W7 not asking for passkey when connecting to WEP wifi

Currently I am using a Dell laptop with XP which is connected to my house's wireless connection. SSID itself is an open WEP. I had no problem connecting with the XP laptop; it asked me for a password, I put it in and it worked. When I try connecting with my other Dell laptop with Windows 7, it won't ask me for a password and say, "Windows was unable to connect to _____."

I then tried manually connecting to the wireless connection under the network settings. I've tried all WEP options and made sure the password was correct countless times and still I'm unable to connect to the wifi.

I spoke with a Dell representative, but all they suggested was to pay for another help service.

kao said:

Currently I am using a Dell laptop with XP which is connected to my house's wireless connection. SSID itself is an open WEP. I had no problem connecting with the XP laptop; it asked me for a password, I put it in and it worked. When I try connecting with my other Dell laptop with Windows 7, it won't ask me for a password and say, "Windows was unable to connect to _____."

I then tried manually connecting to the wireless connection under the network settings. I've tried all WEP options and made sure the password was correct countless times and still I'm unable to connect to the wifi.

I spoke with a Dell representative, but all they suggested was to pay for another help service.

Hello kao, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums!

Windows 7 does not support WEP. It is so old and insecure it is not much better than using no security at all.

Instead use WPA or WPA2 for your home wireless network security.



Cheers!
Robert

Robert:

Thanks for the welcoming. Are you suggesting I change my router's password setting to WPA(2), or merely change the manual setting to it? When I do this, the wireless connection is marked with an X, disabling me from attempting to connect to it at all.

kao said:

Robert:

Thanks for the welcoming. Are you suggesting I change my router's password setting to WPA(2), or merely change the manual setting to it? When I do this, the wireless connection is marked with an X, disabling me from attempting to connect to it at all.

Yes, the router controls the secured access so you would need to begin to use the preferred security WPA2 offered by the router. We hear lots of complaints about connecting to home networks, so you may need to take several steps to sort it out, but I would suggest to you first, after you change to WPA2, to reboot your laptop and see if it recognizes the wireless network so you can create a new wireless connection.

Let us know how it goes.

iseeuu said:

kao said:

Currently I am using a Dell laptop with XP which is connected to my house's wireless connection. SSID itself is an open WEP. I had no problem connecting with the XP laptop; it asked me for a password, I put it in and it worked. When I try connecting with my other Dell laptop with Windows 7, it won't ask me for a password and say, "Windows was unable to connect to _____."

I then tried manually connecting to the wireless connection under the network settings. I've tried all WEP options and made sure the password was correct countless times and still I'm unable to connect to the wifi.

I spoke with a Dell representative, but all they suggested was to pay for another help service.

Hello kao, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums!

Windows 7 does not support WEP. It is so old and insecure it is not much better than using no security at all.

Instead use WPA or WPA2 for your home wireless network security.



Cheers!
Robert

You must be kidding me .
windows dont support wep?
That is why i cant log on.
BB public network in Alaska uses wep.
I will have no choice but to go back to XP.

IseeU is incorrect with that statement, although it's not a very secure way of connecting wirelessly that is for certain.

Windows 7 certainly does support WEP however, certain routers do not work well with Windows 7 and WEP. Sometimes a firmware update will be required for it to work correctly with WEP.

http://social.technet.microsoft.com/...d-ca2d7500bcb9

Win7 does support WEP. Its probable Windows 7 saved a profile for your network with the wrong settings. First try to delete the current profile by going to: Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center. There click on the 'Manage wireless networks' link, select your network and click on Remove.

Now, scan for wireless networks. Select your own network from that list, then click on Connect, then type in your WEP key. If it still doesnt prompt you for the key, open your router interface with the router's IP address and make sure security is enabled.

This is what I did to fix it.

Start> control panel>network and internet>network and sharing wizard>setup a new connection or network>manually connect to a wireless network.
It has a option in it to setup WEP .
Windows connection wizard will not let you put in a key.
I am not sure but I think I did this for both wireless cards the wave magnum and the built in wireless.
There is no way to turn off the Microsoft wireless connection wizard and let realtek run the wireless.

Just a note to thank Bill2 for his clear and effective reply. Worked great for me.

[I changed the wireless key at our place. My wife's W7 laptop refused to prompt for it, sending her/me into an endless loop of "connecting" alternating with offers to debug the network. All because W7 had created a profile that had the old key. Why not just prompt for the key when that's a problem?]

Could it be a router settings issue?

Connect to the router and check if you have network filter enabled with only the xp's mac adress