Member Avatar for MysticalChicken

I'm not entirely sure if "window" is even the right term. Okay, here's the deal. I finally figured out earlier how to get my laptop to connect to the router and got online wirelessly. I started feeling a little sick (too much pie) so I closed my laptop to put it to sleep. It wouldn't go to sleep, so I opened it up and the monitor wouldn't turn on, so I had to do an emergency shut-off and I turned the laptop back on, logged in, and disabled the wireless connection. I decided to turn the laptop off and rest for a while. When I started feeling better I wanted to go back onto the internet, so after turning my laptop back on I went into Control Panel, then I right-clicked the wireless connection and clicked Enable. But it wouldn't connect. I think I know why, but I can't find or what I did at first to connect. I need to get to one of those windows that has like five or six tabs on it. When I clicked on one of the tabs, it gave me the option to change--I'm pretty sure it was the SSID, and I know I could also change the encryption--whether it was an open, WEP, or WPA encryption. I think there might have been one or two other options on that window as well. But now for the life of me I can't find it anywhere anymore. Can someone tell me where this particular window is? I'm at my wit's end here.

PS Sorry if this isn't in the right forum. I wasn't sure where to put it.

EDIT: Also, images would be very helpful, thanks.

EDIT again: Okay, I found an image of the window I'm referring to, but not how to get to it.

I think I have to click the Wireless Networks tab under Properties when I right-click the wireless connection, but all I see is General and Advanced, there's no Wireless Networks tab. There was earlier, though, I'm pretty sure.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by CompUfuss

Dani AI

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Nice troubleshooting so far, — here are concise, practical next steps that build on what you already found and the tips from and .

To make Wireless Zero Configuration start automatically

  • GUI: Start -> Run -> services.msc -> double-click "Wireless Zero Configuration" -> set Startup type to "Automatic" -> click Start -> OK.
  • Command line (Run -> cmd): 
    sc config WZCSVC start= auto
net start WZCSVC

    If the service keeps stopping, check Event Viewer for errors or reinstall/update the wireless driver. As noted, vendor utilities can conflict with WZC — disable the vendor utility from Startup (msconfig) or uninstall it if you want Windows to manage wireless.

Diagnosing "connected to router but internet = disabled"

  • Get the adapter info: 
    ipconfig /all
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

    What to look for: a 169.254.x.x IP means DHCP failed; a 192.168.x.x or 10.x.x.x IP with a populated Default Gateway is normal for a router. Test connectivity: 

    ping <router_IP>      (e.g., ping 192.168.1.1)
ping 8.8.8.8
ping www.google.com

    Interpretation: if you can ping the router but not 8.8.8.8, the router or modem has no upstream connection. If you can ping 8.8.8.8 but not google.com, it’s DNS. Usual fixes: power-cycle modem first, wait until it’s fully up, then power-cycle router; make sure the modem’s Ethernet goes into the router’s WAN/Internet port; try connecting one laptop directly to the modem (power-cycle modem first) to confirm ISP service — some ISPs bind to the last MAC address, so rebooting the modem clears that or you can clone the laptop MAC in the router’s WAN settings.

Disconnecting without freezing

  • Use the system-tray wireless icon (left-click) -> Disconnect or open "View available wireless networks" rather than right-click -> Disable in Network Connections. If the adapter/utility still freezes when changing state, update or reinstall the wireless driver (Device Manager), or use the hardware wireless switch / Fn key while you troubleshoot.

If you want, post the output of ipconfig /all (mask any MACs/serials) and the router WAN status shown on its admin page (192.168.0.1 / 192.168.1.1 commonly) and we can be more specific.

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Member Avatar for MysticalChicken

Sorry for replying to my own post, but I can't edit and I figured out the problem. After an hour of googling everything I could possibly think of, I finally found the solution: I had to go to Services under the Administrative options in Control Panel, and right-click and start Wireless Zero Configuration. This brought the Wireless Networks tab back and I was able to figure it out from there. So now I have wireless internet again.

Member Avatar for jbennet

Yeah XP wasnt originally deisgned with wireless networking. Wireless zero configuration was added in SP2 , before then you had to use the manufacturers own software to do everything.

Thats why sometimes if you use the manufacturers own software it disables WZC. They cant be run together, you use one or the other (the windows one is better imho)

Member Avatar for gerbil

We have a solution to the (too much pie) problem, if you need it...?

Member Avatar for MysticalChicken

Okay, now I have two more questions:

1. How do I get the Wireless Zero Configuration to say "started" permanently?

2. I can connect to the internet (i.e. access Firefox without my homepage saying "Firefox cannot find the server at www.yahoo.com") on my stepfamily's router (it's a combo router/modem, my dad said) but I can't connect to the internet on our router at home. I can connect to the router just fine (signal strength is "excellent", and I get 54.0mbps, but the internet connection is "disabled" and I can't get it to enable. That blue cable (is that the ethernet cable?) that used to be plugged into the router and... someplace else that I'm not sure of, is now plugged directly into the modem and my mom and I just plug the other end into our respective laptops when we want to go online (we do have to reset the modem every time we switch the cable from one laptop to the other). Could that have something to do with not being able to get on the internet?

Oh, one more thing: last night I tried to get on the internet and couldn't, so I right-clicked the wireless connection and clicked Disable to disconnect. The computer froze. How do I disconnect without disabling the connection? The only solution I've found so far is to pull the wireless adapter card out of my laptop.

Member Avatar for CompUfuss

Oh, one more thing: last night I tried to get on the internet and couldn't, so I right-clicked the wireless connection and clicked Disable to disconnect. The computer froze. How do I disconnect without disabling the connection? The only solution I've found so far is to pull the wireless adapter card out of my laptop.

don't right click on it left click and click disconnect from a network ,then in next box click disconnect .im still trying to make heads or tails of you blue wire connection comment will reread .

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