How To Check Wireless Card? Options

[Jimbo1]

I have asked a local tech here in town on how or is their a way to check the wireless network card in a labtop before going through the hassle of reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling windows xp, only to find out the network card is still not working. I did this before on another labtop only to find out after reinstalling Windows the wireless network card still does not work. Hate to do this again and get the same results.

From this tech all I get is well if you cannot connect, format the hard drive and reinstall windows, and if it still does not work, then must be a bad card.

The wireless card sees all the wireless networks in the area alone with mine, it connects to mine, but thats it, cannot see the internet. Thought it was IE and tryed installing Mozilla and same thing. Ran Ad-Aware, Spybot, Anti malware, Remove it pro, AVG, AFT, CCleaner and nothing is detected, even ran Smithfraud and Vundofix.

Kinda at a lost of a another way to check it.

The system is a dell inspiron 6000 with windows xp.

This post has been edited by Jimbo1: Jun 25 2009, 01:08 PM

[shelf life]

some random thoughts in no special order, start with the ipconfig.
check the hardware using device manager, under network adapters. determine the card vendor and check there website for troubleshooting.
check the Dell Support web site under drivers and downloads for a diagnostic utility for the card. you might also try uninstalling and re- installing the driver for the card.
check Windows Wireless zero config. service and disable it to let the cards software manage the connection.
try pinging your router and a web address.
last, go to start>run and type in cmd
click ok or enter
at the cursor_ copy paste whats below and click ok, post the output located a C:

ipconfig /all > C:\results.txt

Reason for edit: added stuff

[appleoddity]

If the wireless card is connecting, it is not your wireless card. Or, at least, I have never seen a situation where the card would connect but it was still bad.

However, it could be that you have the wrong passphrase typed in, and you are not getting an IP address because of it. If you have wireless encryption turned on this could be quite possible.

Please follow the instructions above about posting the output of the ipconfig command. That will tell the story.

[Jimbo1]

Weird again I am new of trying to learn and trouble shoot netowking problems. here's what happen.

1.check Windows Wireless zero config. service and disable it to let the cards software manage the connection
Did that, I seen this a lot on Dell's Systems and Acers also but they have utility programs that wants to control alone with windows. But I did let dell take over -- nadda same results.

2. check the Dell Support web site under drivers and downloads for a diagnostic utility for the card. you might also try uninstalling and re- installing the driver for the card.
Was going to do this as last resort.

3. check the hardware using device manager, under network adapters. determine the card vendor and check there website for troubleshooting.
Did and windows reported working fine, but no go of getting to the net.

Here is the weird part, before going to the last option #2 and doing what you asked I ping a address that was showing up for the card, and after that tryed loading IE and presto it connected to the net. Shakes head very strange this happen. Now I am lost of learning of what could have happen, strange.


Like I said a few times in the past I have ran into this problem with a wireless network card saing connected, but thats the futher it goes, twice I formatted the system and got the same results and this is why I am leary of formatting a hard drive due to problems like this. This is why I am asking of a sure fire way of testing the cards before resorting to something like a wipe of the system.

I am still puzzle as of why it started working, mabey it was the dell's utiltiy config messed up or is their such a thing as network plug (Traffic Jam if ya want to call it that) that could cause a problem.

As of right now downloading and surfing the net on the labtop, so far so good. If you may have more insites of what could cause problems like this would like to hear of more, thanks.

[shelf life]

wireless connections can be kind of flaky. Really a process of ruling things out and trying to narrow it down. While you have it working it would be helpful for future reference to run ipconfig and save the .txt file. If it dosnt work at some point run ipconfig again to compare the two results. May provide some clues.

[Jimbo1]

wireless connections can be kind of flaky. Really a process of ruling things out and trying to narrow it down. While you have it working it would be helpful for future reference to run ipconfig and save the .txt file. If it dosnt work at some point run ipconfig again to compare the two results. May provide some clues.

Ah never thought of doing something like that, it like having a bak file to look at then something goes nuts or wants to be a pain in the you know what.

[shelf life]

Yes a file to look at that would provide useful information, then that could be compared to the ipconfig output when it wasnt working.