Wireless NIC Problem on Windows 2000

[andrubruer]

Don't really know if this would be a networking problem thread or if it should be under the Windows 2000 forum, so I'm going to begin it here. I have a Gateway Solo 5300 notebook that runs Windows 2000 Pro, and I cannot get my wireless to work. The 10/100 LAN works just fine. I have a Linksys Wireless-G notebook adapter, model no: WPC54GS ver.2. I've just finished formatting the HDD and reinstalling Windows 2000 on the machine and performing all necessary updates. I don't think there are issues with the O.S. But I cannot for the life of me get this stinking wireless card to work. It finds the wireless network just fine...but will not associate with the access point (router). I've even tried a completely different wireless card, and I cannot get either of them to work properly. I've not used wireless that much in Windows 2000...mostly on XP...wireless works much better in XP, that's for sure. So anyone with much more expertise and knowledge about wireless and certainly wireless and Windows 2000....please, please help me.

[johnwill]

I've had issues with wireless and a host of cards on 2K, finally installed XP on the laptop I was trying to connect for the same reason. Don't know if that's going to help, but I suspect your situation isn't all that abnormal. Try disabling all encryption and see if it connects. I couldn't get WPA to work at all on 2K.

[andrubruer]

Yeah...i totally agree that XP is much more wireless friendly. But, unfortunately I don't have a copy of XP to put on here, and also, 2000 works much better on this old notebook. The wireless network I'm trying to connect to doesn't require any authentication...it's an unsecured wireless network here at my work. But I will disable all the encryption stuff and try that...I'm to the point where I'm thinking it's just not going to work with Windows 2000. Thanks much for the input...it's greatly appreciated.

[andrubruer]

Okay...I'm going to call it solved. All it was, was the junk Netgear wireless router (i actually like netgear...but this particular one has been nothing but a headache since we got it). I've spent like 2 days trying off and on to fix this damn thing...and all it ended up being was a quick reboot of our router. The reason I didn't try this simple fix earlier was because all of the other notebooks connecting wireless had no problems whatsoever connecting up. But just for the fun of it...and at my last option, I rebooted the router; and sure enough, right after that it had not one problem connecting right up to the network. So now I feel like an idiot...but more importantly...it works. Thanks for the assistance, johnwill.

[johnwill]

Thanks for the feedback, didn't even think of rebooting the router.