T42 wireless not connecting...

[motolube]

Good Morning guys, I am new here and this is my first post. I have searched for my problem and even though I have found many similar issues, none of them has been able to solve my problem.

I recently purchased this IBM Thinkpad T42-2374-K47, it was refurbished and it came in with Windows XP Pro w/SP1. Everything appeared to be working correctly until I started doing the windows updates. Right after I finished upgrading to SP3 my wireless does not want to connect. I read somewhere here (or on other sites) that this is because of an issue with the ethernet card not disconnecting completely but no matter what I try, I can not solve the issue. Before sending it back, I want to be able to resolve and keep the lappy.

Here are all the specs of the Thinkpad

T42-2374-K47

Windows XP Pro 5.10.2600 SP3

1GB Ram

Bios Version 3.23

ATI Mobility Radeon 7500, Driver Ver. 6.14.10.6547, Date 2/6/2007

Thinkpad Integrated 56K Modem, Driver Ver. 7.56.0.0, Date 9/18/2006

Intel Pro/1000 MT Mobility Connection, Driver Ver. 8.7.9.0, Date 10/24/2006 (**)

Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection, Driver Ver. 9.0.4.39, Date 12/19/2007

ThinkVantage System Update 3, Ver. 3.14.0017, Date 2008-10-20

ThinkVantage Access Connection 5, Ver. 5.12 for XP/2000, Build: 7VCX83WW

(**)  - I know there is a newer driver for it but I can not make it work, no matter how many different methods/options I have used to install it and believe me, I have done them all. From uninstalling with CCCleaner, restarting, cancelling the wizard, running a registry cleaner and going to the C:/Drivers/Ethernet and installing from there to going to Device Manager (after cleaning the registry) and choosing the driver to install (Have Disk) from the uncompressed folder just to mention a few methods. According to the System Update, all my drivers are up to date but if I go to Lenovo's Drivers site, I see that there is a newer driver for it.

OK, here is my Issue, There is no way to connect with my Wireless, I have created a Profile for my Office W-Lan in my Access Connection, I am using a WPA-PSk security but, even if I leave the security disable, I can not connect, the wireless is never able to get an IP address. If I hook up the ethernet cable, the wireless connects inmediately. 

One thing I have noticed when I use the wireless connection only is that I am able to connect right away to Peer-to-Peer but I don't know why is this and I can't find a way to disable this feature thinking that this is part of my problem? 

Sorry for the long rant but I tried to give as much information as I can to make it easy for you folks to help me. I am sure that I still need to give you more info but I hope it will be minimal.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to help even though there are pages and pages on this subject.

Regards

Dan

[jimbob83]

If it worked before SP3, try uninstalling SP3.  I had to do that on my desktop when it would no longer work with my camera.  According to Microsoft, SP3 doesn't add much anyways.

[lyvwhyr]

If you could try to uninstall and reinstall the following in this order

1. PowerManagment Driver. link here

2. HotkeyDriver. link here

3. WLAN driver. link here

and if you are using Access connections as well.

I would try to use Windows(Wireless Zero config) to connectfisrt before installing newest version of AC

4.Access Connections link here

[motolube]

jimbob83, I guess I should have said... It started not to work right after the upgrade to SP2 but, even if it was after SP3, uninstalling it is NOT really a solution but a simple bandaid. SP3 might not bring much but there are a lot of vulnerability patches and fixes that the computer needs and everything should work accordingly or Lenovo/IBM should have to correct the issue. I appreciate your reply though.

lyvwhyr, I appreciate the time you took to reply. I understand the first 3 parts (uninstall and install), now, I don't quiet understand the last part, you want me to just uninstall AC and then let Windows configure my wireless by itself or you want me to uninstall the version I have now and then install the AC version you linked me to? Sorry for being so thick headed on this.

[sktn77a]

Access connections can cause issues in some installations.  The first think I do with a new or re-imaged thinkpad is to remove it.  Windows wireless networking can handle all of my requirements.  The previous poster's caution about SP3 is real.  There have been numerous people with wireless issues after installing SP3.

[motolube]

Laptops are not my forte, I am usually dealing more with desktops. I have another old laptop (Compaq) that came in with a PCMCI wireless card, I finally made it work with the Cisco Aironet software because Windows wouldn't do it. It has SP3 as well and I didn't have the issues I am having with this new one. One would figure that the new laptops having the latest wireless hardware technology should have less issues than the old ones but one would be wrong LOL.

OK, I did 1 to 3 in the order you told me, I even went as far as to uninstall AC for this test. Here's the blow by blow

The wireless connection doesn't find any wireless networks, if I go to Run/CMD and type IPCONFIG /RELEASE, I receive the following message:

An internal error occurred: A device attached to the system is not functioning.

NOw, after installing the Intel Wlan I see that only a driver was installed but not the software. I went ahead and enable the software and after creating a profile for my SSID, it tries to connect but all I get is a peer-to-peer and nothing else.  I restarted to see if this would clear anythingbut after being back at the desktop, nothing changes.

If I go into the Intel software and I tell it to let Windows manage my connection, it finds the network, it also tries to acquire a network but it tells me that I have Limited or no Connectivity. If I go into the properties and click on the Details for LImited or No Connectivity, I see nothing under DEFAULT GATEWAY, DNS SERVER or WINS SERVER. Trying to release/renew IP gives me the above error.

So I go to step # 4 and this is what happens. After I configure the profile for my wireless network, I restart the pc for good measure, inmeditately after login in, the AC tried to acquire the network but fails miserably. The signalstrenght is Excellent, the wireless radio is On, yet... no connection. If I use the Help Me Fix It, it tells me that it fails to renew IP for the 2200BG wireless and Pro/1000 MT. If I tell it to Release the IP, it does it for the 2200BG but fails for the Pro/1000 MT. I tstill thinks this is where the whole problem lies. The Pro/1000 MT is grabbing a hold of the IP and does not release it when I unplug the wire and the wireless is now IP-les.

As I explained before, I have a new driver for the Pro/1000 MT but, for the life of me, I can not uninstall this one and install the new one, something beyond my capabilities is not allowing me to do so and I think once I solve this, all my wireless issues will be solve as well.

I go back to the intel and disable everything but the driver (put it back to when I installed it the first time) , restart the PC, initialize the AC profileto no avail.

I am probably over the grace period to call my Credit Card Company and return this laptop but that doesn't upset me as much as not being able to fix this issue. I truly want to thank all of you for taking the time to read my rants. I only wish someone from IBM/Lenovo would come here and help me with this issue or help me get an RMA so I can return this lemon..

[motolube]

Well, I am baffled once again. Thinking that my router could be the culprit, I took the laptop home to test on my home wireless router. It didn't take me more than 1 minute to get connected, so I was all set to toss my office router to the dogs (netopia adsl router).

Came to the office this morning and I took the battery out of the laptop to work with A/C power only, lo and behold and to my dismay, I inmediately get wireless connectivity... WTH???

This gives me an idea and I start to remember that I have also read that the battery could cause a problem with wireless connectivity. I turn the pc off, connect the battery + the A/C power and start the laptop one more time. Again, wireless connected in no time at all... so far so good, right?

One more time, I turn the laptop off, take the A/C power out and start the lappy with battery only, get to the desktop and Limited or No Connectivity is what I get now... no more wirelss connection.

I go to the Power management of both the ethernet and wireless card and I set them to the maximum performance thinking that this could help and after starting the pc and getting the same response, now, it won't connect anymore with any of the other methods that did before.

Any other ideas?

[gyrfalcon]

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motolube wrote:

Well, I am baffled once again. Thinking that my router could be the culprit, I took the laptop home to test on my home wireless router...  Any other ideas?

---

I doubt it's your router that's the problem...   Checkout my other post: 

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/message?board.id=T_Series_Thinkpads&thread.id=32831

I'm guessing that if you uninstall the Intel PRO/1000MT from the device manager your problems will go away.  Then again, you'll be without Ethernet.

[ArchieFatcacky]

All,

We have recently upgraded to XP SP3 (cutting edge!) and have found exactly the same issue with Wireless not connecting until a wired connection is made first.

After much effort I have found that the problem is not the wireless but the ethernet driver. Our T42s were running version 8.7.9.0 or above but when I rolled back to 7.2.17.101 it works fine. This driver is dated 26/10/2004. I have rolled back and forth between the old and the new driver several times and it is a fully reproducable solution for us.

The only question is what are the benefits of the newer drivers over the older ones.

Hope this helps.

[fourqqqq]

Archie your solution was dead on. Rebuilding a couple of t's my company is scrapping. Rolling back the ethernet driver was it. Thanks for taking the time to share.