196
If Something Goes Wrong
Wireless networking problems
❖
Check the Windows
®
Control Panel's Device Manager to verify
that the Wi-Fi
®
adapter is recognized by the Windows
®
operating system, and that the driver is loaded. To access
the Device Manager, click
Start
,
Control Panel
,
System
and Security
, and then
System
. Carefully note any error
messages
-
these will be very helpful if you should confer with
a support technician at a later time.
To enable or disable wireless communication, use the Hot Key
Fn + F8
. For more information see
❖
Use IPCONFIG to verify that the computer has a useful IP
address
-
one other than the private address of
169.254.xxx.xxx assigned by Windows
®
.
1
Click
Start
to open the Start menu.
2
Type
Cmd
in the Search programs and files field.
3
Enter
IPCONFIG /ALL
and press
Enter
.
The IP address for each active network adapter will be
displayed.
❖
Connect your computer directly to your router or broadband
modem, by plugging a standard CAT5 Ethernet patch cable
(sold separately) into your computer's RJ45 Ethernet port. If
your connection problem disappears, the problem lies in the
Wi-Fi
®
part of your network.
❖
If you have enabled any security provisions (closed system,
MAC address filtering, Wired Equivalent Privacy [WEP], etc.),
check the access point vendor's Web site for recent firmware
upgrades. Problems with WEP keys, in particular, are
frequently addressed in new firmware releases.
The Windows
®
operating system wireless management utility
does not work.
If you are using an external Wi-Fi
®
adapter (an ExpressCard
®
, USB
adapter, or other variety), check if the adapter comes with its own
management utility. If it does, the utility may be disabling the
Windows
®
operating system wireless management utility, in which
case you must use the adapter's management utility. If the
documentation that accompanies the adapter does not provide
enough information to determine if this is the case, contact that
vendor's support group for further advice.
NOTE
