enable WPA on a t30 notebook

Our company uses IBM thinkpads. The notebook in question is a T30 model. With all the XP updates and the firmware update and the driver updates, I am still unable to enable WPA on the wireless adapter. Anyone got a fix for this?

 

is this a built in wireless or a card?

 

built in.

 

which is the exact model of the wireless adapter and what driver are you using? I see its a "Cisco Aironet Wireless 802.11b" card, but what model is it? I ask because Cisco does claim WPA support for their aironet cards.

You may have to use the microsoft WPA Supplicant, but i'll look into it once I know the model. You can always use Everest to find out.

 

It's not a Cisco, It identifies itself to Windows as an Intel, but it's actually and IBM High Rate MIni Pci wireless adapter and modem II. And what happens is that when I try to configure it, the only options available are Disabled and WEP. I'm trying to find out if I'm missing something, or if it's just not going to be available.

 

Do you have the most recent wireless drivers? You may need an update to have WPA capability, if it is available for your wireless card.

 

I have all the latest available drivers. As a matter of fact, I've spent about two days just getting all the updates and verifying driver updates (It's been out of use for quite a while.). I think that based on my research and conversations, this particular card is not capable of being updated to allow WPA.

 

I cannot fully help you until I have the exact wireless card model. Intel what? 2200? 2100? Please use Everest to determine the model http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4181

 

RELEASED VERSIONS
-----------------
Version 2.2.2 Supports ThinkPad T30
Version 3.4.9 Fixes several problems.
Added support for ThinkPad X30
Version 3.5.13 Added support for
ThinkPad R32, R40, X31, T40, T41, T41p, T42, T42p
Version 3.8.26 Added support for WPA (Windows 2000/XP Only)
Version 3.8.26 Fixed a problem.

As you can see driver v3.8.26 is suppose to support WPA for yor laptop and your wireless card.

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?lndocid=MIGR-42683

Hope this helps.

 

I thought it would, too, but it didn't. We've pretty much come to the conclusion that as long as we use a VPN or Citrix for our road warriors, doing wireless in house isn't critical for that laptop. Most of our guests have newer notebooks and they allow us to type in the key to our wireless. For the purpose of this particular user, she can access a hotel's wireless and do what she needs and gain access to our network via VPN or Citrix, depending on what she's doing once she's in.

 

Hey guys,

I might not be your usual poster since I don't know shit about shit when it comes to this system stuff (I'm a front-end Web Designer) but I pulled off the thing you're trying to do on your t30.

The thing I figured out was that you will need two things: a firmware update and a driver update. Both these things are available from lenovo's web site.

firmware
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-44289

driver
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-42480

Do the firmware first and then the driver. Download the txt files and read them carefully. The firmware especially seems very tricky and needs to be carefully done.

I hope this helps you not have to spend a whole day ****in around with this thing like I did.

Jonothing

 

Incidentally, My wireless thingus turned out to be called "High Rate Wireless Lan Mini-PCI adapter with modem II" from Intel. Man, I can't believe they can't think of a better name for that thing than that!