# Solved: Wireless connection problems on Dell laptop



## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

Hello, 

So glad I found this forum! I have a Dell Studio 1737 laptop with Windows 7. I've never had a problem connecting with wireless network before now and I've owned this laptop since 2009. 

I can see wireless network but it won't let me connect. Another laptop in our home can connect wirelessly so it's not the router. 

The switch on the side of the computer is enabled. 
The Device Manager says that Ethernet and Dell WLAN wireless card are all working properly and up to date. 

I have no idea what to do now. Everything else on the computer is working fine except that when I tried System Restore, it failed for the last 2 restoration points and that has never happened before. 

Please help! 

Thanks, 

Ecoughlin 
(brand new tech support guy forum member)


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

can we see an ipconfig /all and xirrus screen shot - see below

try also removing the wireless profiles - see below

is the wireless security enabled if so, log into the router and remove the security and see if it now connect

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* ipconfig /all *
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to paste the results into something like notepad and then copy onto a machine that can access the internet and post results here

We would like to see the results from ipconfig /all post back the results in a reply here

Hold the *Windows* key and press *R*, then type *CMD* then press *Enter* to open a command prompt box (A new dialogue box - black with white font, will appear on screen ):

In the command prompt window that opens, type the following command:

_Note that there is a space before the /ALL, but there is *NOT* a space after the / in the following command._

* ipconfig /all > network.txt & network.txt *

It will export the results to notepad and then automatically open notepad.

Now all you need to do is copy and paste those results to a reply here
to do that:
From the notepad menu - choose *Edit* - *Select all* 
all the text will be highlighted
Next
From the notepad menu - choose *Edit* - *Copy*
Now go back to the forum - reply and then right click in the reply box and *paste* 
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector  
Download and install*
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC

http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector.aspx
Direct link to the program is here http://wpc.475a.edgecastcdn.net/00475A/XirrusWiFiInspectorSetup.1.2.0.exe

_{If the above link does not work heres another link http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_download/fid,77196-order,4/download.html}_

Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program

A user guide is available here http://www.xirrus.com/Products/Wi-Fi-Inspector/xirruswifiinspectorguide1-2-0.aspx

post a screen shot of the program running - if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information, and also post which network "Adapter Name" (1st column) is yours on the list

To post a screen shot of the active window, hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file. 
To upload it to the forum, open the full reply window and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are here http://library.techguy.org/wiki/TSG_Posting_a_Screenshot

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better.

If you are using the Mac OS then use http://www.istumbler.net/
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
b]------------------------------------------------------------------------[/b]

* How to remove Wireless Profiles *
http://mgmcc.forumotion.net/t109-removing-an-existing-wireless-profile
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

* How to remove Wireless Profiles - for Vista and Windows 7 *
http://mgmcc.forumotion.net/networking-tutorials-f17/removing-an-existing-wireless-profile-t109.htm
*- Vista/Windows7:*
http://www.tp-link.com/support/showfaq.asp?id=214
- delete the wireless profiles
Start> control Panel> classic view> network and sharing center> manage wireless networks

Delete the profiles
you will then have to enter the wireless security key for any networks you connect to - so make sure you know the correct password , and not using an incorrect password at all
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

And if you have never connected to this router by wireless make sure MAC Address filtering is disabled.


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

Ok, I'm going to try your suggestions. Here are my results for ipconfig /all: 


Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Eunice-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : 
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : at.cox.net

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : at.cox.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1510 Wireless-N WLAN Mini-Card
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-24-2B-46-A2-FA
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::9863:82b7:e34c:7f74%11(Preferred) 
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.103(Preferred) 
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 10, 2011 10:26:48 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 17, 2011 3:08:12 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 201335851
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-11-0A-0F-08-00-22-19-DF-D2-09
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : at.cox.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetLink (TM) Gigabit Ethernet
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-19-DF-D2-09
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::41e8:12ea:2a73:42ea%10(Preferred) 
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.102(Preferred) 
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 10, 2011 10:26:40 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, December 17, 2011 3:08:13 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 251666969
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-11-0A-0F-08-00-22-19-DF-D2-09
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

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. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:3448:7aa:e705:1b5e(Preferred) 
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3448:7aa:e705:1b5e%18(Preferred) 
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Tunnel adapter isatap.at.cox.net:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : at.cox.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #5
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

That shows apparently good wireless and ethernet connections to the router. Still any issue(s)?


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

Here's the WiFi Inspector attachment. I hope it's big enough to see. I am Eunice-PC . 

My laptop is now the hard-wired computer in our house! I'm going to delete the wireless profiles and do the other stuff you recommended and see what happens. 

Thanks for your help!


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

with the wireless connected only - would you also do the following ping tests

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Ping Tests *
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to paste the results into something like notepad and then copy onto a machine that can access the internet and post results here

Start> Run {search bar in Vista/W7}> CMD to open a DOS window and type:

Type the following command 
*Ping 192.168.0.1*
Post back the results
rightclick in the box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and 
control key + V to paste

Type the following command
*Ping google.com*
Post back the results
rightclick in the box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and 
control key + V to paste

Type the following command
*Ping 209.183.226.152*
post back results
rightclick in the box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and 
control key + V to paste


> _*For your information only*
> these tests will check various stages of the connection, the first ping test, *ping default gateway* checks to see if you still have a connection to the router the next two
> *Ping google.com & Ping 209.183.226.152* tests the connection to internet , one by name and one by number which checks that the dns is working_


 
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

If I delete the wireless network, will all the other computers on this network lose their connection and have to be reconfigured?


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

Ok, here are my results, wireless only.

C:\Users\Eunice>Ping 192.168.0.1

Pinging 192.168.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64
Reply from 192.168.0.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 5ms, Average = 2ms

C:\Users\Eunice>Ping google.com

Pinging google.com [74.125.227.52] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 74.125.227.52: bytes=32 time=59ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.227.52: bytes=32 time=57ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.227.52: bytes=32 time=58ms TTL=53
Reply from 74.125.227.52: bytes=32 time=56ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 74.125.227.52:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 56ms, Maximum = 59ms, Average = 57ms

C:\Users\Eunice>Ping 209.183.226.152

Pinging 209.183.226.152 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=37ms TTL=53
Reply from 209.183.226.152: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=53

Ping statistics for 209.183.226.152:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 37ms, Maximum = 40ms, Average = 38ms


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

that is showing a good connection to the internet , if you only have wireless working , then something is blocking that connection - can we also see the ipconfig /all
what firewall do you have or ever had on the PC - dell often come with mcafee - do you have that on with an updated subscription

lets also try a tcp/ip reset

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

*TCP/IP stack repair options for use with Vista/Windows 7*

Start, Programs\Accessories and *right click on Command Prompt, select "Run as Administrator" *to open a command prompt.

_Note: Type only the text in *bold* for the following commands._

Reset WINSOCK entries to installation defaults: *netsh winsock reset catalog*

Reset IPv4 TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. *netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log*
and press enter

Reset IPv6 TCP/IP stack to installation defaults. *netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log*
and press enter

Reboot the machine.

If you receive the message 
*The requested operation requires elevation.*
Then please open the command prompt as administrator - as requested above 
Start, Programs\Accessories and *right click on Command Prompt, select "Run as Administrator" *to open a command prompt.

Please note and post back - if you receive the message 
*Access is Denied*

Post back the results here - we need to know these commands worked correctly
rightclick in the box
select all
enter
control key + C key - to copy
then reply here and 
control key + V to paste

*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

I did the resets but closed the Command Prompt window before I could copy and paste. Sorry! But it did say that it was done successfully after each entry and told me to reboot. So I did. 

I disabled McAfee when I first started having the problems. I have Trend Micro Titanium Security. I haven't disabled that yet but I can.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

are you subscribed to mcafee , if not then i would remove it 


> Trend Micro Titanium Security


 and disable - even remove

*--------------------------------------------------------------*

* Mcafee RemovalTool *
http://service.mcafee.com/FAQDocument.aspx?id=TS100507
http://majorgeeks.com/McAfee_Consumer_Product_Removal_Tool_d5420.html

*--------------------------------------------------------------*


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

Guess what???? Wireless connection works!!!! Amazing, thank you so much. )) 

I'm going to spread the word on my various social networks. Tech Support Guy rocks! 

I am going to remove McAffee, too.


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## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

what did you do - disable Trend Micro Titanium Security ?


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## ecoughlin (Dec 10, 2011)

After resetting the tcp/ip, I just unplugged from the router and checked to see if wireless connection worked and it does. 

I haven't removed McAfee but I'm going to.


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