Network Key.

[PVR]

I have an XP on a home wireless network. Recently I lost the internet
connection for this XP. When I tried to re-establish a connection to
my home network I had to type in a network key (WPA or WEP).

Where or how do I find this key?

Many thanks.

Peter.

 

[Malke]

I have an XP on a home wireless network. Recently I lost the internet
connection for this XP. When I tried to re-establish a connection to
my home network I had to type in a network key (WPA or WEP).

Where or how do I find this key?

On the router. Go to the router's configuration screen by entering it's IP
address.

Or you can use the free utility from Nirsoft (www.nirsoft.net).

Malke

 

[PVR]

OK, did that. Now I have a box saying that I must enter a username and
password. The name/model of the router is given (Linksys). Must I now
go to Linksys for these?

Peter.

 

[David B.]

Read the documentation for the router, it will have that info. Of course if
you have changed the logon password and don't know it you'll have to factory
reset the router.

 

[Malke]

OK, did that. Now I have a box saying that I must enter a username and
password. The name/model of the router is given (Linksys). Must I now
go to Linksys for these?

The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable. Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys. Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address, which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility. Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly, disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start surfing.

Malke

 

[PVR]

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

If you can help I would certainly appreciate it. My wife will kill me
soon if I don't restore her e-mail connection.

Peter.

OK, did that. Now I have a box saying that I must enter a username
and
password. The name/model of the router is given (Linksys). Must I
now
go to Linksys for these?

The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See
below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It
will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar
type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username
is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the
quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing
to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your
new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the
bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will
recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your
changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security
Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you
might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you
were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it
with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.

Malke

 

[Malke]

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

Things to try:

1. Delete the current wireless network on the problem computer. Create it
again and test.

2. If that didn't work, check the settings on the wireless network adapter
to make sure it is set to get an IP address/DNS automatically and that
there is no Alternate setting.

3. Also check the security on the problem computer. What antivirus/security
software do you have? I've seen cases where McAfee security handled access
to the outside world separately for wired and wireless connections. Perhaps
an update to this software messed things up.

4. What happens when you connect to the router with an ethernet cable?

5. Perhaps you updated the wireless network adapter drivers, either on
purpose or by mistakenly accepting this from Windows Update. Try installing
the latest drivers for this adapter. Get them from the OEM's website if you
have that sort of computer (Dell, HP, etc.) or from the wireless network
adapter's mftr. if you installed it yourself. What is the wireless network
adapter hardware?

And of course:

The First Question Of Troubleshooting: If the problem is new, what changed
between the time things worked and the time they didn't?


Malke

 

[Jose]

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

If you can help I would certainly appreciate it. My wife will kill me
soon if I don't restore her e-mail connection.

Peter.

PVR wrote:

The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See
below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It
will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar
type:

http://192.168.1.1[enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username
is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the
quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing
to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your
new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the
bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will
recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your
changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security
Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you
might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you
were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it
with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.

Malke

When someone lost their passphrase on Linksys and Netgear rooters, I
had to connect directly to the rooter with a cable to get into the
configuration using the IP address from the documentation and a
browser - like IE or Firefox. The access credentials are also in the
documentation if they have not been changed, then you would have to do
a more forceful reset.

Once I got the passphrase (plain English), I was able to use the
installed wireless adapter tools from Linksys to type in the passphase
and it generated an encrypted key as I typed. That encrypted key is
what you have to enter in your Windows configuration when it asks for
a passphrase and you can't figure it out from looking at the Windows
configuration on a working computer. It is just a bunch of dots, like
a password should be.

On a laptop with built in wireless, I had to enter the encrypted
passphrase I learned from the previous step. The Linksys software was
only installed on the machine with no built in wireless. I could not
enter the plain English password in Windows on the laptop and get it
to work.

The password you enter in the Windows setup (at least for me) is the
encrypted passphrase - I think it is 28 characters, but you must know
or reset the passphrase inside the router to get it.

It was such a pain in the arse, the information and procedure is now
all written down and I think in a shoebox there or something. They
will need me again soon.

Jose

 

[David B.]

rooter?

--

Crosspost, do not multipost http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
How to ask a question http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

If you can help I would certainly appreciate it. My wife will kill me
soon if I don't restore her e-mail connection.

Peter.

PVR wrote:

The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See
below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It
will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.

Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar
type:

http://192.168.1.1[enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username
is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the
quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing
to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.

Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your
new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the
bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into the
configuration utility.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will
recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your
changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security
Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you
might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you
were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it
with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.

Malke

When someone lost their passphrase on Linksys and Netgear rooters, I
had to connect directly to the rooter with a cable to get into the
configuration using the IP address from the documentation and a
browser - like IE or Firefox. The access credentials are also in the
documentation if they have not been changed, then you would have to do
a more forceful reset.

Once I got the passphrase (plain English), I was able to use the
installed wireless adapter tools from Linksys to type in the passphase
and it generated an encrypted key as I typed. That encrypted key is
what you have to enter in your Windows configuration when it asks for
a passphrase and you can't figure it out from looking at the Windows
configuration on a working computer. It is just a bunch of dots, like
a password should be.

On a laptop with built in wireless, I had to enter the encrypted
passphrase I learned from the previous step. The Linksys software was
only installed on the machine with no built in wireless. I could not
enter the plain English password in Windows on the laptop and get it
to work.

The password you enter in the Windows setup (at least for me) is the
encrypted passphrase - I think it is 28 characters, but you must know
or reset the passphrase inside the router to get it.

It was such a pain in the arse, the information and procedure is now
all written down and I think in a shoebox there or something. They
will need me again soon.

Jose

 

[Jose]

rooter?

--

Crosspost, do not multiposthttp://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
How to ask a questionhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

If you can help I would certainly appreciate it. My wife will kill me
soon if I don't restore her e-mail connection.

Peter.

news:[email protected]...

PVR wrote:
OK, did that. Now I have a box saying that I must enter a username
and
password. The name/model of the router is given (Linksys). Must I
now
go to Linksys for these?
The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See
below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It
will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.
Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar
type:
http://192.168.1.1[enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)
This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username
is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the
quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing
to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.
Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your
new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the
bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into the
configuration utility.
Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will
recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)
Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your
changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security
Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you
might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.
At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you
were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it
with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.
Malke

When someone lost their passphrase on Linksys and Netgear rooters, I
had to connect directly to therooterwith a cable to get into the
configuration using the IP address from the documentation and a
browser - like IE or Firefox.  The access credentials are also in the
documentation if they have not been changed, then you would have to do
a more forceful reset.

Once I got the passphrase (plain English), I was able to use the
installed wireless adapter tools from Linksys to type in the passphase
and it generated an encrypted key as I typed.  That encrypted key is
what you have to enter in your Windows configuration when it asks for
a passphrase and you can't figure it out from looking at the Windows
configuration on a working computer.  It is just a bunch of dots, like
a password should be.

On a laptop with built in wireless, I had to enter the encrypted
passphrase I learned from the previous step.  The Linksys software was
only installed on the machine with no built in wireless.  I could not
enter the plain English password in Windows on the laptop and get it
to work.

The password you enter in the Windows setup (at least for me) is the
encrypted passphrase - I think it is 28 characters, but you must know
or reset the passphrase inside the router to get it.

It was such a pain in the arse, the information and procedure is now
all written down and I think in a shoebox there or something.  They
will need me again soon.

Jose

Rooter = Router. I talk, it listens but sometimes doesn't hear me
well.

Must be my Southern accident.

 

[David B.]

LOL, it strikes again, "Southern Accident" I could make a few comments on
that one but I won't

--

Crosspost, do not multipost http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
How to ask a question http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

rooter?

--

Crosspost, do not multiposthttp://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
How to ask a questionhttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375

Malke, so many thanks for your excellent reply. I now know that I had
not given the correct info in my first post. The situation is as
follows.

1). I have three PCs on a home wireless network. Two are XP and one is
Vista.

2). Until recently all three had normal access to the 'Net and e-mail.

3). Now ONE of the XPs cannot connect to the 'Net, etc.

4). If I use a manual IP address the connection icon on the task bar
indicates that I have a connection to the 'Net etc at good signal
strength and speed but I cannot access the 'Net or e-mail from this
XP. When I use the default Auto selection I get an icon with a small
yellow moving dot but no internet connection.

5). Both connected PCs accept the default password. The non connected
XP is asking for an 8 character password.

6). From the above I assume the router is OK and the problem is
somewhere in the XP.

If you can help I would certainly appreciate it. My wife will kill me
soon if I don't restore her e-mail connection.

Peter.

news:[email protected]...

PVR wrote:
OK, did that. Now I have a box saying that I must enter a username
and
password. The name/model of the router is given (Linksys). Must I
now
go to Linksys for these?
The username is left blank and the default password is admin. See
below for
general information about setting up a wireless network securely. It
will
also help you understand the whole wireless key thing better.
Have a computer connected to the router with an ethernet cable.
Examples
given are for a Linksys router. Refer to your router manual or the
router
mftr.'s website for default settings if you don't have a Linksys.
Open a
browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the addressbar
type:
http://192.168.1.1[enter] (this is the router's default IP address,
which
varies from router to router so check your manual)
This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username
is left
blank and the Linksys default password is "admin" without the
quotes. Enter
that information. You are now in the router's configuration utility.
Your
configuration utility may differ slightly from mine. The first thing
to do
is change the default password because *everyone* knows the default
passwords for various routers.
Click on the Administration link at the top of the page. Enter your
new
password. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT. Re-enter the
password to confirm it and click the Save Settings button at the
bottom of
the page. The router will restart and present you with the login box
again.
Leave the username blank and put in your new password to get back
into the
configuration utility.
Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. Change the
Wireless
Network Name (SSID) from the default to something you will
recognize. I
suggest that my clients not use their family name as the SSID. For
example,
you might wish to name your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the
like. ;-)
Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your
changes were
successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the
Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). Most
computers
purchased within the last 4 years have wireless hardware that will
support
WPA2-Personal (also called WPA2-PSK). This is the encryption level
you
want. If your wireless hardware is older, use WPA. Do not use WEP as
that
is easily cracked within minutes. So go ahead and set the Security
Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. For example, you
might use
the passphrase, "Here be dragons, beware you scurvy dogs!". The
passphrase
is what you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect
to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.
At this point, your router is configured and if the computer you
were using
to configure the router is normally going to connect wirelessly,
disconnect
the ethernet cable and the computer's wireless feature should see
your new
network. Enter the passphrase you created (exactly as you wrote it
with all
capitalization and punctuation) to join the network and start
surfing.
Malke

When someone lost their passphrase on Linksys and Netgear rooters, I
had to connect directly to therooterwith a cable to get into the
configuration using the IP address from the documentation and a
browser - like IE or Firefox. The access credentials are also in the
documentation if they have not been changed, then you would have to do
a more forceful reset.

Once I got the passphrase (plain English), I was able to use the
installed wireless adapter tools from Linksys to type in the passphase
and it generated an encrypted key as I typed. That encrypted key is
what you have to enter in your Windows configuration when it asks for
a passphrase and you can't figure it out from looking at the Windows
configuration on a working computer. It is just a bunch of dots, like
a password should be.

On a laptop with built in wireless, I had to enter the encrypted
passphrase I learned from the previous step. The Linksys software was
only installed on the machine with no built in wireless. I could not
enter the plain English password in Windows on the laptop and get it
to work.

The password you enter in the Windows setup (at least for me) is the
encrypted passphrase - I think it is 28 characters, but you must know
or reset the passphrase inside the router to get it.

It was such a pain in the arse, the information and procedure is now
all written down and I think in a shoebox there or something. They
will need me again soon.

Jose

Rooter = Router. I talk, it listens but sometimes doesn't hear me
well.

Must be my Southern accident.

 

[Mike Hall - MVP]

I have an XP on a home wireless network. Recently I lost the internet
connection for this XP. When I tried to re-establish a connection to my
home network I had to type in a network key (WPA or WEP).

Where or how do I find this key?

Many thanks.

Peter.

If you haven't set up a network key on the other computers, it seems to me
that you have no wireless security at all..

You need to set up security at the router end first, then go to each
computer and set each wireless card to the same level of security as the
router. This tutorial will show you how..

http://www.tech-faq.com/setup-linksys-router.shtml

It shows how to set up WEP security, but you should set for a higher level
if possible. WPA2 is the best, but it will be determined by the age of the
oldest wireless card on the network. Some older wireless cards will not
accept WPA2 and there is not always the manufacturer software available that
will give you the WPA2 option..