Wireless connection continually lost

[Jan :\)]

Hi all - Vista SP1, Ultimate X86

I have an HP z6000 laptop with a wireless connection to my home network. I
have a Netgear Wireless Firewall Router, Model - WGT624 v3. I have two
desktops that are hard wired to the Router. All settings for the Wireless
laptop are correct.

The problem is that when the laptop is not in use, which can be several days
at a time, the wireless connection is lost, and it is almost impossible to
restore the connection. I periodically backup the laptop to my external hard
drive over the network, backup specific files from the one desktop to the
laptop over the network, and need to have access to files on the other
desktop via the network. I also need to work on the laptop in other areas of
the house, so I need the wireless capability.

This has been going on for several months, and is something that is recent,
having been using the laptop wireless with the same hardware for more than 2
years. Once the connection is finally made, it does ok, until the next time
I have to shut it down for a few days, and then the connection is lost
again. It would not be so bad, but, getting it to reconnect can take hours,
if not days. I have it set to automatically detect, so not sure what is not
working now.

Any help or suggestions on what I might do to maintain the wireless setting
again would be very much appreciated.

Jan

 

[DL]

Did you upgrade the wireless driver or any other drivers from somewhere
other than HP?

 

[Jan :\)]

Hi DL. No...I only use the updates from the HP site. As long as the
laptop is running the connection is good, there is no loss of the
connection. And, if I turn it off and use it again within a few days, the
connection is still good. But, if I don't use it for a week or so then the
connection is lost and it takes forever to get the connection back again.
It shows the correct workgroup and my network name in the Network area of
the Control Panel, and the properties are all set correctly. It just loses
the connection if off more than a few days and has a hard time getting
connected with the Internet again. I have tried using a static IP address
and such, but, that does not seem to resolve the problem. If I plug the LT
into the router, hard wire it, then I can set the wireless again. But, I
don't understand why I have to do that?

I should not have to use hard wire, or even reset the wireless once it is
set. If it sees the correct wireless network and it is active and is shows
a full strong signal, why is it not connecting? The same thing happens with
XP, which I dual boot with. I have not changed anything on the LT, or
installed anything other than MS updates. Could one of these perhaps have
done something to alter my ability to connect?

Thank you for your time to help. It is very much appreciated?

Jan

 

[DL]

Did this problem coincide with your updating anything from HP?
If when this occurs, does rebooting the router help?
You might need to phone/mail hp support, or view any FAQ's on hp for your
model

 

[Jan :\)]

No..I have not done any recent updates from HP. I finally have the
connection working again, after a weeks efforts, but, not sure how long it
may last this time. That is the crux, when I finally do get the connection
going again, if I turn the LT off for more than a few days it loses the
connection and then it is a bear to get reconnected. This time around,once
connected again it would see all the other PCs but one, and the external
drive. I worked with this and that and booted and rebooted after each
adjustment and finally got it to see the other PC and external drive. I
could see the LT from the other PC, and even access it, but, the LT would
not even see that PC. The wireless LT is the only machine that I have the
problem with, all the 3 other machines are wired and have no problems with
connections for networking.

I have tried to let it detect the IP address and such, and also set the IP
address and such, and it seems to make no difference. It retains the name of
the Network workgroup, but, drops the connection.

I dual boot with both XP Pro SP3 and Vista Sp1 on this LT, and both have the
same issue with the connection loss.

The two things that have worked most often is rebooting the Router, or
rebooting the cable modem. But, that does not always resolve the problem.
So, I'm not sure what is causing the loss of connection. If all the settings
are correct, and all the connections are set correctly, I am totally
confused as to why it keeps losing the connection after being shut down for
only a few days. I am fully patched, fully updated and all my devices and
drivers are up to date. I just don't know what else to do.

Jan

 

[DL]

Phone HP support, or HP chat, maybe theres a known problem for which they
have a fix