Delete WEP network

J

jacksonmacd

Our community centre has WiFi with WEP security. When I try to connect
to it using my Win7 netbook, it does not offer any opportunity to
enter a password, then it thinks for about 1 minute, then issues a
failure message (I am writing this from memory at home, so I can't
recall the exact wording of the error message). IIRC, I had tried to
connect at some point in the past and may have entered an incorrect
password.

I would like to delete the network entirely and ensure that Windows is
starting from scratch to connect to this network. However, I can't
find anywhere that the network can be deleted. Nothing about this
network appears in the Network and Sharing Centre.

Any ideas how I can connect to this network?
 
J

jacksonmacd

CrucialHoax - I had tried that many times. The network does not appear
on the list, and I could not understand why. I've deleted many other
networks using the method you described.

But I finally figured it out tonight with some expert help at the
community centre. There is a odd-ball situation where a network has
been (incorrectly) configured and not yet successfully connected-to.
In this situation, the network does NOT appear on the list of networks
in the "Manage Wireless Network" dialog, so it is invisible from that
perspective. However, clicking on the Networks icon in the System Tray
(Notification Area) displays a list of the currently-active access
points to choose which one to connect to... Rather than left-clicking,
you must right-click on the access point and choose Properties. From
there, you can change its password. Once I had corrected the password,
it connected flawlessly. If a network has NOT been configured, then
right-clicking on its name does NOT provide the Properties choice.

Failing to right-click and fix the properties, the only thing you can
do is to click the Connect button. Since the password is incorrect, it
fails to connect, and takes you to a trouble-shooting mode. NOTHING in
the troubleshooting talks about incorrect passwords; in fact, it
advises you to reboot the access point. That's kinda impossible when
connecting to a public access point!

I guess it's just one of those things that you have to know about. The
guidance from Windows (Vista and 7) is less than helpful in this
situation.
 
J

Jack MacDonald

Are you using a Dell laptop?

The netbook is an Acer.
I've also got a Dell notebook (Vista) that exhibits the same problem.
I recently upgraded it to Win7, but have not tried connecting to the
community centre since the upgrade.
 
J

jacksonmacd

Are you using a Dell laptop?


Frustrating...

The notebook computer is a Dell, running Win 7 Home Premium. It does
not connect to the community centre network, although it works fine at
home. The netbook is an Acer Aspire One, running Win 7 Pro. It
connects OK at home and at the community centre.

With the Acer, I can click the wireless icon in the Notification Area,
display the list of available networks, right-click on one of the
networks, and choose Properties from the flyout menu of three items.
Under the Properties, I can manage the network's WEP password. On the
other hand, the Dell does NOT display the three items in the flyout
menu. It only has "Connect" in the menu, and it always fails.

Going thru the Network and Sharing Centre does not offer any advantage
-- the network at the community centre does NOT appear on the list of
available networks, so I have no way to manage the passwords.

I am (relatively) certain that the network is somehow storing, and
trying to connect with, an incorrect password. But I am stymied try to
delete the incorrect password.

Tried searching the Registry, and found two entries with the network
name. Deleted both entries, but still no joy.

Any help appreciated.
 
J

jacksonmacd

Finally found a solution!
On the working computer, go into the Network Centre, Manage Wireless
Networks, and find the troublesome network. Double-click on its name
to view its properties. A link on the bottom of the Properties dialog
allows you to save the network properties onto a file on a USB drive.
Move the USB to the corrupted computer, and run the "setup" program
from the USB drive. The network is now properly configured on the
second computer.
 

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