Wireless adapter

[Charles W]

I am using WindowsXP SP3 and the computer is IBM PC6300.

I have installed a Dlink WDA 1320 wireless adapter in that computer. All
drivers are the latest from Dlink. Everything is working fine.

When I am not using this wireless PC, I always power it off.

Once in a while, When I power on this PC, WindowsXP will tell me that there
is a new hardware found and list it under "Other devices" as 2 things -
"Ethernet controller" and "PCI port". No Dlink adapter listed now.

When I uninstall the 2 things, and reboot, Windows will not report "found
new hardware" now and the adapter will then work again. I do not need to
reinstall anything.

Is there a fix for this? To reboot the PC once in a while is no big deal,
but it is nice not to have to do it.

Thanks in advance

Charles

 

[DL]

Check with IBM support, it seems you may have the beginings of a hardware
problem

 

[Paul]

I am using WindowsXP SP3 and the computer is IBM PC6300.

I have installed a Dlink WDA 1320 wireless adapter in that computer. All
drivers are the latest from Dlink. Everything is working fine.

When I am not using this wireless PC, I always power it off.

Once in a while, When I power on this PC, WindowsXP will tell me that there
is a new hardware found and list it under "Other devices" as 2 things -
"Ethernet controller" and "PCI port". No Dlink adapter listed now.

When I uninstall the 2 things, and reboot, Windows will not report "found
new hardware" now and the adapter will then work again. I do not need to
reinstall anything.

Is there a fix for this? To reboot the PC once in a while is no big deal,
but it is nice not to have to do it.

Thanks in advance

Charles

Perhaps you could use a Windows utility, to record the enumeration
of the device when it is failing, and when it is working. It could
be either that the PCI card is not making good contact with
the PCI connector (not very likely), or it could be that
the device has not finished internal initialization before
Windows queries it.

According to comments here, it is an Atheros AR5005G.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=100&Page=1

That is a single chip Wifi, built in CMOS, with the radio
integrated with the rest of the logic. (That may acoount
for less than stellar radio performance. A separate radio
can be purpose-built to do a better job.)

http://www.atheros.com/pt/bulletins/AR5005GBulletin.pdf

The first example, is some "pciconf" info from Linux.

*******
none0@pci0:5:1:0: class=0x020000 card=0x2052168c
chip=0x001a168c rev=0x01 hdr=0x00
vendor = 'Atheros Communications Inc.'
device = 'Atheros AR5005G Atheros AR5005G 802.11abg NIC

******* You can look up what the device is, if a utility cannot name it
http://pciids.sourceforge.net/v2.2/pci.ids

168c Atheros Communications Inc.
001a AR2413 802.11bg NIC
168c 2052 Compex Wireless 802.11 b/g MiniPCI Adapter, Rev A1 [WLM54G]

******* PCI Device Classes - class code 2 is "Ethernet controller"
http://www.acm.uiuc.edu/sigops/roll_your_own/7.c.1.html

Class Code 2: Network Controllers
Sub-Class Prog. I/F Description
0x00 0x00 Ethernet controller

I use Lavalys Everest Home Edition, to list my hardware. There
may be better tools for the job. Install the software, run it,
then look in DevicesCI Devices for the adapter. Try it in the
"failing boot case" and the "success boot case", and see if
the detection is different.

That is a hardware guy's view of the world

Paul