Network key in XP SP2

Wireless network, using a laptop with a 54g PC card and a 54g router
(and other PCs)

Had a HDD crash on the laptop last week and had to reinstall. Got the
network back up nd running OK. Then after a few days, I got the
automatic update to reinstall SP2, which I did. Since then, it seems
not to be retaining the network key for more than a few minutes. The
network will suddenly become "unavailable" until I manually select it
and re-enter the nework key and then reconnect. After a few minutes of
normal operation, the network will suddenly become unavailable again
and I have to repeat the process. Its driving me mad having to
reconnect every few minutes

It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I check the "the key is
provided for me automaatically" box in the wireless network settings

And sometimes, the system tray icon will show the network as being
unavailable when its actually working OK

Any clues?

bigbrian wrote:
> Wireless network, using a laptop with a 54g PC card and a 54g router
> (and other PCs)
>
> Had a HDD crash on the laptop last week and had to reinstall. Got the
> network back up nd running OK. Then after a few days, I got the
> automatic update to reinstall SP2, which I did. Since then, it seems
> not to be retaining the network key for more than a few minutes. The
> network will suddenly become "unavailable" until I manually select it
> and re-enter the nework key and then reconnect. After a few minutes of
> normal operation, the network will suddenly become unavailable again
> and I have to repeat the process. Its driving me mad having to
> reconnect every few minutes
>
> It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I check the "the key is
> provided for me automaatically" box in the wireless network settings
>
> And sometimes, the system tray icon will show the network as being
> unavailable when its actually working OK
>
> Any clues?
>
I seem to recall similar wireless funnies when I installed SP2 a long
while back on a bunch of laptops and the solution was to delete the
entries for the access points and then set them up again from scratch.

On 4 Mar 2006 02:50:49 -0800, "bigbrian" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

> Then after a few days, I got the
>automatic update to reinstall SP2, which I did. Since then, it seems
>not to be retaining the network key for more than a few minutes. The
>network will suddenly become "unavailable" until I manually select it
>and re-enter the nework key and then reconnect. After a few minutes of
>normal operation, the network will suddenly become unavailable again
>and I have to repeat the process. Its driving me mad having to
>reconnect every few minutes
>
>It doesn't seem to make any difference whether I check the "the key is
>provided for me automaatically" box in the wireless network settings
>
>And sometimes, the system tray icon will show the network as being
>unavailable when its actually working OK
>
>Any clues?

Not sure how you've got your encryption set up but if you have 'shared
key' try open.

This still retains encryption but doesn't need ti to actually connect.

It ** could ** be that the computer is receiving a poor signal, losing
the connection then needs to log on again.

Geoff Lane