Wireless Access Problem - Caused by Updates?

  • Thread starter Thread starter RobDee
  • Start date Start date
R

RobDee

I installed Vista Ultimate on my desktop computer yesterday. After running
perfectly well for most of the day I found that after visiting Windows
Update and installing various updates I was unable to access my wireless
network. None of the updates was for my wireless card (Linksys WMP300N) -
which had correctly worked using the MS supplied drivers (Broadcom)
installed by Vista. After messing about for ages including downloading &
installing the Linksys Vista driver (non signed), I was forced to give up. I
had an idea it was something to do with the updates and as I had not yet
invesetd too much time in settting up / installing software I went for a
reinstall. Again it worked fine for many hours and restarts afterwards.
Guess what? Soon as I ran the Windows update the wireless failed again. Each
time I start up it repeats this process:

1. Wireless connections visible & available including my own.
2. Fails to connect - no (useful) reason given.
3. If I try for too long it eventually says "no connections available" and
stays that way until reboot when it repeats from 1 above.

Many people have got this card working fine - using both the Broadcom driver
(installed at setup) and the Linksys version.

I'm now pretty convinced that one of the updates is causing this - I can
give a list of them if anyone thinks it may help or has had anything
imilar - but as I said, none of them is related in any obvious way to the
wireless card or its operation.

There are 16 of them - so 16 reinstallations each time leaving one of them
out is not a realistic option!

Cheers for any comments,

Rob
 
I don't have an answer to what is causing your problem but I can help you
avoid reinstalling. :)

I believe Vista creates a System Restore Point automatically before
installing from Windows Update. Instead of reinstalling, you should be able
to restore back to the previous restore point much quicker. If you haven't
used this function before, it's surprisingly easy. It can be accessed under
Computer.Properties.System Restore.

As for testing out which update is causing the problem, I would suggest more
of a b-tree approach. Pick out what you think are probably the 8 least
likely to be causing the problem and install those. Assuming all goes well,
choose 4 of the eight remaining, then 2 then 1. At any point that you run
into the problem, run the system restore, and then start with the other
half. As long as you make sure you know which ones you have done at each
point, the worst case should be 8 reboots.
 
If you have a wireless access point, and you KNOW it works on other
computers, but you get a "local only" message from Vista, the built-in DHCP
router in your Wireless Access Point probably is NOT compatible with Vista...
Here is one solution that may work for SOME routers (but it does NOT work for
all of them!)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233/en-us

If this does not work, and you still get the "local only" message, but you
KNOW the access point works with XP wireless, etc., then MANUALLY SET the IP
address info. Unfortunately, if you have to manually set the IP info, you
will have to delete those settings with other wireless access points. And
let me say one more time, DO NOT waste your time with the Alternate IP
configuration, it doesn't work!

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928152/en-us ; (affects mostly wireless on
laptops)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929847/en-us ; (Vista and XP together in a
wireless environment)

If your Gateway is on a different subnet (usually locations with large
numbers of wireless spots such as businesses, universities, etc.) then you
may have connection problems that FORCE you to manually configure your IP
settings on the adapter. This is a FIX for XP SP2 that doesn't look like it
made it into Vista, so, if you are experiencing this problem, LIKE ME, then
you have no choice but to manually configure the IP settings.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822596

If you are having periodic connection problems (and you know they didn't
exist before), Vista has changed the Automitic IP Address discovery timing to
be almost instantaneous. So if you have an older wireless access point, or
one that has long broadcast / "handshake" times, then you may have trouble
because of this "improvement."

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931550/en-us ; (MS Does not provide a
solution, only info. Like the other options, you will likely have to
MANUALLY set up your IP info in the adapter, or purchase a new wireless
access point.)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929824/en-us ; (problems if you have the SAME
Gateway address as the one assigned to the computer you are trying to connect
to the Wireless spot).

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899148/en-us (Some firewalls cause dropped
connections, or other intermittent connection problems. Read the note
carefully as there are fixes that involve modifying the registry).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see your adapter info, use a command prompt window (Start > Run > type in
CMD) and then type:

ipconfig /all

Find your network adapter and write down the Gateway, DNS, IP Address, and
other settings.

Also, go to the EVENT VIEWER and see if there are any messages related to
you trying to connect to your wireless adapter at the times you tried to
connect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regardless of the problem, if you KNOW the wireless spot works, and you had
little or no trouble on XP, try MANUALLY setting up the IP info for that
wireless access point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm VERY disappointed at how many problems there are with the Vista wireless
networking. Especially when SO MANY of the early Vista users are exactly the
same customer base that USES WIRELESS!
 
LaRoux said:
I don't have an answer to what is causing your problem but I can help you
avoid reinstalling. :)

I believe Vista creates a System Restore Point automatically before
installing from Windows Update. Instead of reinstalling, you should be
able to restore back to the previous restore point much quicker. If you
haven't used this function before, it's surprisingly easy. It can be
accessed under Computer.Properties.System Restore.

As for testing out which update is causing the problem, I would suggest
more of a b-tree approach. Pick out what you think are probably the 8
least likely to be causing the problem and install those. Assuming all
goes well, choose 4 of the eight remaining, then 2 then 1. At any point
that you run into the problem, run the system restore, and then start with
the other half. As long as you make sure you know which ones you have done
at each point, the worst case should be 8 reboots.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your input - unfortunately, for me, System Restore is not an
option. Right back to my earlyXP days it's been one of the first things I
disable when setting up a system. I know that in cases like this it might be
useful. But I prefer to avoid the negative consequences of this feature and
rely on automated back ups and scheduled imaging for my security.

I'm a bit nearer to sorting this as it happens; apparently the Linksys
drivers for this card cause many problems including total freeze ups - so
I've been relatively lucky. I do feel that as this happened even with the
Broadcom drivers installed during setup and only after getting the updates
(on both occasions) that this card does not play nicely with other PCI
devices. I had limited success by using various other drivers recommended by
others who fixed their proble by resorting to XP drivers! But it's still so
unreliable I'm going to use a USR USB adapter until Linksys get their act
together.

Thanks again for the suggestions.
 
Bill Wood said:
If you have a wireless access point, and you KNOW it works on other
computers, but you get a "local only" message from Vista, the built-in
DHCP
router in your Wireless Access Point probably is NOT compatible with
Vista...
Here is one solution that may work for SOME routers (but it does NOT work
for
all of them!)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233/en-us

If this does not work, and you still get the "local only" message, but you
KNOW the access point works with XP wireless, etc., then MANUALLY SET the
IP
address info. Unfortunately, if you have to manually set the IP info, you
will have to delete those settings with other wireless access points. And
let me say one more time, DO NOT waste your time with the Alternate IP
configuration, it doesn't work!

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928152/en-us ; (affects mostly wireless on
laptops)
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929847/en-us ; (Vista and XP together in a
wireless environment)

If your Gateway is on a different subnet (usually locations with large
numbers of wireless spots such as businesses, universities, etc.) then you
may have connection problems that FORCE you to manually configure your IP
settings on the adapter. This is a FIX for XP SP2 that doesn't look like
it
made it into Vista, so, if you are experiencing this problem, LIKE ME,
then
you have no choice but to manually configure the IP settings.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=822596

If you are having periodic connection problems (and you know they didn't
exist before), Vista has changed the Automitic IP Address discovery timing
to
be almost instantaneous. So if you have an older wireless access point,
or
one that has long broadcast / "handshake" times, then you may have trouble
because of this "improvement."

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/931550/en-us ; (MS Does not provide a
solution, only info. Like the other options, you will likely have to
MANUALLY set up your IP info in the adapter, or purchase a new wireless
access point.)

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929824/en-us ; (problems if you have the
SAME
Gateway address as the one assigned to the computer you are trying to
connect
to the Wireless spot).

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/899148/en-us (Some firewalls cause dropped
connections, or other intermittent connection problems. Read the note
carefully as there are fixes that involve modifying the registry).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To see your adapter info, use a command prompt window (Start > Run > type
in
CMD) and then type:

ipconfig /all

Find your network adapter and write down the Gateway, DNS, IP Address, and
other settings.

Also, go to the EVENT VIEWER and see if there are any messages related to
you trying to connect to your wireless adapter at the times you tried to
connect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Regardless of the problem, if you KNOW the wireless spot works, and you
had
little or no trouble on XP, try MANUALLY setting up the IP info for that
wireless access point.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm VERY disappointed at how many problems there are with the Vista
wireless
networking. Especially when SO MANY of the early Vista users are exactly
the
same customer base that USES WIRELESS!
Click to expand...


Thanks for your input Bill. I too however, use fixed IP addresses on my
network for various reasons. I have to agree that Vista has been a bit of a
wasted opportunity on the wireless front. At least with my IBM laptops I can
utilise the IBM Access Connections software which is excellent when
travelling around and accessing networks of all sorts of configurations
including fixed IP, DHCP, Proxy/Not, different security settings etc.

Event Viewer is more useful than XP's version but still lets you down at the
final fence - and doesn't quite give you exactly the info you need.

I'm closer to sorting this anyway - see my response to LaRoux'suggestions.

Thanks.
 
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