XPSP2 Near Miss!!!

[Rick]

Greetings! Got back from vacation today and there waiting
for me was XP SP2 via AU. So just relaxing, I download
and install. Mistake. Oh, everything went great for the
download (96MB) and the install. However, on the reboot,
yikes! XPSP2 Windows does not like my wireless connection
or hardware (strangely enough, Microsoft equipment!! Base
station and wireless network card for my laptop), hence
no network, no email, no Internet. No fix either as the
message indicated my wireless network was not compatible
with "this version of Windows" ie XPSP2! I was freaking a
little, mainly cuz there was NO RESTORE POINT! Apparently
XPSP2 deletes all the restore points??? I don't know but
there was not a single restore available. Then, as I
looked through the Add/Remove Programs list, I didn't see
XPSP2...but then found it...whew! Deleted it, Thank you
Father! And PTL, my system was back, somehow, back to
normal, just as before! Weird. I don't think I can
install XPSP2?! Why wouldn't my Microsoft Broadband
Wireless Router/Base Station and laptop card not be
compatible with XPSP2? Any ideas, comments???

 

[Len Segal]

Rick,

Yes, there is an updated driver (July 2004) for using MS wireless devices with XP2. I have the MN-700 and MN-710 and they work with XP2. http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/broadbandnetworking/10_DLoadMain.mspx

From the readme file: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/broadbandnetworking/readme/0704_readme.htm

"This release includes:
a.. <snip>
b.. Added compatibility for Microsoft Windows XP SP2
c.. <snip>
This release includes the following updated components:

a.. Setup Wizard (2.2.0.731)
b.. Broadband Network Utility (2.2.0.731)
c.. Microsoft Wireless Base Station (MN-700) firmware (2.1.2.590)
d.. Microsoft Wireless USB Adapter (MN-510) driver (3.1.3.31)
e.. Microsoft Wireless Notebook Adapter (MN-520) driver (3.1.3.31)
f.. Microsoft Wireless Notebook Adapter (MN-720) driver (3.60.7.0)
g.. Microsoft Wireless PCI Adapter (MN-730) driver (3.60.7.0)"
Did you look for any new drivers for all your hardware before running the SP2 installation? It always pays off to do this and to check any utilities support websites as well.

 

[Scott M.]

SP 2 has updated software for wireless networks. Because you didn't finish
the install, it is possible that the new updates for wireless networks
didn't finish installing and you got stuck with no active software.

You should be able to install the software without an Internet connection if
the update has already been downloaded to your local machine though.

 

[Guest]

Rick was lucky.

I've had the same experience. MN-700 router and two MN-730 PCI wireless
cards. The computer with the MN-700 works fine with SP2, but the others not
so much.
After I had deployed SP2 to the two MN-730 machines, I couldn't understand
why I kept losing the wireless signal after a couple of minutes. Googling
helped me discover that if I removed the networking software on those two
machines that should help. If I hadn't been so frustrating it would have
been almost funny. How is that MS didn't think to include their own software
in compatibility tests???? I'm still having trouble with one of the MN-730
machines. It will periodically loose it's WEP key.

My advice: Stay away from SP2 until the figure out how to fix the wireless
"upgrade" in SP2