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My laptop keeps losing the wireless connection every five minutes or so while I am online. It is set as a secured connection.
We have a desktop that is configured the same way and there is no problem. I have even brought my laptop to the desk where my other computer is, thinking it could be the distance from the equipment, but it continues to happen.
It shows that it is set to connect automatically, but I am having to continuously reconect. I've run a virus scan and have no problem.
If the connection is just not there (no signal), then I would do as Brian suggests.
This happens to me sometimes after a storm passes through. What works for me is to unplug everything from my router, wait 3 or 4 minutes, and then plug it all back in......works every time .
I did have a faulty router once though. It worked perfectly for a year, and then suddenly my connection was getting slower and slower and the distance and strength of the signal was dying. Sure enough, it was the router itself and the only solution was to replace the router. Once the router was replaced, problem solved.
1. I understand correctly - desktop is also a wireless connection?
2. Have you checked that you are actually connecting to your wireless and not the neighbors?
3. How strong is the signal? If you go to the Internet Connections/Wireless Connections the list will show all available and the signal strength. Is yours 4 or 5? Is yours the one in the list set to connect auto, or is it another? Not that I've ever been through this...
Edit - anything between you and the wireless router? Stereo equipment, big screen TV, microwave? Steel framed wall(s)? Do you live in a stucco house?
Rotate the antenna on the router. Try to place it perpendicular to the location of the laptop. Mine is upstairs and works much better when the antenna is parallel to the floor, which is, in effect, perpendicular to my built-in wireless in the laptop..
1- yes, both on same router
2- both connected to my wireless
3- signal, excellent
4 (edit)- I thought that may be what was wrong, so moved it to the competer desk and no change.
Where would the wirless card in my laptop be located? It's inside somewhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tek_Freek
1. I understand correctly - desktop is also a wireless connection?
2. Have you checked that you are actually connecting to your wireless and not the neighbors?
3. How strong is the signal? If you go to the Internet Connections/Wireless Connections the list will show all available and the signal strength. Is yours 4 or 5? Is yours the one in the list set to connect auto, or is it another? Not that I've ever been through this...
Edit - anything between you and the wireless router? Stereo equipment, big screen TV, microwave? Steel framed wall(s)? Do you live in a stucco house?
Rotate the antenna on the router. Try to place it perpendicular to the location of the laptop. Mine is upstairs and works much better when the antenna is parallel to the floor, which is, in effect, perpendicular to my built-in wireless in the laptop..
1- yes, both on same router
2- both connected to my wireless
3- signal, excellent
4 (edit)- I thought that may be what was wrong, so moved it to the competer desk and no change.
Where would the wirless card in my laptop be located? It's inside somewhere.
Card is likely parallel to the laptop itself. Same orientation it would have if it was inserted in the slot on the side. Or the same as a CD would be.
You checked for viruses, how about Spyware, etc?
Firewall installed? If yes, is the Windows firewall disabled?
Any pop-ups?
XP, not Vista?
Wide angle shot: Where is the button that turns the wireless on/off? Are you accidentally bumping it? It's a toggle. Look for a symbol that looks like a dotted i with a large dot and no gap between the line and dot. It has "waves" coming off the sides and should light up when activated.
Try this for a while, turn off the security. If problem goes away then the issue is in the security settings. I knew a guy with a dell laptop and dell router that had this issue. The security was resetting the connection in some way.
Bumping the on/off- that is an excellent suggestion, as I was doing that when I first got the laptop- not now.
This didn't start happening until a few months ago.
I have ADV software and some kind of spyware. I will try turning it off. Otherwise I will take it in someplace to have them check (find) the card. Any suggestions for how to make sure I am taking it to someone who knows what they are doing? This is like my car- I know nothing about hardware and don't want to be taken advantage of.
Thank you everyone for the input. It is appreciated.
I have ADV software and some kind of spyware. I will try turning it off. Otherwise I will take it in someplace to have them check (find) the card. Any suggestions for how to make sure I am taking it to someone who knows what they are doing? This is like my car- I know nothing about hardware and don't want to be taken advantage of.
Maybe call Geek Squad?
My wireless card is internal......I'd have no idea how to find it .
1. Start/Control Panel/Add Remove Programs. Look for anything mentioning toolbar, search, coupon, Bearshare, Limewire, Kazaa (spelling ? for all these) and remove them, especially anything Yahoo - they really screw with your computer. If you can get a snapshot(s) of the programs installed I will help you with deciding.
2. Download and install Spyware Blaster, Spyware Guard, AdAware and SpyBot. Update and run each in turn. SpyBot and AdAware remove Spyware from your PC. I use both because they find and remove different things. I run Spyware Blaster and Spyware Guard for the same reason - they block slightly different items from your computer. All these are freeware. When installing Adaware there is a screen that asks for a registration number (or some such) click Cancel and it will pass this screen and install the free version. Post here if you need guidance. You can find these programs, or links to them, at Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews - Download.com
3. You can scan from the Internet: http://tinyurl.com/yt4uyk (broken link) Trend Micro HouseCall - Free Online Virus and Spyware Scan - Trend Micro USA (http://tinyurl.com/2xis - broken link) Free Virus Scan - Kaspersky Lab (http://tinyurl.com/e3dsx - broken link) and key in "online virus scan" (no quotes) in Google for more!
For where to take your laptop for help? Can't really answer. I don't like Best Buy or CompUSA myself.
Where the wireless card is located? What brand/model is your laptop? Not sure the location is that important to be truthful...
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