter.   Steve

stepbystep · Answer

Steve, In the Control Panel there is an icon labeled 'Wireless Link' and when I open it, in the 'Hardware' tab, it lists the SMC IrCC - Fast Infrared Port under 'Name' and Infrared Devices under 'Type'.  There is nothing that says 'wireless network adapter' per se.   Terry

volcano11 · Answer

This is the infrared port.  It is not a wireless network adapter.   They are two completely different things, used for comptletely different purposes.  If you want to connect to a wireless router or wireless network, you will need a PCMCIA wireless network adapter that plugs into the PCMCIA slot on the side of the computer.   Steve

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

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