How to troubleshoot wireless network connections in Windows XP (313242)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q313242

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Microsoft Windows XP supports 802.11b wireless networking with the Wireless Zero Configuration service. With 802.11b wireless networking, you can enable easy configuration and you can switch between wireless networks. To use this support, you must have a wireless network adapter that is compatible with Windows XP.

For information about the wireless local area network (LAN) adapters that are compatible with Windows XP, view the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/hcl

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MORE INFORMATION

How to troubleshoot wireless network connections in Windows XP

  1. Check the HCL to determine if there is a Windows XP-compatible driver that is available for your wireless adapter.
    • If there is a compatible driver, install the updated driver before you perform any troubleshooting procedures.
    • If there is not a compatible driver, you may be able to use the network adapter but the configuration and functionality may be very limited.
  2. To determine if the driver that you are using recognizes the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration service, follow these steps:
    1. Click Start, click Run, and then type control.exe in the Open box.
    2. Click Network and Internet Connections.
    3. Click Network Connections, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
  3. View the available options.
    • If you do not see the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder or if you cannot view the properties, there is a problem with the driver for the wireless network adapter. To troubleshoot this problem, see the "Driver Installation Issues" section.
    • If you can view the properties for the Wireless Connection icon, but you do not see a Wireless Networks tab, see the "Drivers That Do Not Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service" section.
    • If you can view the properties and if you can see and access the Wireless Networks tab, see the "Drivers That Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service" section.
    • If the Authentication tab is missing in the Wireless Connection properties, make sure that the Wireless Zero Configuration service is running.
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Driver installation issues

If you do not see the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder or if you cannot view the properties for the Wireless Connection icon, there may be a problem with the driver installation. To troubleshoot this issue, verify that you have the latest available driver from the device manufacturer, and then follow these steps to start determining the source of the issue:
  1. Click Start, click Run, and then type devmgmt.msc in the Open box.
  2. In Computer Management, click Device Manager.
  3. In the details pane, double-click Other Devices and look for the wireless network adapter. If you can locate the adapter in the Other Devices folder, a driver has not been installed. To resolve this issue, obtain the driver from the device manufacturer, and then install the driver.
  4. If you cannot locate the adapter in the Other Devices folder, look in the Network Adapters folder.
  5. When you locate the wireless network adapter, write down the make and the model of the adapter.
  6. In the properties for the wireless network adapter, under Device status, verify that this message appears: "The device is working correctly."
  7. If the wireless network adapter is not in the Network Connections folder, there is either a problem with the device or the driver may not be installed. In this case, you will see an error message under Device status. You can search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information about the error code to troubleshoot this problem. To search the Knowledge Base, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

    http://support.microsoft.com/

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Drivers that do not support the Wireless Zero Configuration service

If you can view the properties of the Wireless Connection icon but you do not see the Wireless Networks tab, the network adapter driver does not fully support the Wireless Zero Configuration service.

In this scenario, you may be able to configure Windows XP to use the connection but the configuration options may vary depending on the network adapter and the driver that are in use. To resolve this issue, try to create a working connection.

Note If you cannot create a working connection, contact the device manufacturer for advice about how to configure the adapter for Windows XP.

To create a working connection:
  1. In the Network Connections folder, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
  2. Click Configure, and then on the Advanced tab, configure your wireless network by using the available configuration options. The available options and option names may vary depending on the driver manufacturer.

    The following list describes the basic configuration options:
    • Service Set Identifier (SSID): This setting will match the configuration of your wireless access point or router. If you do not have an access point, this value will be the same on all the computers that are in your wireless network.
    • Wireless Equivalent Protocol (WEP) or Encryption: Disable WEP on both the access point and in these properties for testing purposes.
    • Mode or Network Type: If you have an access point, set this option to Infrastructure. If you do not have an access point and you are connecting computer to computer, set this option to Ad-Hoc.
    • Data Rate: Set this option to Auto or to 11 Mbps.
    • Power Save: For troubleshooting, set Power Save to Off or to Disabled. After the connection works correctly, you can change this setting.
  3. After you configure these options, click OK to save your changes.
  4. Test your connection. If a red "X" appears over the connection icon in the Network Connections folder or if you cannot connect, continue troubleshooting.
  5. Click Start, click Run, and then type devmgmt.msc in the Open box.
  6. In Computer Management, double-click Services and Applications, and then click Services.
  7. In the details pane, right-click Wireless Zero Configuration, and then click Properties.
  8. In the Startup type box, click Disabled, and then click OK.
  9. Quit Computer Management, and then restart the computer.
With this configuration, you can connect to the wireless network if the other network configuration is correct. If the Wireless Connection icon appears in the notification area as a working connection, the wireless connection will work.

To resolve any remaining issues, use standard TCP/IP network troubleshooting techniques.

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Drivers that support the Wireless Zero Configuration service

If the Wireless Networks tab in the Ppropertiesof the Wireless Connection is available, the driver knows about the Windows XP Zero Configuration support for wireless networks.

To configure Windows XP for your wireless network:
  1. In the Network Connections folder, right-click Wireless Connection, and then click Properties.
  2. On the Wireless Networks tab, in the Available Networksbox, click your network, and then click Configure.
  3. In the Configuration window, provide the Service Set Identification (SSID) that your network is using, the WEP settings (encryption), and the authentication settings that you must have for your network. If you are not using a wireless access point or router, set the network mode to Ad-Hoc.
  4. If your network is not listed as an available network, click Add to manually configure settings for a network. When you save these settings, you can use them automatically when the network is available.
  5. After you save this configuration, repeat this process on the other computers on your network.
  6. After you configure the settings for the other computers, you will see the network SSID name in the Preferred Networks list. If you see a blue circle, the network has been located; if you see a red "X," there may be a problem with the radio signal between the stations on the network or the configuration may be incorrect. Confirm that the settings on your network are correct and then move the computer closer to either the access point or router or move it closer to the other computer on the wireless network.
After you complete the configuration steps, the wireless connection will be correctly configured.

If you experience issues when you try to connect to the network, double-click the Wireless Connection icon in the Network Connections folder to view the connection status. In the Connection status, there is a signal strength meter that you can use to verify the strength of the signal between computers.

Strong signal

If you still have trouble connecting but the signal strength is good, a different network configuration issue may be preventing communications. To resolve this issue, use standard TCP/IP troubleshooting techniques.

Weak signal

If you still have trouble connecting and the signal strength is not good or no signal is received, try the steps in the "Drivers That Do Not Support the Wireless Zero Configuration Service" section. If the method that is described in that section does not resolve the issue, contact the manufacturer to determine if the wireless network adapters and the access point are working correctly.

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For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

314067 How to troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity with Windows XP

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Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:6/22/2004
Keywords:kbenv kbinfo kbnetwork kbtshoot KB313242
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.