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Can't use ethernet network connection and USB wireless at same time
I have an annoying problem.... and please forgive me as I am not to techy when it comes to computers. :) In our office we have our PC's connected to our inter-office network server via the Ethernet ports (Local Area Connection) with a hard wire to a hub, that in turn runs to our server. We also each have a wireless internet connection on our PC's via a USB wireless adapter. When we were using XP this was not a problem to have access to the server AND the internet at the same time.
When my PC died last year I bought a Dell Inspiron 560 slim tower with Windows 7 to replace my XP machine. The first problem I ran into was that I could no longer use the wireless internet connection AND the hard wired connection to our server operating at the same time. If I stayed connected to our server, I will not have a wireless connection. If I go into the "Local Area Connection" properties and "disable" the connection, I almost instantly get my wireless connection back. The big issue when doing this is if I leave our database program (ACT!) open while the server connection is disabled, I have to shut down ACT!, then restart it before I can connect it to the server. If I try to without closing and reopening it I get all kinds of errors.
So, in the mean time, I have just put a shortcut on my desktop that allows me to enable and disable the Local Area Connection when I need internet access.
A couple days ago, my boss's PC grabbed a virus that slipped past McAfee (that program is now gone!!) and really hosed up his PC. He bought the Windows 7 upgrade software and wiped the hard drive and installed W7. He is now having the same issue as I am.
For what it's worth, he is using a Belkin Wireless-G USB wireless adapter, and mine is a Netgear Wireless-N USB adapter.
Is there any way we can have the two connections operate at the same time like they did in XP? It really becomes a pain sometimes when we are on the phone with a client and we need to jump back and forth between info that is online, and info that is on our server that we access through ACT!.
Please let me know if you need any other information to help with this problem, and thank you all very much in advance!