Wireless Network not found

[dubina]

I have two PCs sitting side by side. They are both served by the same Linksys wireless router. One has a Linksys internal wireless adapter that does not recognize the wireless signal that the PC next to it is now receiving. Both PCs got the signal last week and worked fine before I installed windows 7 to the one that now cannot recognize my wireless network signal. That PC shows two old wireless network names that no longer exist, but it does not show the new wireless network. I have tried to go through the Control Panel to > Network and Internet to create the new Network name or get the adapter to sense the new network. But, no luck.

What am I doing wrong? My Windows 7 install seems to have creamed my wireless network setup on the PC that will not now pick up the wireless signal.

Thanks for any advice.

Running Windows 7 Professional on a Dell with a Pentium 4 2.8 GHz processor, 1 GB memory, and 32 bit OS.

The adapter is a Linksys Wireless G 2.4 GHz PCI.

 

[PooMan UK]

If is is the card you have (soz you don't state the exact model)
Linksys WMP54G

then it might be that it's not compatible with Win 7

Windows 7 Compatibility for Linksys 802.11g PCI Wireless Network Adapter

 

[dubina]

If is is the card you have (soz you don't state the exact model)
Linksys WMP54G

Yes, that's the one....

then it might be that it's not compatible with Win 7

Windows 7 Compatibility for Linksys 802.11g PCI Wireless Network Adapter

My Win 7 version is 32 bit, and so is the PC, so the adapter should be compatible (I think). That is what the link tells me. ("32 bit: Compatible - No action required"). If the wireless network adapter is compatible, the problem remains: not solved. In other words, it must not be a compatiibility issue.

 

[dubina]

Am I right about the compatibility issue? In which case, the problem is most likely caused by something else? Or might the adapter still be the culprit?

 

[chev65]

Am I right about the compatibility issue? In which case, the problem is most likely caused by something else? Or might the adapter still be the culprit?

True, the website says that it is compatible with a 32 bit system but not a 64 bit system.

So it should be compatible with your 32 bit system.

Have you tried going into the network and sharing center then to manage wireless connections and typing in your wireless set up there? You should try using WPA2 with AES for security if you aren't already. Set the network type to G.

Be sure and go to the link below and select the correct hardware version to get the correct driver.
http://www.linksysbycisco.com/LATAM/en/support/WMP54G/download

 

[dubina]

"Have you tried going into the network and sharing center then to manage wireless connections and typing in your wireless set up there? You should try using WPA2 with AES for security if you aren't already. Set the network type to G."

I got to the network and sharing center but I see no "manage wireless connections". I looked through all of the possibilities in the network and sharing center to see something like WPA2 with AES for security, but I found nothing like that. I tried to create a new network (the new network name my other computers have recognized). But, no luck. I tried to "connect to the Internet" through a new network, but I got a "Connection failed with error 651".

So I am basically stuck at that point. Over.

 

[chev65]

Assuming that you have the adaptor plugged into a pci slot on your machine and that you have installed the driver for it, the manage wireless connections will be on the left side of the page on the Network and Sharing Center.

Use the "Add" button to add the new wireless profile.

If you do not see the Manage Wireless Connections there then your machine isn't picking up the WMP54G, or maybe the drivers for it aren't installed yet.

It may help to go into the Device Manager to make sure the WMP54G shows up there.

 

[dubina]

Under Network and Sharing Center, in the left panel, I see Control Panel Home, under that, Change Adapter Settings, uder that, Change Advanded Sharing Settings.

If I click on Control Panel Home, I see an opportunity under Hardware and Sound to "add a device". If I try to add a device, Windows searches for devices ("make sure your device is discoverable", it says). But time passes and windows finds nothing. I have no idea how make sure my device is discoverable, nor do I know for sure that this is the "add" button I am supposed to use to get a new wireless profile.

If I click on Change Adapter Setting, I see two disconnected networks (that are not my current one) and I do not see my current network (that the other PCs recognize). Otherwise, I see a LAN connection that is now "unplugged".

If I click on Change Advanded sharing Options, I see a page that invites me to do some network discovery. I accepted the invitation, but nothing happened...no network discovery that I can see.

Therefore, no opportunity that I can see (other than to get a new wireless profile...and that doesn't work) to use an "add" button.

As for the device manager, I see an Intel Pro/100 VE Network Connection, but no Linksys device. That seems strange as the wireless connection was operational with no problems before I installed Windows 7.

As for the driver, I think I can find it and download it to another PC, but how do I grab the driver and install it to the PC that doesn't seem to have a Linksys wireless connection?

 

[aem]

As for the device manager, I see an Intel Pro/100 VE Network Connection, but no Linksys device. That seems strange as the wireless connection was operational with no problems before I installed Windows 7.

As for the driver, I think I can find it and download it to another PC, but how do I grab the driver and install it to the PC that doesn't seem to have a Linksys wireless connection?

If the pc with the Linksys adapter isn't showing the adapter in Device Manager than that means it isn't installed and driver compatibility is the issue there. Download the driver to usb using wired connection to the router or from another machine with internet connection and then proceed to the machine with the linksys adapter and install it.

 

[chev65]

Under Network and Sharing Center, in the left panel, I see Control Panel Home, under that, Change Adapter Settings, uder that, Change Advanded Sharing Settings.

If I click on Control Panel Home, I see an opportunity under Hardware and Sound to "add a device". If I try to add a device, Windows searches for devices ("make sure your device is discoverable", it says). But time passes and windows finds nothing. I have no idea how make sure my device is discoverable, nor do I know for sure that this is the "add" button I am supposed to use to get a new wireless profile.

If I click on Change Adapter Setting, I see two disconnected networks (that are not my current one) and I do not see my current network (that the other PCs recognize). Otherwise, I see a LAN connection that is now "unplugged".

If I click on Change Advanded sharing Options, I see a page that invites me to do some network discovery. I accepted the invitation, but nothing happened...no network discovery that I can see.

Therefore, no opportunity that I can see (other than to get a new wireless profile...and that doesn't work) to use an "add" button.

As for the device manager, I see an Intel Pro/100 VE Network Connection, but no Linksys device. That seems strange as the wireless connection was operational with no problems before I installed Windows 7.

As for the driver, I think I can find it and download it to another PC, but how do I grab the driver and install it to the PC that doesn't seem to have a Linksys wireless connection?

Assuming the PCI adaptor is installed and not being seen by windows.
Try shutting down your system then unplug it and bleed the power by pushing the start button.

After that remove the PCI adaptor and restart the machine. After that shut down again and reinstall the PCI adaptor into the PCI slot.

See if Windows see's the adaptor in Device Manager, it may see it straight away and install a driver for it. If you see the adaptor in Device Manager you should be able to install the driver for it manually if Windows doesn't do it for you.

You might need a wired connection in order to download the driver. The important thing is that you are able to see it in Device Manager.

 

[dubina]

"If the pc with the Linksys adapter isn't showing the adapter in Device Manager than that means it isn't installed and driver compatibility is the issue there. Download the driver to usb using wired connection to the router or from another machine with internet connection and then proceed to the machine with the linksys adapter and install it."

aem,

Thanks, I will follow that advice and let you know what happens.

Here's what happened:

I downloaded the driver to a thumbdrive and unzipped it to the new Win 7 PC. It automatically loaded to a folder "Linksys Driver". Within Linksys Driver, I saw a setup icon. Clicking Setup gave me a Linksys Welcome screen. It invited me to "Click here to start" (installing the Wireless-G adapter, I assume). Then, I get a message: " The Driver has already been installed. If you want to replace this driver, you must uninstall the old one."

Meanwhile, I looked for the new network again, thinking my effort to download and install the linksys driver might somehow have done the trick. It did not. When I try to force a connection to the new network through WAN Miniport, I get an "error 651". ("The modem (or other connecting device) has reported an error."

 

[dubina]

I guess my next move is to pull out the PCI card and then put it back.

I will check back to tell you what happened.

 

[dubina]

See if Windows see's the adaptor in Device Manager, it may see it straight away and install a driver for it. If you see the adaptor in Device Manager you should be able to install the driver for it manually if Windows doesn't do it for you.

I removed, restarted, stopped and then replaced the adapter card. Restarted PC but had the same result as before.

re: does Windows see the adapter in device manager? Maybe. I'm not sure. Under "Network Adapters", I see Intel PRO/100 VE Network Connection, which is probably the card below the Linksys card.

Under "Other devices" I see a (problematic) Network Controller. In "General", , Device Status indicates "The drivers for this device are not installed (Code 28)"

I downloaded the best Linksys driver to a thumbdrive and put on the PC C Drive in a "Linksys" folder. The subdirectory is "Drivers". When I try to "Update Driver" in "General", Windows asks me to browse to the folder that contains the driver. I do that. When I click "Next", Windows tells me that "Windows could not find software for your device".

Meanwhile, the "Driver" folder under "Linksys" on the PC hard drive has a Setup file. When I click on it, I get the Linksys welcome screen with a "Click here to start" button. When I click there, I get the same old message: "The driver has already been installed. If you want to replace the driver, you must uninstall the old driver."

So on the one hand, "Windows cannot find software for your device"; on the other hand, I must uninstall the old driver. Furthermore, "The drivers for this device are not installed (Code 28)"

So I am confused. Any ideas at this point?

I should remind you of something that I posted earlier in this thread: that the adapter was installed and connecting to the network before I installed Windows 7.

Another question while I'm at it: I'm thinking of trying out Windows 8 beta. If I decide to do that, would the Win8 beta install (most likely) solve this connectivity problem automatically?

 

[dubina]

Let me bump this thread with another post....

 

[chev65]

When you powered down did you remove the battery from the laptop so there is no power to it at all?

From what I have read that is one way to get windows to see the adaptor again.

Clearing the cmos might even be an option at this point.

 

[dubina]

Hi again, CHEV65,

The PC is not a laptop. Does that mean it has no battery? How might I clear the CMOS?

If Windows wants me to remove the "old" driver before I manually install the "new" driver (by doing "Setup" in the Driver folder, I mean), how might I do that?

 

[chev65]

Hi again, CHEV65,

The PC is not a laptop. Does that mean it has no battery? How might I clear the CMOS?

If Windows wants me to remove the "old" driver before I manually install the "new" driver (by doing "Setup" in the Driver folder, I mean), how might I do that?

If it's a PC then unplug the power for a bit. This assumes that the PC still can't see the network adaptor.

If the PC can see the adaptor then you should be able to uninstall the driver or browse for a new one.

Clearing cmos works sometimes if the network adaptor refuses to work but that would be a last resort.

 

[dubina]

CHEV65,

I unplugged the PC when I took out the PCI card and then put it back in. I also pushed the start button when the power was off. That had no effect that I could see.

I am not sure if the PC can see the adapter or not. It sees something under "Other Devices" (a "Network Controller" that seems to have a problem...indicated by a little yellow circle thingy with an exclamation mark in it.

General under Network Controller properties says, "The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)

Update Driver Software - Network Controller tells me "Windows could not find driver software for your device. It suggests that I go online to visit the device manufacturer's website and there check the support section.

I did that last week, downloaded the best new driver and ported it to the bummed PC on a thumb drive. From there, I tried to install the driver with Setup, but no dice: Windows told me I had to uninstall the old driver first. I don't know how to do that.

Very circular and confusing....