Wireless connection help

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Touchdown! Greaser!
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Display name:
Dave Taylor
This computer is a DellInsp8200 with a plug-in wireless card - it connected fine last time it was up (months ago)
Now I get these error messages:
 

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What is it connecting to?

It looks to me like it is connecting to the Access Point just fine but is not getting an IP address from the DHCP server. To translate that to English is a chore. Try unplugging the base wireless to reset it and try again.
 
I have rebooted the computer and the wireless/router boxes.

This computer is connecting & internetting fine - same signal.
 
I love these kinds of issues.

The max signal strenth and speed of 11Mbps suggests that the card is talking to the wireless/router.

The IP address of 169.254.x.x and no DNS server suggests that the request to assign an IP address failed. 169.254 is a dummy assigned by Windows, it may mean something to someone else but to me it means Windows gave up.

In the one window the "repair" button will reinitialize the device and try again to get an address.

Why one machine on a wireless works and another doesn't is always fun to figure out. It could be something as simple as the working one got it's address the the router stopped giving them out or it could be that the router has a limited number to give out and they are all gone. Or it could be well Windows acting like Windows.

Please let us know what fixes it. The 16oz fine adjustment tool is satisfying but probably won't get it working.

Joe
 
Often times - when I've seen that - it had something to do with the encryption not being configured correctly.
 
Crazy thing worked before...and nuttin's been changed since I shut it down.
 
..thing worked before...and nuttin's been changed
Dave, I can't tell you how many times I heard that. Only to be exceeded by how many times I've said it.

We must add "that I know of". What have you done to screw up your karma lately? You've been nice to me.

Jesse stirred my memory. I've had this happen when I changed wireless router to use WPA instead of WEP and the ancient system didn't support WPA. It might be worth a try to log into your router and turn off encryption long enough to see if it makes a difference.
 
Will try, but it might be later. Gotta catch a plane
Thanks Joe, Jesse
 
You might also make sure your DHCP client is running.
Go to my computer, right click, then manage, then services and applications, then services. Then go down the list to DHCP Client and make sure it says it is started and automatic next to that.
 
You might also make sure your DHCP client is running.
Go to my computer, right click, then manage, then services and applications, then services. Then go down the list to DHCP Client and make sure it says it is started and automatic next to that.

That'll only work if he's running a DHCP server on his machine. Most likely, he's getting a DHCP address from the router.

I would hardwire to the router, check the config page and make sure DHCP is enabled, then check to make sure you don't have some sort of MAC Filtering turned on.
 
Another way to check what Nick said would be to make sure the other computer is using DHCP and to do a repair over there. If it works the DHCP server is working. If that doesn't work the problem is in the router (assuming of course that is the DHCP server). If that works it's the new computer connecting to the router.
 
Delete the connection (to that WLAN), reboot, and connect again. Four of five times something got corrupted in the encryption in the stored connection.

-Rich
 
Delete the connection (to that WLAN), reboot, and connect again. Four of five times something got corrupted in the encryption in the stored connection.

-Rich
Rich, I don't know what that means. Please explain how to delete a connection.

Joe
 
Rich, I don't know what that means. Please explain how to delete a connection.

Joe

When you connect to a wireless network, Windows saves the connection information (at least for a while... sometimes a long while), especially if you check the box to "connect automatically."

Thereafter, whenever you view the wireless connections, that connection will show up in the list, and (in theory) you can just click and connect. If it's the strongest available network, it should connect automatically (if you've selected that option). However, sometimes something in there gets fakakta, and it will no longer connect.

The first thing I do when I encounter a problem like is to delete the connection by pulling up the list of wireless networks and removing it. I also remove any other connection of the same name (sometimes there may be half a dozen connections named "Linksys," for example).

Then scan for networks again, and re-connect to the AP from scratch. Four out of five times, that fixes it.

-Rich
 
That'll only work if he's running a DHCP server on his machine. Most likely, he's getting a DHCP address from the router.

I would hardwire to the router, check the config page and make sure DHCP is enabled, then check to make sure you don't have some sort of MAC Filtering turned on.

Hmm
One of my XP machines got messed up once and the DHCP client wouldn't start automatically. Could never get the connection to my router. Would manually start it and life was good again.
 
Hmm
One of my XP machines got messed up once and the DHCP client wouldn't start automatically. Could never get the connection to my router. Would manually start it and life was good again.
You're right Mark - if the DHCP client wasn't running you'd run into issues as Dave described. Nick confused DHCP client for DHCP server.
 
Follow up:
I took it home to test it on that network. No problem. Got a bunch of updates as it hadn't been connected for a while, including SP3 and took it back to work. Connects fine now.
Self-fixed. I deserve one of those now and again!
 
Follow up:
I took it home to test it on that network. No problem. Got a bunch of updates as it hadn't been connected for a while, including SP3 and took it back to work. Connects fine now.
Self-fixed. I deserve one of those now and again!
SP3 updated the WPA2 support which likely fixed it.
 
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