Wireless Network Connection Settings on Dell Laptop XP

[BB88]

Well this is the story. My aunt got another laptop, and she gave me this current one. Pretty new I would say.

I had been going online with dialup when I would go from place to place, but last weekend i was playing with it, and discovered it had wireless internet. I got on fine, Saturday-Sunday. Sunday I lost signal, and instead of leaving it alone like I should have, i started messing around with the settings.

I had no idea what I was doing, I'm getting a really good signal on the PROSet Wireless LAN 2100 3A Mini PCI Adapter, excellent actually, but on the Wireless Network Connection Status, well that is a different story. At this moment, i'm getting a good signal but this weekend I clicked on properties, and in the Wireless Network Tab, I reconfigured the available networks and preferred networks and I don't know how to fix it.

Now I get a signal, with pannel, but i think since I was changing the settings, its from peer to peer and this is the only pc that has wireless, and its not connected to a network.

So the signal that I'm getting varies in strength but the activity in packets... I'm just sending but not receiving anything!

I need sooo much help. Is there a way to reconfigure the original settings? or what would I have to do?

I want to get rid of the peer to peer, if anything is there a way that i can start from scratch?
please help

[BB88]

Originally Posted by xflat

...This was not your wireless network nor Internet Access....correct? You just picked up a signal......they could have seen you on the network and cut your MAC out....or enabled wireless security...they would control that not you.....if not...
In your network devices...you should be able to right click on your wireless card then go to properties and make any changes you need there.........let me know.......

Well I'm not sure what it could have been, thinking wireless network, since my aunt lives in Cali and all the way on the east coast, that could have been it.

And it was odd b/c I was just playing with the laptop and I'm like let me see if this works, and it did. I'm usually on my pc, but now with school the laptop is more convenient!

I did click on the wireless card, I actually went to best buy to see if they could fix whatever was wrong with it, and it picked up the Best Buy Network, I changed one of the settings when I was messing with it, to peer to peer, ad havoc I think its called, and that's all I'm getting right now. Always sending packets and not receiving any

Obviously I'm oblivious to this kind of technology, how can I get wireless again? At first I'm thinking it was something I did, but it could have been the network like you said. I remember before it went off, I got this signal and pop up thing saying that it wasn't secure, or something of that sort.

[BB88]

Originally Posted by xflat

....Wireless LAN
An internet connection that has a wireless router ...this allows users to connect and share the internet connection. When there is no security thus allowing anybody to connect this is termed a hotspot. However...say...someone in your apartment building or across the street....may not want to share their private internet connection and whacked you off of it via security measure. Or you could have "fixed it" yourself. Hey if it ain't broken you must need to tweak it right Your well on your way to being a Major Geek
Adhoc is what you are trying to say. Do you have a icon of your wireless connection in your system tray. Try right clicking on that.
It should show you all available wireless connections. It also should have a "properties" listed. Click on "properties" That should allow you to change back to Adhoc......lemme know man....and don't tweak anything else just yet OK?

Well this is weird. I'm on my pc right now, but i just went downstairs to the laptop to see if it would work, b/c I have tried to change the settings from Adhoc, and i kept double clicking on it and nothing would happen. Well for fun, I was like lets see if it connects and then I can open it and then change the settings, even though it never truly connects. Well it did! Computers are confusing, and bless for all of you people that understand it! lol

I will come back though from time to time, cause i'm sure i haven't seen the last of the aggravations from laptops and pc's!

Thanks so much!