Wi-Fi and Windows 7 Newbie Questions

hi

i recently started using wi-fi with my other computers in my home and my desktop computer is where i have the router connected to send out the wifi. my question is with the currently connected to icon in the corner of the screen with the white colored bars on the icon. i see it has a yellow exclamation point on it. when i click on it it shows its currently connected to my network and another network. this network is "Unidentified network" with no internet access. below it is wireless network connection and it only lists my network. i am curious about this unidentified network cause of the exclamation point and the fact that i didn't see this appear before i formatted my computer recently.

i called Dlink the manufacturer of my router and they said it was just a neighbor in my area with his wifi. and that there was nothing to worry about. i did however forget to tell him about the exclamation point. but i thought i'd try here since i find you guys more reliable in help.

also is it normal on my laptop and other computers in my home using the wifi to have like 10 wireless connections in the same icon window mentioned above that are unconnected? they seem to be neighbors using wifi too. my friend says there's a way to have just your connection and not all your neighbors appearing in that window too. are they sharing my wifi? i don't want that. they can pay for their own wifi.

any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

That usually means that the Network that you are trying to connect to does not provide an IP and the Wireless card Not really connected.
-----------------

A message in the Wireless little Window that says Connected does not means that you really have a valid functional connection.

If everything above is OK you have to be able to connect to the Wireless Router. (WIFI Hot Spot).

Connecting to the Router means that you can enter the Router's core IP into an address bar of a browse, be able to connect, see, and configure the Router's menus (the Wireless Router's extended manual should explain how-to).

If it does not connecting to your own Wireless Router, log from any computer that can connect to Wireless Router with a Wire, disable the Wireless Security, make sure that the Wireless broadcast SSID is On, and try to connect with No Wireless security.

Enable the Wireless security after you mange to establish a functional connection.

----------------------------

Many Wireless cards' drivers also install the vendor's Wireless utility.

Make sure that if there is a vendor's Wireless Utility thes Not Running together with the Windows native Wireless utility (WLAN Service) .

----------------

Software Firewall might block the Local traffic to the Network that you are trying to use because it is Not adjusted to the Network Trust Zone.

Make sure that No Firewall is preventing/blocking the Wireless components to get to the Network.

Some 3rd party Software Firewalls keep blocking aspects of Local Traffic even it they are turned Off (disabled).If possible configure the Firewall correctly, otherwise totally uninstall it, and get rid of its residual processes to allow clean flow of local network traffic.

If the 3rd party software is uninstalled or disables, make sure that Windows native Firewall is On .

3rd party Network mangers like Bonjour, and NetMagic can block local traffic too.

---------------------------

Working TCP/IP stack (Network IP number) should look this way.

Right click on the Wire card Network Connection, choose Status, Details, and see if it got an IP and the rest of the settings.

http://www.ezlan.net/Win7/status-nic.jpg

Description is the card manufacturing data.

Physical address is the card's MAC number.

The xx should be a number from 0 to 255 (all xx same number).

yy should be from 0 to 255

zz should be from 0 to 255 (all zz the same number.

The lease date should be valid to the current time.

*Note 1. IP that starts with 169.xxx.xxx.xxx is not valid functional IP.

*Note 2. There might be an IPv6 entries too. However, they are not functional for Internet traffic or LAN. They are needed for Win 7 special HomeGroup configuration.

.

 

hi cat5e

thanks for the reply. i'm still learning this wifi stuff so i was a bit confused about some of the stuff you wrote so please bear with me.

i can connect to the wireless router and able to configure the router from its menus. in wireless security mode i have "Enable WPA-Personal Wireless Security (Enhanced)" on.
------------
"Make sure that if there is a vendor's Wireless Utility thes Not Running together with the Windows native Wireless utility (WLAN Service) ."
-----------------
can you explain how i do this?
--------------
"Software Firewall might block the Local traffic to the Network that you are trying to use because it is Not adjusted to the Network Trust Zone.

Make sure that No Firewall is preventing/blocking the Wireless components to get to the Network.

Some 3rd party Software Firewalls keep blocking aspects of Local Traffic even it they are turned Off (disabled).If possible configure the Firewall correctly, otherwise totally uninstall it, and get rid of its residual processes to allow clean flow of local network traffic.

If the 3rd party software is uninstalled or disables, make sure that Windows native Firewall is On ."
------------------
i have kaspersky as my virus protection. i believe it does my firewall too but not sure. i also have malware bytes. would these affect the firewall like you say above? can you tell me step by step how i can check if my firewall is blocking my connection???

mine looks different from that picture you linked to. i am attaching a screenshot of what my windows looks like.

looking forward to your reply.

 

You have no gateway in IP settings you attached. No DNS server either. The yellow exclamation point just means you don't have internet access, some of the settings are missing.

The other icons are available alternate networks. If they still show after you fix this one, we can look at getting them to not show in the taskbar.

Are your other computers running through this Dlink too and working normally?
If your other computers are running through this Dlink, what do their IP settings look like?
If you attach this computer via cable, is the problem gone? What are the IP settings then?

The easy and fast fix might be to enter the IP settings manually for this one computer. Set it with a static ip outside the range of the DHCP range on the router.

 

hey handygal

thanks for replying. like i said i am not at all familiar with this wifi and networking stuff. so can you please explain in layman's terms how i can find and do this stuff you mentioned? it would help me in leaps and bounds.

but i do find it weird that you say according to what i showed in the pic that i have no internet access since i am online right now.

my dlink router is sending out a wifi signal to my other 3 computers in my home. the dlink is directly connected to my desktop on this computer. the other computers seem to be working ok. do you want me to write down and post the settings for the other computers? cause i don't have the capture program i have that i used for this computer to take the snapshot of the settings on here. i mean is that safe?

thanks in advance.

 

You are online right now from the computer that you showed the IP settings from in the picture? Then I'm mistaken about what the settings in the IPv6 section are doing. Apparently your computer is too because it's saying No Internet Access but it's transfering packets, I see now.

Just for the sake of playing with the settings to make the exclamation point go away, can you show me what another computer looks like that doesn't have the exclamation? Before I suggest turning off the IP6 and forcing an all IP4 connection to see if that will remove it, I want to see what the others are doing.

You are using Windows 7? Is there a branded application that is assisting the network connection like Dell Control Point or an Intel program?

 

hey handygal

yeah. i don't know why it's like that but yes i'm online.

like i said i don't have the program for taking snapshots of stuff on my computer on the other computers. but i can write it down whatever info you need from the other computer. can you tell me exactly what info you want me to write down? i'm assuming you want info from the same window i posted a pic of in the earlier post? i have 3 computers using wifi from my router on this computer. do you need info from all 3 or just one?

yes i have windows 7 on all the computers in my home. i don't believe i have a program like that on my computers. you're talking about a program like network magic right? if so no we don't have that.

 

One computer that shows your network without an exclamation point and the one that does.

you can copy and paste your settings from the command prompt
click on START
click on RUN
in the box type cmd (click ok)
in the command box type
ipconfig /all (and press enter)

You can copy and paste the results here.

The programs I was looking for aren't so much a helper program (although some ISP's, like Verizion, have a connection assistant that can be annoying) as a helper program that comes with Dell computers or with some Intel NIC cards. Acer has a really annoying one that I uninstalled. That laptop probably isn't going to work again until I put it back. Do you have anything from the maker of your computer that is "helping" you with your internet connection or security settings?

 

ok gotcha on the first part. but when you say "the one that does" do you mean you want info from the computer again that i posted a pic of? just wanna be sure. that computer that i posted a pic from is this computer my desktop.

ok i will try that. i will get back to you with that info soon as i can.

i have Optimum Online by Cablevision so no Verizon here. the computers we have are Gateway (my desktop), 2 Hewlett Packard's (my laptop and my sister's laptop) and i can't remember what my mom's laptop is by but i will find out. i'm pretty sure i don't have anything that is helping with my connection. at least not on my desktop computer. regarding security settings would Kaspersky Anti Virus 2011 do that?

also i wasn't sure about this but i been meaning to ask, is it safe to have that pic i posted on here with my online connection settings? or should i remove it? please let me know.

 

The picture is fine, it doesn't give anything away.

Ok, Optimum online isn't so much what I was aiming for but I'll look it up. Is that installed on just one computer? Is that computer the one with the issue?

Just to make sure that I haven't lost track of anything, the computer that has the exclamation is the desktop. It is the only desktop. It has two connections? I originally noted it to be the only wired computer but the picture says it's wireless. Are you connecting both ways? Did you enable your desktop wireless card to share the network -- allow other network users to connect through this computers internet connection?

If this computer is also connected via an ethernet cable, then the picture is not sufficient. Please copy the whole set of numbers from the ipconfig /all command for this desktop before you bother with the others. It will show if both adapters are on, if they are bridged, if others are sharing it. It doesn't show anything that would help a hacker do anything at all, completely safe.

 

hey handygal

i did something that i regret doing the other night with my computer. i was trying to figure out that exclamation point thing on my network icon on this desktop. i disabled the connection that said unidentified network that had that benchmark icon next to it. i did that by going into network and sharing center and clicking on properties i think. i clicked disable and it disappeared. now i no longer have that exclamation point. but i don't know how to bring it back for you to troubleshoot it. plus i think since then it's affected my program i have for torrents. utorrent client. i know you can't help me with that and i assure you that program wasn't the cause of this whole problem to begin with. i've been using that program for years and it never did anything bad with my network.

ok. but i'm not sure what you mean by your question exactly. optimum is our ISP. it's how i connect to the internet. my desktop is the only computer it looks like that had the exclamation point. i did that ipconfig/all command and i am including it in this post. but as i did it i noticed that none of the other computers in my house have that exclamation point.

yes it is only the desktop. or was until i disabled the network like i explained above. i'm not sure if i am connecting both ways like you say. but i am pretty sure i allowed other network users (my family) to connect through my computers internet connection. i did that by talking to Dlink. i was trying to get my other computers to pick up the wifi signal.

i am gonna post now all the info i got from inconfig/all from all 4 computers in case. my desktop, my laptop, my sister's laptop, and my mom's laptop. here is that info:

my desktop

Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Owner>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mike-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Marvell Yukon 88E8071 PCI-E Gigabit Ether
net Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-68-66-77-AE
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::85f9:82e7:ef97:b6b5%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.101(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, January 22, 2011 10:20:10 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 5:54:53 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 268444264
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-14-95-8B-2C-00-22-68-66-77-AE

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{866F1B61-70E8-4969-921A-F2C38757529B}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:3812:a92:bb3d:2911(Prefe
rred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3812:a92:bb3d:2911%13(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
my laptop


Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Michael>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Doreen-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : C4-17-FE-20-F5-AA
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 43225 802.11b/g/n
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : C4-17-FE-20-F5-AA
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::e826:93e2:8615:1313%13(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.109(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 3:34:59 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 6:35:05 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 331618302
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-12-DC-A6-43-00-26-9E-DF-79-33

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{25D3323E-133A-4CD2-8146-7FE7ACC00DE3}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 9:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 11:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:4f5:37c1:bb3d:2911(Prefe
rred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::4f5:37c1:bb3d:2911%16(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{68DEFDD9-AAFF-4CCB-800E-0B13C35CD42D}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #3
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
------------------------------------------------------------------

my sister's laptop

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\OWner>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : OWner-HP
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom 4313 802.11b/g/n
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : AC-81-12-10-99-05
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::5c2f:6ae9:8952:392c%13(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.105(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 3:10:54 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 6:10:54 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 330072338
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-14-79-40-A3-3C-4A-92-53-99-C4

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 3C-4A-92-53-99-C4
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{6FF3932A-98BA-4032-B70E-BAD62E4FA765}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 12:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft 6to4 Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 13:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:1823:2b4e:bb3d:2911(Pref
erred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::1823:2b4e:bb3d:2911%17(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled
---------------------------------------------------------

My mom's laptop

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\doreen>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : doreen-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5B95 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 90-4C-E5-89-CC-BE
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::4044:5167:cf87:7bcf%12(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.100(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 3:27:04 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 24, 2011 6:27:03 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 311446757
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-12-E8-91-15-70-5A-B6-1F-D8-30

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR8132 PCI-E Fast Ethernet Contro
ller (NDIS 6.20)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 70-5A-B6-1F-D8-30
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{610B6051-3FAC-478D-8694-740AD62B9F8D}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:141d:1177:bb3d:2911(Pref
erred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::141d:1177:bb3d:2911%13(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

-------------------------------------------------------------
please note that my laptop and my mom's laptop are labeled similar to each other in host name. but that is cause my laptop was originally my mom's laptop and she gave it to me later on. so just so you know that, and not think they're coming from the same computer or something.
---------------------------------------------------------------

hope the inconfig/all info helps you in troubleshooting my problem.

 

Hi. I have a double whammy. Just broke my own Excel plus I have to run out to my kid's soccer game.

The icon for the connection that disappeared, we'll get that right back, it's still there. I'll be back later to read through your info in detail again. You did good, your setup looks ok at first glance. I'll go through it more.

 

hi handygal

oh ok that's quite alright handygal . but i'm sorry to hear about your Excel.

sounds good. whenever you get the chance handygal. i am patient.

 

Let me copy the instructions to enable that network adapter and that should give you back the icon with the exclamation.



Open Network Connections by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start,
clicking Control Panel,
clicking Network and Internet,
clicking Network and Sharing Center,
and then clicking Manage network connections.


Right-click the network adapter, and then do the following:

To enable the network adapter, click Enable.
Administrator permission required (If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation)

 

hey handygal

ok i followed your instructions. i have to let you know that after i originally disabled that network adapter it showed a white box in the corner of the screen where the original network icon normally was. now it is a icon with 5 bars and two of them are filled in. no exclamation point is on it right now. and the unidentified network is not appearing when i click on it. just so you know.

so what's our next step?

 

That was easy. Your computer and the others still show a few icons? And they didn't have them before? Can you paste a new ipconfig of just your system here please.
I want to see the re-enabled networks settings.

Did you notice any difference in the other computers while you had that connection disabled? Did the extra icons go away? Did anyone have trouble browsing?

One more look and then we'll change some of the options.

 

hey handygal

i'm not sure what you mean by "a few icons"? what icons exactly? i just wanna be sure i understand you correctly.

sure.

my desktop

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7600]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Owner>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Mike-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Marvell Yukon 88E8071 PCI-E Gigabit Ether
net Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-68-66-77-AE
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::85f9:82e7:ef97:b6b5%11(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.101(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Tuesday, January 25, 2011 11:44:28 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 26, 2011 10:14:28 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 268444264
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-14-95-8B-2C-00-22-68-66-77-AE

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek 8185 Extensible 802.11b/g Wireles
s Device
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-06-4F-80-F0-5D
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::98bb:3f9f:210b:7283%10(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.100(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 26, 2011 5:23:34 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, January 26, 2011 9:53:34 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 167773775
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-14-95-8B-2C-00-22-68-66-77-AE

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{866F1B61-70E8-4969-921A-F2C38757529B}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:3897:f7d:bb3d:2911(Prefe
rred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3897:f7d:bb3d:2911%13(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.{4874BC49-68FB-4F4E-AE81-74029E19181B}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
----------------------------

btw i noticed that the number of lit icons in the bar icon where it shows my icon in the bottom right hand corner is different. in the past before this whole problem i recall having more than just TWO icons lit. that's all i have now - 2 lit - indicating i'm getting low speeds. it alternates the signal strength it says between fair and poor. keep in mind we've been having crappy weather lately due to snow. would that affect it you think? however on my laptop i get all 5 bars lit with a excellent signal strength rating usually. unless i move the laptop to say the living room where my sister's laptop is usually. but then again that's where i pick up the most number of other users using wifi in the area. like my neighbors. that list shows up when i bring up the wireless network connection list.

no i didn't. the reason is i didn't go on the other computers while i had it disabled i think. i can't remember for sure. but i'm pretty sure no one had trouble browsing. i would've heard that from my sis or mom.

hopefully we'll be able to take care of this problem.

 

The exclamation point is gone. The unidentified network is gone.

Seeing all available networks when you look at the wireless list is normal. No one is sharing anything. All it means is that there are signals that your computer can see. It's kind of like your car radio seeing every FM channel in your area and you get to pick one. You don't really care that lake ice fishing report is playing 88.9 as long as your radio station comes in.

Which leads to the last possible problem, why did you lose bars and how do you lose bars on a wired connection? Why are you connected to the router with a wired and a wireless connection? You have two network connections in your taskbar? Are they Local Area Connection & Wireless Network Connection?

 

hi handygal

unfortunately the exclamation point is still here and it still reports unidentified network with my home network. it didn't show the point or the unidentified network earlier. it seems to show up randomly during the day and night. i havent noticed a exact pattern of when it shows up but then again i'm not around the computer all day to check. i wish to god that this problem would go away cause i really think it's been causing my not so great signal strength if not the snowy weather.

oh ok good. i wasn't sure. thanks for clearing that up for me.

i have no idea, that's what i don't understand. i can't remember the exact day this started with losing bars on my desktop. maybe when the snow got bad here in NY. maybe like 2 weeks ago. or maybe im wrong? the reason why i have a router is so that i can connect to my XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 to go online on them. unfortunately the models i have for them are not new and i know they have new models that have wi-fi but i can't afford and will not rebuy them so that i can ditch the router. and the router is of course for the wifi signal for my other computers in my home. in my taskbar when i hover cursor over my network icon the only networks it says i'm on now is my home network (it reports underneath as "Internet Access") and the second as unidentified network (no internet access it says) hence the exclamation point.

in network and sharing center i see something. under home network next to it it says

Access type: Internet
homegroup: joined
Connections: Local Area Connection

under unidentified network:

access type: no internet access
connections: Wireless network connection (Murray11)

murray11 is my home network.

so to answer your last question - yes i do have those two listed.

is there any hope to solving this? should i go over to the dlink board? or should we ask for additional assistance from someone on here?

 

hey handygal

apparently other people have had this same unidentified network problem on win 7. here's a thread i found

http://www.sevenforums.com/network-sharing/14260-windows-7-unidentified-network-help.html

i typed in windows 7 unidentified network virus in google and found it. i'm going to do some investigating on these results. if you find anything before me that solves it let me know.

 

hey handygal

i think i found a solution from Google. here's what someone said with a similar problem on a thread:


1. Go to Device Manager & Uninstall your network card.

2. Reboot your machine & let Win7 reinstall the drivers.

after i did that, the exclamation point is now gone and it no longer shows unidentified network. it's been showing just hte white rectangular box for hours now meaning there's only one connection - my home network so it should be good now. it lists as a local area connection. but the signal strength is fair. guess i should buy a new attenanae for my router to increase the signal. you think it's the snowy weather??

btw is it normal for IPv4 Connectivity to read internet while v6 reads no internet access? let me know.

 

Hi. sorry for the delay, crazy work project.

That all sounds great, good work!

The v6 not being connected is pretty typical. The older hardware doesn't use it yet and a lot of new hardware has it available but doesn't use it yet either. There are a few bugs in it, but mostly it's a good system that will probably be more common in years to come. I've even been told that while we don't use it widely yet, the Chinese do. They are years ahead of us in many technologies. Interesting! I hope they work out the bugs then too!

As far as not having great signal, there are a few things with that. Stay away from other devices that give off signal. I was having an issue with my son's Wii, of all things. Remotes, gaming devices, cordless phones apparently can degrade your signal. Try moving your router around. I've moved my router 2 feet to the left and gotten better signal, i think there were pipes in the wall between me and router. Also, I find raising the router higher up helps avoid some of the signal needing to go though furniture.

You might also want to see what your signal does when different devices connect to the router. I didn't look back through your devices but if 1 is N and one is G and one is B, most routers will run them all at B speed, the router can't run different speeds at once.

Hope that helps. You did some great work.

 

hi handygal

that's quite alright. wasn't sure what was up cause i hadn't heard from you but i'm glad to hear from you now.

thanks, i don't know why i didn't google it originally. cause that's one of the first things i do when i get a computer problem. but i'm still glad i came here cause you helped me understand things with wifi more clearer.

interesting regarding v6. one thing that perplexes me now is i was over my friend's house the other day helping him on his computer and i checked that v6 info to see what his said and if i recall it said "limited" for v6. and v4 was what it says for mine "internet". tho i'm not 100% sure it said limited for v6 it did say something. the reason my memory is hazy is cause my hours have been out of whack lately.

i will try those suggestions for improving the signal. i will also look into maybe getting a new antenna for my router. i know they sell them and that would imrpove it right?

not sure what you mean by this. can you explain this to me? sorry for having to make you look back.

thanks handygal. i think we are close to wrapping this up for now.

 

Wireless has evolved over time and gotten faster. It doesn't seem to apply to you since everyone has a b/g/n device.

That your friend has limited connection on the v.6 probably means that he has a newer router with the protocol. For right now, limited or not connected aren't a factor for either of you.

Some antennas can help. What does your connection say it's at? Reception is low and speed is a low number? Have you tried moving the router at all? You don't have to rewire, lifting it or moving it 2 feet over can improve it. Sometimes it's easier to move another device like the wireless phone plugged in right next to the router.

 

sorry handygal been meaning to answer this a whole lot faster but my email got piled up and i got distracted with that.

i still don't know what you mean by that device you mention in that quote. can you enlighten me?

i checked my internet connection strength on my desktop a couple of min ago and it said good with 3 bars green. usually lately it's fair or poor. idk why. i tried moving my router to rest on top of my tower instead of on top of my modem on my desk. i can't really move it much further than that with the wire being not that long. but for some odd reason my laptop mine i mean is almost always internet connection strength wise excellent with all green bars. i am now considering just getting a new router. i saw one advertised online that looks good. the reason i'm getting a new router is partly cause the dlink wbr-1310 that i have is old and i think it's time to retire it.

 

Now it was my turn to be away and tied up with work. How is the new wireless router working out?

 

I was working on a system last week, uninstalled and reinstalled the mobile wireless broadband adapter and suddenly had a 8 new "wireless networks" available. They were named something like ST0_MVLW_ G0 ST0_MVLW_ G1 ST0_MVLW_ G2 . . .ST0_MVLW_ G7. Is this something like what you had seen?

 

hey handygal

hehe. yeah i just got the router yesterday. i had to wait a while before i ordered it cause i decided to shop some more to find the router best for my needs and the lowest price. the router can do 2ghz and 5ghz. i just ordered a usb network wireless adapter for it so that i can do 5ghz on my desktop's connection. i will let you know how that goes when i get it. the router is a netgear btw.

 

oops forgot to reply to this in my previous memo....but no i've never seen anything like that. what did you do after you saw that?

 

I just got the HTC inspire 4g cell and need some help. I was told I could just connect to wifi and that way I would save $ doing so. I am not a noob. Just out of touch. Could someone pls explain what I would need to do in order to get wifi in my house. At the moment I am on Comcast cable. I really need anyone to pls dumb it down for me and tell me what devices I would need and if I am able to do the WiFi in my home from my cell. I would most likely put the other computers on this as well. As for the PC's, they are not wireless. Would I need to obtain an NICS card? as well as a wireless. If so could someone tell me what I need and what would be the bet for the buck(wireless router) and how to setup. This may not be an option. I really dont know...Any help would be great. Thx

Win 7 OS
AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Proccesor 2.5 GHz
4GB ram
Nvidia Geforce 9800GT