Lem wrote:
| RoseW wrote:
|| Lem wrote:
|| <snip>:
||||| Lem wrote:
|||||| RoseW wrote:
<snip>
||||| I got the laptop SSID name changed but continuing with the
||||| security settings created an issue. The message that a network
||||| key was required came up and I'm not clear what is to be entered.
||||| I tried some combinations within the 5 to 13 characters in the
||||| Windows Xpsp2 dialogue box but it wasn't successful so I disabled
||||| the security entries in the router setup. Restarted the laptop
||||| and it would connect with security disabled in the laptop
||||| wireless account properties . I rarely use the laptop for the
||||| internet and its rarely turned on so I can investigate what is
||||| required for this 'network key' before attempting to turn the
||||| security back on again.
||||| Rose
||||
|||| I have been searching with Google and I did all the steps when it
|||| came to enter the Network key so I must have typed incorrectly the
|||| 26letter/number series produced in the Belkin security Wep section.
|||| I'll try again tomorrow. Rose
||||
||||
|||
||| Perhaps you've got it sorted by now. Perhaps not.
|||
||| The "network key" is something you first enter in the router's
||| "security section" (via your browser). If you do this while you are
||| connected to the router with an Ethernet cable, you won't be
||| disconnected from the router as soon as you "save" or "apply" the
||| setting. You then enter the same key in the WinXP dialog box on your
||| laptop.
|||
||| You really should use WPA2 (or at least WPA) rather then WEP,
||| depending on what your laptop can do. WEP encryption is rather
||| easily cracked these days.
||
|| Yes, I entered the passphrase in the router's security section and it
|| created the 26 key combination. I was connected to the router with
|| an ethernet cable...BUT...the laptop was disconnected anyway. It
|| seems to have gone totally to the wireless and ignores the cable. I
|| could still deal with the configuration via the cabled desktop.
|| Its the entry of the Network Key in the Windows Xppro dialoque. Its
|| almost like there isn't enough room for the total combination and
|| I'm not leaving spaces between the groups of that total 26
|| numbers/letters.
|| I wondered if I should uncheck the line that says 'Let Windows
|| manage the network' ..or words to that effect.
<snip>|| Rose
||
INLINE
|
| This sounds like a situation that could be fixed up in 5 minutes
| sitting in front of your computer, but will take rather longer to
| describe in writing.
|
| I think you're still trying to configure WEP encryption in the router.
| That's the option that generally has you put in a "passphrase" and
| then generates from 1 to 4 26-character "keys." WPA (and its
| improvement, WPA2) are not only much more secure than WEP, but
| there's only one passphrase to worry about.
I got the encryption done in the router setup. I used a passphrase.
| This article discusses WPA:
|
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0303.mspx
| And this one, WPA2:
|
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/community/columns/cableguy/cg0505.mspx
|
| I strongly suggest that you leave checked the option to "Use Windows
| to configure my wireless network settings." Not only will it be
| easier for me (and others) to explain how to make the settings you
| need, but you may or may not have installed a different utility to
| configure the notebook's wireless settings.
|
| **************************
| caveat to above paragraph:
|
| Such utilities are provided by the manufacturer of the notebook and/or
| the wireless adapter. Problems can arise if you in fact do have such
| a utility active at the same time the Windows utility is active.
| Take a look in the notification area (next to the time). The Windows
| icon looks like this:
|
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Query...-a2b1c1b61c75&DocumentSet=en-US&RenderKey=XML
| Do you have any other icons showing that open up a wireless
| configuration utility?
| ****************************
THE wireless icon shows up in the notification area...
| The display where the "Use Windows ..." checkbox is located should
| look like this:
|
http://screenshots.modemhelp.net/sc...tion/Properties/Wireless_Networks/Index.shtml
| Your list of "Preferred networks" should show the SSID you created.
| If there are other networks listed, "Remove" them. Click the
| "Properties" button and you should get:
|
http://screenshots.modemhelp.net/sc...ociation/(Auth-Open)--(Encryp-Disabled).shtml
|
| If your SSID isn't in the list already, click "Add." You'll go to the
| same screen as shown above, but you'll be able to enter the SSID in
| the "Network name (SSID)" box.
The New name I created in the Router Setup is listed
| Assuming that you have Service Pack 2, you should see 2 drop-down
| boxes. One says "Network Authentication" and the other "Data
| encryption." Click the "Network Authentication" drop-down box.
| You'll have a number of choices, depending on the encryption
| capability of the wireless hardware (and its driver) in your laptop.
| For example, my fairly old wireless adapter gives me 4 choices: Open,
| Shared, WPA, and WPA-PSK. If you have newer hardware, you may also
| have WPA2 and WPA2-PSK. Instead of "PSK" you may see things like
| WPA-Personal or WPA-Enterprise. You want PSK, Pre-Shared Key, or
| Personal -- they're all the same.
|
| If you see WPA2-PSK, choose that. Otherwise, choose WPA-PSK.
|
| Click the "Data encryption" drop-down. You should have a choice
| between TKIP and AES. Pick AES.
My Encryption choice is Disabled or WEP
|
| Now enter your passphrase in the "Network key" box and the one below
| it. Your passphrase should be between 8 and 63 characters long, not a
| dictionary word, and certainly nothing connected with you personally,
| such as your address, phone number, or birthday. If you want it to be
| "really random," there are key generators on the web:
|
http://www.kurtm.net/wpa-pskgen/
|
https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm
| Although you'll see a lot of advice to use the longest possible key,
| it really doesn't need to be 63 characters long. I don't generally
| put a whole lot of stock in what George Ou writes, but this
| particular piece is not far off:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=127
|
| Finally, not only the passphrase, but the type of authentication and
| encryption must be the same on both the router and the laptop. So, if
| in going through the above process you selected WPA2-PSK, but you had
| previously set your router to WPA, you'll have to change the router.
| Same thing for AES vs TKIP. If for some reason, you don't have as
| many choices on the router as you had in setting up your laptop,
| you'll have to pick the best one on the router and then go back and
| re-configure the laptop.
I was typing in the resulting numbers/letters from the passphrase into the
Wireless Network Properties SSID Network Key Windows dialogue box. So its
the passphrase I type into the Network Key/Confirm network key.
| If you still have problems, please do the following, with and without
| the laptop connected to the router with an Ethernet cable:
IF while I'm configuring the router with the online appearance I have the
laptop connection UNCHECKED [whenever this network is detected Windows can
connect to it automatically - Connect when this network is in range] THEN
the laptop might revert or use the ethernet cable.
As it stands since I only have WEP as a choice then I can just redo or
reactivate the Wep settings in the router and type the Passphrase into the
Network Key box.
|
| Open a command prompt window and type the following command:
|
| ipconfig /all > c:\connection.txt {press enter}
|
| Using Notepad, browse to and open C:\connection.txt, and copy/paste
| the information into your next post.
Well, we'll see how it goes <grin>
Rose