Ten simple and easy wireless network troubleshooting solutions - mainly for windows laptops running XP

Here are ten things to try to get your wireless connection going again. Most of the solutions are windows based but a few are generic. Easiest or most likely solutions are listed first.


1. Check if your laptop has a switch on the top, side or front to physically turn the wireless card on and off. Ensure that it's in the 'on' position. Some computers have a keyboard shortcut that enables or disables wireless networking. For example, on some Asus computers, pressing the keys Fn F2 together turns the wireless card on or off. Look for a wireless symbol on the function keys.


2. Check the problem is not just due to signal strength (move around).


3. If possible, switch your wireless router off and back on to reboot it. Also restart the computer, just for the hell of it.


4. In windows, check device manager for any errors.
Edit: these are indicated by a exclamation mark on the list in device manager.


5. Try a TCP/IP stack repair (e.g. on Windows XP).
-Go to start menu, select run, type CMD to open the command prompt.
-Reset winsock entries to defaults by typing 'netsh winsock reset catalog'
-Reset the TCP/IP stack to defaults by typing 'netsh int ip reset reset.log'


6. In Windows XP, check Wireless Zero Configuration is enabled.
-Go to start menu, select run, type 'services.msc', click OK.
-Restart the service Wireless Zero Configuration as follows:

1. On the services list select Wireless Zero Configuration (It is the 3rd last one)
2. Double click on the service
3. Click on Stop and the click on start
4. Click Apply and then OK

Note, you can check if it's running by typing 'sc query wzcsvc' into the command prompt, then hitting ok. If it says 'running' next to 'state', then it's running.


Edit: Note regarding Windows Vista: Vista doesn't have the wireless zero configuration service.  It was replaced by WLAN Autoconfig and this can be activated as follows:

1. Go to Start and right click Computer. Select and click Manage.
2. Computer Management window will appear. Under Services and Applications, select Services. (Start -> Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services)
3. Scroll down and select WLAN AutoConfig.
4. Double-click the service and its properties window will appear. If the startup type is not set to automatic, click on the dropdown arrow and change it to Automatic. Click Start to start the service if it’s not started. Click OK.

7. Delete all preferred networks, then try to reconnect.


8. Check your Services are all Started:

• Computer Browser
• DHCP Client
• DNS Client
• Network Location Awareness
• Server
• TCP/IP Netbios helper
• Workstation

9. Check for driver issues and if necessary, update or reinstall drivers. In windows, look for the wireless network adapter in other devices within the device manager. Right click the wireless adapter and click properties to access driver information.




10. Check if it's a firewall issue (try switching your firewall off temporarily to see if connectivity returns).


Other possibilities to investigate:

• Network configuration issues. This may be the cause if you can see the name of the wireless network but can't connect. If you can't see the wireless network in the list of networks, the wireless router might not be configured to broadcast its SSID. You will need to access its settings and ensure SSID is enabled.
• Password/WEP issues. Make sure you've got the right passwords and WEP configurations!
• Hardware issues - wireless network card dead or not fitted correctly. If you've tried everything else, it might be good to physically check the card is inserted properly. If it is, test whether another computer can connect to the wireless network to confirm that the network is working. Alternatively, try connecting your computer to a different network to see if it works elsewhere.