Vista can be problematic for wireless connectivity

[Papa]

Wireless connectivity can be problematic when using the Vista operating
system. There are two "cures" I have found that can help to eliminate some
of the problems.

1. Change the workgroup name in your Vista machine to MSHOME if your other
home network computers use Windows XP. All computers in the home network
should have the same workgroup name. For Windows XP, the default name is
MSHOME, but for Vista the default name is WORKGROUP. Why Microsoft changed
the default name to WORKGROUP in Vista is beyond me. It just adds
unnecessary confusion for new Vista users.

2. Download all Microsoft Vista updates. At least one update is for a Wi-Fi
adapter card (the Realtek 8185 Extensible 802.11g used in some notebooks).

 

[Guest]

Vista does not require the same workgroup name as XP does. Vista says that
it's faster if all computer belong to the same group, but not necessary,
convenient for large offices. I think home users should name the workgroup
something unique instead of using the default name.

 

[Papa]

You are missing the point. I have a mix of XP and Vista computers on my home
network, as I expect is the case for most home networks. So if you want a
home network in which ALL computers (both Vista and XP) are able to
communicate with one another, then make the workgroup names the same for all
of them.

As for using a default name or using a more unique name, that is really
immaterial as long as all computers in the network have the same workgroup
name.

 

[Rob Pelletier]

Here's a fix that helped with a MS VPN issue through wireless - and it
doesn't come down through Windows Update.

Article ID: 930163

I'm not saying it's relevant to your particular issue, but it helped me, so
I though I'd toss it into the mix.