HELP! Really strange wireless problem

For the past 4-5 years, this is what I have been running:
-- Motoroal Surfboard modem
-- SMC Barricade router
-- Ethernet cable from the router to my desktop PC
-- Netgear ME101 Access Point with ethernet cable to the router
-- Netgear PCMCIA wireless card on my laptop

Everything has worked flawlessly since installation. Last year the
modem died and I replaced it with a new Surfboard and it all works
fine.

Last week, I could not connect with the laptop through the wireless
network. On the laptop's desktop, bottom right corner, the network
icon had a red X, could not find the network. I could access the
Internet if I connected an ethernet cable from the laptop to the
router but would not work through the wireless connection. When I
click on the network icon, the pop-up box does not show an available
wireless network.

I unplugged, removed, re-installed, re-set, and generally screwed
around with both the access point and the wireless card for three
days. Nothing.

I figured something was dead so I treated myself to a new LinkSys
access point and wireless card. Setup for both went fine, but, no
connection. The green "Act" light on the access point has never
lighted -- power and link lights are lighted. The link light on the
card blinks like crazy. The desktop network icon still shows red X
and no wireless network detected.

I called Bombay, India, and spoke with LinkSys tech support -- Rajif
walked me through 30 minutes of click here, click there, re-set,
unplug, etc. and finally told me to go get a new access point.

What is confusing me is that the trouble started with my old access
point -- suddenly, there was no wireless connection where there had
been a reliable connection.

Why would two different access points not work? Am I being jammed by
aliens? Do I need an aluminum foil hat? Would an exorcist help?

Thanks.

>>>>
SPQR
<<<<

Check the cabling. Sometimes there's a push-button switch on the router that
changes the Tx and Rx wires. For some connections you need the cross-over,
for others you don't. Either the switch was mistakenly pushed or the old AP
died and the new one needs the different cable from the router.

"SPQR" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> For the past 4-5 years, this is what I have been running:
> -- Motoroal Surfboard modem
> -- SMC Barricade router
> -- Ethernet cable from the router to my desktop PC
> -- Netgear ME101 Access Point with ethernet cable to the router
> -- Netgear PCMCIA wireless card on my laptop
>
> Everything has worked flawlessly since installation. Last year the
> modem died and I replaced it with a new Surfboard and it all works
> fine.
>
> Last week, I could not connect with the laptop through the wireless
> network. On the laptop's desktop, bottom right corner, the network
> icon had a red X, could not find the network. I could access the
> Internet if I connected an ethernet cable from the laptop to the
> router but would not work through the wireless connection. When I
> click on the network icon, the pop-up box does not show an available
> wireless network.
>
> I unplugged, removed, re-installed, re-set, and generally screwed
> around with both the access point and the wireless card for three
> days. Nothing.
>
> I figured something was dead so I treated myself to a new LinkSys
> access point and wireless card. Setup for both went fine, but, no
> connection. The green "Act" light on the access point has never
> lighted -- power and link lights are lighted. The link light on the
> card blinks like crazy. The desktop network icon still shows red X
> and no wireless network detected.
>
> I called Bombay, India, and spoke with LinkSys tech support -- Rajif
> walked me through 30 minutes of click here, click there, re-set,
> unplug, etc. and finally told me to go get a new access point.
>
> What is confusing me is that the trouble started with my old access
> point -- suddenly, there was no wireless connection where there had
> been a reliable connection.
>
> Why would two different access points not work? Am I being jammed by
> aliens? Do I need an aluminum foil hat? Would an exorcist help?
>
> Thanks.
>
> >>>>
> SPQR
> <<<<

"John" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> Check the cabling. Sometimes there's a push-button switch on the router that
> changes the Tx and Rx wires. For some connections you need the cross-over,
> for others you don't. Either the switch was mistakenly pushed or the old AP
> died and the new one needs the different cable from the router.
>
> "SPQR" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> > For the past 4-5 years, this is what I have been running:
> > -- Motoroal Surfboard modem
> > -- SMC Barricade router
> > -- Ethernet cable from the router to my desktop PC
> > -- Netgear ME101 Access Point with ethernet cable to the router
> > -- Netgear PCMCIA wireless card on my laptop
> >
> > Everything has worked flawlessly since installation. Last year the
> > modem died and I replaced it with a new Surfboard and it all works
> > fine.
> >
> > Last week, I could not connect with the laptop through the wireless
> > network. On the laptop's desktop, bottom right corner, the network
> > icon had a red X, could not find the network. I could access the
> > Internet if I connected an ethernet cable from the laptop to the
> > router but would not work through the wireless connection. When I
> > click on the network icon, the pop-up box does not show an available
> > wireless network.
> >
> > I unplugged, removed, re-installed, re-set, and generally screwed
> > around with both the access point and the wireless card for three
> > days. Nothing.
> >
> > I figured something was dead so I treated myself to a new LinkSys
> > access point and wireless card. Setup for both went fine, but, no
> > connection. The green "Act" light on the access point has never
> > lighted -- power and link lights are lighted. The link light on the
> > card blinks like crazy. The desktop network icon still shows red X
> > and no wireless network detected.
> >
> > I called Bombay, India, and spoke with LinkSys tech support -- Rajif
> > walked me through 30 minutes of click here, click there, re-set,
> > unplug, etc. and finally told me to go get a new access point.
> >
> > What is confusing me is that the trouble started with my old access
> > point -- suddenly, there was no wireless connection where there had
> > been a reliable connection.
> >
> > Why would two different access points not work? Am I being jammed by
> > aliens? Do I need an aluminum foil hat? Would an exorcist help?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> > >>>>
> > SPQR
> > <<<<

Well, it seems as though Rajif in Bombay knew what he was talking
about.

I took the LinkSys access point back to the place where I bought it
for an exchange. The one I bought was an 802.11b, I swapped it for a
new 802.11g AP and paid the $20.00 difference.

Setup went smoothly and it worked perfectly -- in fact, I am sitting
in the living room access the 'net through the wireless network.
>>>>
SPQR
<<<<