Win 7 Wireless Issue - Can we combine the posts?

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  1. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
       #1

    Win 7 Wireless Issue - Can we combine the posts?


    All,
    I've seen an explosion of posts regarding wireless connectivity while utilizing Windows 7. Instead of having to read through 20 different threads on the same subject to see if anyone has figured it out I'd like to propose a Sticky where we can explore possible solutions. There seems to be a common issue that I will summarize as:

    Problem Statement
    ---------------------------
    My wireless connection continues to drop periodically. It is most noticeable when I'm downloading a large file. The download will proceed for a while and then the connection drops and I see the Exclamation point on my wireless connection status indicator. The connection will often reset itself but if I run diagnostics on it I get notification that the "Default Gateway is Unavailable", my adapter resets and the connection will work for a while before the entire cycle starts again.
    ---------------------------------
    Some have reported similar issues with hard-wired connections but I would like to leave those discussions for a different thread.
    From what I can see the problem happens on many different adapters (Intel, Linksys, Marvel, etc.) and many different Access Points (Linksys, Belkin, etc.) so it does not appear to be a hardware issue that is specific to any one manufacturer. The only commonality appears to be Win 7, people that have reverted to XP or Vista have stated that the problem goes away when they have "downgraded".

    In an attempt to get this herd of cats under control I will attempt to post some of the proposed solutions as replies to this Problem Statement and ask others to try and respond with their thoughts/success/failures to the individual solutions.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Solution #1 - Disable IPv6 protocol on wireless adapter


    Many of the existing routers on the market do not support the IPv6 protocol and some have reported success with disabling this protocol in the properties dialog for their wireless adapter.

    Unfortunately, this easy fix did not work in my case. I have a Linksys WRT110 wireless router. I have chatted with support at Linksys and they have verified that this router does not support IPv6. They also provided me with a list of their routers that DO support IPv6:

    WRT320N, WRT610N V2, WRT54GS2, WRT160N V2, V3, WRT310N V1, V2, WRT120N and WRT54G2 V1.5 and WRT160NL.

    I'm not saying that these routers will work, only that Linksys claims they support IPv6.

    Ski
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Possible Solution #2 - Up or Downgrade adapter drivers


    Some have reported success in updating their wireless adapter drivers to the latest version. Some have reported success in downgrading to the Vista driver for their adapter. Some have reported success in using the built-in WIN 7 drivers.


    Again, none of these options worked for me. In my case the manufacturer of my PC (HP dv9500t) has decided (so far) to not support Win 7 drivers for this PC, so there are no Win 7 compatible drivers available from HP. That being the case I went ahead and made sure that I had the latest drivers (Vista) from HP - no change.

    Since my wireless adapter is fairly common (Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN) I went to the Intel site and d/l their Win7 drivers directly and applied them to my adapter - no change.

    I then performed an uninstall/reinstall of my adapter. Win 7 correctly identified my adapter and installed its drivers - again no change

    Ski
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Possible Solution #3 - Disable/Eliminate Bonjour


    Some, including those on the APPLE forums, have stated that Bonjour does not "play well" with Win 7 and there appears to be some indication that the Bonjour application may be being revised but a release date is murky, at best.

    Some have indicated that going to Control Panel>Administrative Services>Services and setting the Bonjour service to "Automatic (Delayed Start)" has solved their issue. Some claim that setting it to "Disable) also works. Neither worked in my case.

    Some have advocated removing the service entirely.
    Completly Uninstall and Remove Bonjour Service and Files (mDNSResponder.exe, mdnsNSP.dll) for Windows « Amarjeet Rai’s Blog
    Either way - no change in my case.

    Ski
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Possible Solution #4 - Disable Power Save on Adapter


    Again, some have claimed that this has helped but it made no difference in my case

    Ski
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 257
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit
       #6

    First of all, let me say thank you for your efforts and I should probably warn you, that no good deed goes unpunished. Having said that, I will add my two cents. We should probably add the power management tab in the properties of their wireless device in device manager as well as, if it is a usb device, the power management tab for their usb root hubs...it seems that Win7 likes to be able to turn off these devices in order to save power, probably not a good thing for insuring availability of a network. Also in the Control Panel under whatever particular power scheme you might be using, there are some advanced setting about three clicks down, change settings, change advance settings, change settings that are currently unavailable. Handy huh?
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium-64 bit
       #7

    Hopefully one thead will be able to help solve all this problems. I created a thead but got no replies. I'm tired of surfing the web then getting a blank page because my adapter gets a limited access error.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #8

    Possible Solution #5 - Disable ALL windows firewalls


    A member of this forum (Allo) mentioned that he had gotten rid of the problem by disabling the Windows Firewall in all three (Domain, Private, and Public) profiles.

    Control Panel>Windows Firewall>Advanced Settings> Widows Firewall properties

    Seemed like a reasonable idea - no change for me though.

    Ski
    Last edited by Skibumtx; 18 Nov 2009 at 13:41. Reason: added instructions for access firewall settings
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 9
    Windows 7 Home Premium-64 bit
       #9

    Would that setting be under windows firewall or the network settings? I will try that when I get home. That or getting a different adapter is my final straw before I downgrade to vista. Btw I don't know if this info is useful but in the event viewer its shows that my computer failed to get an ip address from the server (dchp) or something along those lines. that's what's causing me to get limited access.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 56
    Windows 7 Professional
    Thread Starter
       #10

    patwhatsthat said:
    First of all, let me say thank you for your efforts and I should probably warn you, that no good deed goes unpunished. Having said that, I will add my two cents. We should probably add the power management tab in the properties of their wireless device in device manager as well as, if it is a usb device, the power management tab for their usb root hubs...it seems that Win7 likes to be able to turn off these devices in order to save power, probably not a good thing for insuring availability of a network. Also in the Control Panel under whatever particular power scheme you might be using, there are some advanced setting about three clicks down, change settings, change advance settings, change settings that are currently unavailable. Handy huh?
    Thanks for the thanks - and the warning. This one is really pissing me off but at least the connection seems solid when I use a wired connection.

    I tried your suggestion of disabling USB Suspend but couldn't see any improvement.

    Control Panel>Power Options>Change Plan Settings>change Advnaced Power Settings>USB Settings> USB Selective Suspend Settings

    Ski
      My Computer


 
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