Hi--

On most laptops, notebooks, and netbooks, there is an "F" button where you
can toggle wireless off and on by holding down the Fn and its key (it
usually has a wireless antenna logo. Often it has 4 settings, Bluetooth On,
Bluetooth off, Network Connection and Bluetooth On, Net Connection and
Bluetooth Off. Check and make sure it's set to have wireless on.

Although this is not mentioned enough, any router's 802.11 stability can be
spooked by anything that can emit EMR (EM radiation) that interferes with
your wireless frequency. Make sure your router is a sufficient distance
from any box in your network that has two moving parts that can spook it--a
fan and a rotating hard drive, any monitors which can emit EMR, and entities
outside an office where construction is going on can also enter into the
equation. The causes outside can even include pine trees because the
moisture in the needles emits a frequency that interferes with many routers.

Put the router far enough away from anything moving inside a box and from a
monitor so it is stable. This can be remedied if necessary by getting a 3-4
meter USB connection(s) for the router.

This instability can be corrected sometimes by just unplugging the router
and replugging it in but router placement is important.

Best of luck,

CH


"MikeB" <MPBrede******.com> wrote in message
news:1b74e233-f1dd-4aa9-be89-4d2c5de1f964@l38g2000vba.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> I'm about to chuck my new $2K laptop with Vista Ultimate out of the
> window due to my frustration with wireless networking on the thing.
>
> Lenovo T500 Thinkpad
> Intel Core 2 Due Centrino with something called VPro
> Intel Wireless AGN 5300 wireless card
> Lenovo Access Connections (something that's supposed to manage and
> configure for various networks one might connect to).
> Firewall is Windows LIve OneCare firewall.
>
> My Router is a Netgear supplied by Time Warner Cable. I have two other
> computers running Windows XP that connet flawlessly and seamlessly to
> the wireless network.
>
> On the new laptop the wireless intermittently goes into something that
> Windows Networking reports as "Local Access Only" as opposed to "Local
> and Internet Access" when the computer is connected to the network.
> This is what the little networking icon in the notification section of
> the taskbar reports.
>
> I've managed to get it to reconnect by a process of try-this-and-see
> doiing one or more of the following. I have not yet identified a
> consistent sequence of activities that restore access.
>
> - powering off the wireless radio using the Access Connections icon
> in the notifications section,
>
> - disconnecting and reconnecting to the network from the networking
> icon in the notifications section of the taskbar
>
> - adjusting the settings of the firewall from "public place" to "Home/
> Work". Not sure why this doesn't remain as specified.
>
> - uninstalling the entire wireless network defiinition and
> reinstalling it.
>
> Sometimes one of the above actions seem to precipitate changes in the
> other areas and I"ve not yet manages to understand cause-and-effect in
> this area. For instance, sometimes disconnecting from the wireless
> network will turn off the wireless radio.
>
> Any help/advice will be appreciated.
>
> Thanks.[/color]