The Repair option tries a few other things, such as disabling and re-enabling the wireless card, clearing out the DNS cache of old records, and then connecting to the wireless network. If that does not work, you can also try to Repair the wireless connection. Go ahead and click OK and then click on the wireless network icon in your taskbar and try to connect again. Now you want to click Remove so that Windows will erase any of the current settings for that network and will start from scratch.Ī lot of times when you refresh the list of networks again, Windows will automatically connect. Go ahead and right-click on your wireless network connection and choose Properties.Ĭlick on the Wireless Networks tab and click on the name of the network in the list of Preferred networks. You’ll get a list of all the current connections on your computer, such as bluetooth, wireless, local area connection, etc. You can do this by first going to the Control Panel and clicking on Network Connections. That will usually fix any problems with the connection being dropped! If you’re having problems connecting in the first place, you might want to try resetting the current configuration in Windows and then try to connect.
You can read a previous article I had written about updating drivers for your wireless card if the connection is dropping.
Same thing applies to your router: go to D-Link, Netgear, or the Linksys web site and install the latest firmware for the router.
So if you have a Dell, go to, find your model and download the driver for the wireless card. You’ll need to visit the web site for the hardware manufacturer for your PC and download the latest drivers. Troubleshoot Wireless Connection in Windows XP By software, I don’t mean your Windows operating system, but the device drivers for your wireless network card and your wireless router. The main culprit behind this type of problem is usually software, not hardware. Step 6: Click on Save Settings or OK to apply the change.Ĭonfirmation of a successful Driver installation is achieved when the model of your adapter is label and listed in the Network adapters group of the Device Manager.Firstly, the more common wireless issue is when the computer will continuously drop from the WiFi network and then suddenly reconnect for no apparent reason.
Windows XP: Clink on Start > Right click My Computer > Properties > Hardware tab > Windows Update Windows 7/Vista: Clink on Start > Right click Computer > Properties > Advanced system settings > Hardware tab > Device Installation Settings Step 5: Make sure the proper settings are selected by arriving to them with the followings routes: Note: If Windows was unable to install your Adapter, Windows may not be set to install automatically. Step 4: Click to Search automatically for updated driver software. Step 3: Right click on the unknown adapter to Update Driver Software. Just as it is shown in the previous image.
Note: If the Driver software has not installed correctly, the partially installed adapter will come up in the Other devices group. Step 2: On the left, select Device Manager to bring it up on the right. Step 1: In the Start menu, right-click on Computer to select Manage. It should request for a wireless key, which by now should have been set up.Īt this point, there should be a connection to your Network.ĭriver Installation through the Device Manager Find your personal Network and double click to connect. Step 7: Click/Right Click on the Network Icon located on the system tray to View the Available Wireless Networks. Step 6: Once the driver installs successfully, close the window. Step 5: Chose to allow Windows to update your driver when it is not found on you computer. Step 4: On driver installation failure, you can change the setting to use Windows Update by clicking Change setting.
Step 3: With your computer running, a bubble message will appear stating that this device was not installed successfully. Step 2: Place your new adapter in the proper slot or port. Step 1: Use an Ethernet cable and plug your computer directly to your router. Use the following steps to let Windows do the installation for you. As soon as the device is plugged in or recently installed, Windows will attempt to connect to the Internet and download the drivers automatically. Windows 7, Vista and XP can provide updates and drivers to currently installed or new adapters using Windows Update.