limited connectivity issues

Hey guys, it's been a while since I've logged in for some guidance but I regularly stop by to see what advice I can get w/whatever issues I'm having at the time. That said, I've not been able to resolve this issue and done all but given up on this conundrum. So here goes...

I'm currently dealing w/a limited connectivity problem on an HP Pavilion dv6605us Entertainment Notebook loaded w/Vista 32 bit. Lan controller is an NVIDIA nForce 10/100Mbps and the wireless is a Broadcom 802.11b/g WLAN. At one point in time I was able to get it to work normally but that was the only short-lived success I've had so far.

I have tried the following:
-reset my wireless router.

-messed w/my router settings (i.e. channel, security, etc.).

-disabled firewall during the process (re-enabled after I got no where).

-used "Repair" option after I went through "Diagnose".

-updated the device driver for both the lan and wireless controllers (but according to Vista only the wireless driver had an update).

-uninstalled/reinstalled the lan and wireless controllers then updated the drivers. (NOTE: This is where I saw my limited success only to be scuttled away by a notebook battery that died in less than 5 minutes b/c it wasn't plugged in and most likely needs to be replaced).

-ipconfig/release.../flushdns.../renew method. Ran sfc/scannow afterward and found no violations.

-installed/uninstalled the Reliable Multicast Protocol driver (then reinstalled and left it alone).

-unchecked IPv6 from Wireless Network Connection->Properties to see if that helped (but got same disappointing result).

-checked in services.msc that the proper services were running and in the proper configuration (set to auto/manual).

-created a new DhcpConn...BcastFlag and set it to '1' like the ms support site suggested (and toggled the original DhcpConnForceBroadcastFlag from '1' to '0' but got same disappointing result also).

-got on the hp website to download any other driver or software update (sp38202 and sp41675) for the wireless controller.

-consulted w/HP Wireless Assistant (in one of my last feeble attempts) and got no where.

There are probably a few other things I forgot I tried but I'm near the point of no return of either going through system recovery and resetting this wretched :*** notebook to factory defaults or just doing a fresh install of vista. I realize at this point that's probably the only viable option but I don't want to give in to easy way out just yet. Until it becomes the only way out of this mess I'd like to fix this the majorgeek way :major (you know, by exhausting every other option I've overlooked and having another majorgeek bluntly bringing it to the forefront of my attention). In other words...PLEASE HELP! :banghead

 

Greetings, zlaser84...

Looks as if you've performed the normal troubleshooting steps that most would have recommended - impressive...

Any difference in symptoms if you connect the machine directly to the modem / router? Apologies if this was mentioned in your steps, but I couldn't see if you actually hard-wired or not...

Also, in cases such as this, I occasionally use a 3rd-party USB wireless adapter as a troubleshooting aid - something like this. You might consider picking up one, see if your symptoms change - if so, this will give more troubleshooting info. An added plus is that I guarantee that adapter will pay for itself, if not now then in the future.

 

I've found recently that ****canning the HP Wireless Assistant, and allowing Windows Wireless Zero to do the job has worked wonders.

Give uninstalling HP's crapware a go...

 

Ok guys, problem solved...I think (since Idk if/how long this will last).

As it happens, I was just about to run by wally world to purchase a wireless dongle like Caliban suggested (thanks btw and the hard wired connection was functioning normally - I knew I forgot to list something as obvious as that) when I decided to take the mekanic and Major Attitude's advice first. So I hastily got on the dreaded hp thinking I could run through this process quickly then be on my merry way to solve this issue w/that belkin and noticed that my gateway I'm currently using wasn't connecting wirelessly either. I knew something was up w/the router at this point so I went back to check the settings and ended up doing the following:

-unchecked "WPA-Personal" (so that "WPA2-Personal" is the only option available instead of having both since both these machines support it).

-changed option from "TKIP+AES" to "AES" only.

-changed channel from "Automatic" to the strongest channel I could find on my nifty little scanner app.

-double checked both systems to confirm all properties and settings were aligned w/router settings.

After having done this and then noticing by this time that the :*** hp wireless assistant had been successfully removed, lo and behold the hp's wireless connection was alive once again (which lead me to a triumphant "yeah b*tch!"). But like I mentioned earlier Idk how long this bitter sweet victory will last since the last time I got any result it was tragically short-lived (although it's still holding up as we speak!). That being said, if all else fails I'm just gonna buy a usb adapter to circumvent any headaches like this in the future.

So, in conclusion of my week-long saga of failed attempts (and one successful albeit, arguably lucky attempt) I had this odd feeling that if all of these in-depth solutions didn't solve this issue it had to be something simpler. And now here I sit, both bewildered and amused that I could have either overlooked something so obvious or just didn't uninstall something I should have uninstalled long before today. Wireless connectivity is still holding!

Thank you guys, Caliban, the mekanic, and Major Attitude for your advice.

 

Good job - glad you got things sorted, and thanks for the feedback...