New Wi Fi setup.....HELP!

I am very new to networking at all, and have chosen to set up an ad hoc
wireless network between my desktop and my laptop computers.

I've purchased a GigaFast WF721-AEX PCMCIA card for the laptop, and a
D-Link 520+ PCI card for the desktop.

Both are 802.11b compatible, however I'm having problems with the
installation and the network setup. On the desktop, I believe the card is
successfully installed, however I still need to set up this computer as the
host for the network.

On the laptop, I am having more difficulties....I followed the instructions
for installation, and it shows the card as being installed and active...the
network icon is in the taskbar tray, yet when I click on the icon to set up
the configuration, it comes up asking if I want to enable the card, which is
disabled. When I click yes, I get an immediate Illegal Op error, which
blacks out the screen. Clearing the IO error will usually then show the
window to "Connect to Wireless Network" as it seeks out a network to connect
to...but of course since I don't have the host set up on the desktop yet,
there is none present.

Is this Illegal Op problem just a fluke, or something I need to redo in the
installation?

And how do I set up the desktop as the host computer?

Thanks for the help!!

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 23:10:52 GMT, "Tony K." <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I am very new to networking at all, and have chosen to set up an ad hoc
>wireless network between my desktop and my laptop computers.
>
>I've purchased a GigaFast WF721-AEX PCMCIA card for the laptop, and a
>D-Link 520+ PCI card for the desktop.
>
>Both are 802.11b compatible, however I'm having problems with the
>installation and the network setup. On the desktop, I believe the card is
>successfully installed, however I still need to set up this computer as the
>host for the network.
>
>On the laptop, I am having more difficulties....I followed the instructions
>for installation, and it shows the card as being installed and active...the
>network icon is in the taskbar tray, yet when I click on the icon to set up
>the configuration, it comes up asking if I want to enable the card, which is
>disabled. When I click yes, I get an immediate Illegal Op error, which
>blacks out the screen. Clearing the IO error will usually then show the
>window to "Connect to Wireless Network" as it seeks out a network to connect
>to...but of course since I don't have the host set up on the desktop yet,
>there is none present.
>
>Is this Illegal Op problem just a fluke, or something I need to redo in the
>installation?
>
>And how do I set up the desktop as the host computer?
>
>Thanks for the help!!
>
I don't know how to help you except to suggest that it would probably
be easier if both cards came from the same manufacturer. Why not
return the Gigafast card, since you're having a problem with it
anyway, and exchange it for a D-Link card?

No need to use cards from same manufacturer. All conform to standards.
Why ad hoc? And not infrastructure mode?
Desktop should not be host. If you are using a router, you've set up a peer
to peer network.
It's the router that connects you to the Internet, not the "host" computer.
Every computer connected to that router (wired or wireless) connect to the
Internet through it.
Your desktop is likely near the router and can connect with a cat 5 cable.
Why spend the money on a wireless adapter if it's next door to the router?
Be sure to do all the usual networking things, same workgroup, different
computer names, use DHCP for IP addressing (on router).
Good luck.


"Cranky" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 23:10:52 GMT, "Tony K." <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >I am very new to networking at all, and have chosen to set up an ad hoc
> >wireless network between my desktop and my laptop computers.
> >
> >I've purchased a GigaFast WF721-AEX PCMCIA card for the laptop, and a
> >D-Link 520+ PCI card for the desktop.
> >
> >Both are 802.11b compatible, however I'm having problems with the
> >installation and the network setup. On the desktop, I believe the card
is
> >successfully installed, however I still need to set up this computer as
the
> >host for the network.
> >
> >On the laptop, I am having more difficulties....I followed the
instructions
> >for installation, and it shows the card as being installed and
active...the
> >network icon is in the taskbar tray, yet when I click on the icon to set
up
> >the configuration, it comes up asking if I want to enable the card, which
is
> >disabled. When I click yes, I get an immediate Illegal Op error, which
> >blacks out the screen. Clearing the IO error will usually then show the
> >window to "Connect to Wireless Network" as it seeks out a network to
connect
> >to...but of course since I don't have the host set up on the desktop yet,
> >there is none present.
> >
> >Is this Illegal Op problem just a fluke, or something I need to redo in
the
> >installation?
> >
> >And how do I set up the desktop as the host computer?
> >
> >Thanks for the help!!
> >
> I don't know how to help you except to suggest that it would probably
> be easier if both cards came from the same manufacturer. Why not
> return the Gigafast card, since you're having a problem with it
> anyway, and exchange it for a D-Link card?

On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 04:53:12 -0400, "Len West" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>No need to use cards from same manufacturer. All conform to standards.

1) If you call one manufacturer he will blame the problem on the
other manufacturer. If both cards come from the same manufacturer
there is no one to blame and they will have to help you.

2) Every brand of card has its own software and its own quirks. By
sticking to one brand you only have to go through learning the
software and figuring out the quirks once, not twice.

2) As the problem was described one brand was working, the other
brand wasn't. It makes sense to buy two cards of the brand that
works. Conforming to standards is irrelevent if the damned thing
doesn't work.

Cranky <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:m0b7lvsr35kdio5eoiviu5sv49eo8k7l65@
4ax.com:

> On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 04:53:12 -0400, "Len West" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>No need to use cards from same manufacturer. All conform to standards.
>
> 1) If you call one manufacturer he will blame the problem on the
> other manufacturer. If both cards come from the same manufacturer
> there is no one to blame and they will have to help you.
>
> 2) Every brand of card has its own software and its own quirks. By
> sticking to one brand you only have to go through learning the
> software and figuring out the quirks once, not twice.
>
> 2) As the problem was described one brand was working, the other
> brand wasn't. It makes sense to buy two cards of the brand that
> works. Conforming to standards is irrelevent if the damned thing
> doesn't work.
>

So to follow up on your argument, all the computers in a network should
be from the same manufacturer, all the software on a computer should be
from the same manufacturer, we should all be connected to the same ISP
which all use the same servers...

802.11b is a standard that will work with any 802.11b wifi card built to
comply with that standard. Just like ethernet, TCP/IP, etc are standards.
You don't need to buy from a single manufacturer to use ethernet or
TCP/IP.

"BobC" > > 2) As the problem was described one brand was working, the other
> > brand wasn't. It makes sense to buy two cards of the brand that
> > works. Conforming to standards is irrelevent if the damned thing
> > doesn't work.
> >
>
> So to follow up on your argument, all the computers in a network should
> be from the same manufacturer, all the software on a computer should be
> from the same manufacturer, we should all be connected to the same ISP
> which all use the same servers...
>
> 802.11b is a standard that will work with any 802.11b wifi card built to
> comply with that standard. Just like ethernet, TCP/IP, etc are standards.
> You don't need to buy from a single manufacturer to use ethernet or
> TCP/IP.

Are you a troll?

people wouldn't be asking for help if they didn't have a compatibility issue
would they?

Cranky is trying to help,
but let us not forget that no good deed goes unpunished.

"Tony K." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:0gv4b.12526$(E-Mail Removed) link.net:

> I am very new to networking at all, and have chosen to set up an ad
> hoc wireless network between my desktop and my laptop computers.
>
> I've purchased a GigaFast WF721-AEX PCMCIA card for the laptop, and a
> D-Link 520+ PCI card for the desktop.
>
> Both are 802.11b compatible, however I'm having problems with the
> installation and the network setup. On the desktop, I believe the
> card is successfully installed, however I still need to set up this
> computer as the host for the network.
>
> On the laptop, I am having more difficulties....I followed the
> instructions for installation, and it shows the card as being
> installed and active...the network icon is in the taskbar tray, yet
> when I click on the icon to set up the configuration, it comes up
> asking if I want to enable the card, which is disabled. When I click
> yes, I get an immediate Illegal Op error, which blacks out the screen.
> Clearing the IO error will usually then show the window to "Connect
> to Wireless Network" as it seeks out a network to connect to...but of
> course since I don't have the host set up on the desktop yet, there is
> none present.
>
> Is this Illegal Op problem just a fluke, or something I need to redo
> in the installation?
>
> And how do I set up the desktop as the host computer?
>
> Thanks for the help!!
>
It sounds as though you may have a driver problem. Try downloading the
most current drivers for your OS/NICs from the manufacturers' sites. You
don't say what OS you have but if you have XP you may need to disable the
zero configuration utility and use the NIC utilities from the vendors.
Initially try disabling WEP. Make sure both are using the same channel
and SSID.

You may get some config/troubleshooting ideas from:
http://www.practicallynetworked.com
http;//www.wown.com
http://www.homenethelp.com

Finally, you may have a bad card. But do the troubleshooting before
buying another one.

On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 22:26:20 GMT, BobC <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Cranky <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:m0b7lvsr35kdio5eoiviu5sv49eo8k7l65@
>4ax.com:
>
>> On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 04:53:12 -0400, "Len West" <(E-Mail Removed)>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>No need to use cards from same manufacturer. All conform to standards.
>>
>> 1) If you call one manufacturer he will blame the problem on the
>> other manufacturer. If both cards come from the same manufacturer
>> there is no one to blame and they will have to help you.
>>
>> 2) Every brand of card has its own software and its own quirks. By
>> sticking to one brand you only have to go through learning the
>> software and figuring out the quirks once, not twice.
>>
>> 2) As the problem was described one brand was working, the other
>> brand wasn't. It makes sense to buy two cards of the brand that
>> works. Conforming to standards is irrelevent if the damned thing
>> doesn't work.
>>
>
>So to follow up on your argument, all the computers in a network should
>be from the same manufacturer, all the software on a computer should be
>from the same manufacturer, we should all be connected to the same ISP
>which all use the same servers...
>
>802.11b is a standard that will work with any 802.11b wifi card built to
>comply with that standard. Just like ethernet, TCP/IP, etc are standards.
>You don't need to buy from a single manufacturer to use ethernet or
>TCP/IP.

Go back and actually read what I wrote. Aside from the fact that I
can't count past two, my advice is logical.

Cranky <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
news:(E-Mail Removed):

> On Mon, 01 Sep 2003 22:26:20 GMT, BobC <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Cranky <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in news:m0b7lvsr35kdio5eoiviu5sv49eo8k7l65@
>>4ax.com:
>>
>
> Go back and actually read what I wrote. Aside from the fact that I
> can't count past two, my advice is logical.

I think we were both trying to help out Tony. Sorry I went off a bit. I
think we scared off the OP. Hopefully he got his problem fixed.

Bob