YvonneD said:
I have a PC which is wired, and a laptop which is wireless. I only
use WiFi on the laptop. If my cable modem and wireless router is
turned but the PC is off, why can't I use WiFi on the laptop?
Is it supposed to work even if the PC is off?
Your wireless connection on the laptop has nothing to do with the PC that is
wired. I don't know why it isn't working on the laptop because you've told
us nothing about that computer, the errors, or the machine's recent history.
A few suggestions follow, but if they don't help then please see these links
for what details to include in your next post so we can give you focused
help:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Usenet
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375 - How to Ask a Question
A. First, is the wireless actually turned on? Many laptops (HPs, Toshibas,
etc.) have a button or slider on the side or front of the laptop to turn the
wireless on/off. Refer to your laptop manual.
B. Perhaps you didn't set up the wireless component of your router
correctly. Here is general information about doing that securely:
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
