Windows XP Help

My laptop wireless network connection has disconnected. It is an Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG. It does not see any available wireless networks even though my network is running two other computers and a video streamer. It was working earlier today.
I uninstalled the driver and restarted the computer which found new hardware and reinstalled the driver. The connection also responds to disable and enable but remains “not connected”. I played around with the firewall settings but to no avail.
When I click “refresh network list” I get the message :No wireless networks were found in range. Make sure the wireless switch on your computer is on”
Does anyone know how to turn on this network switch or connect a wireless network connection that has become disconnected?

You don't say what computer you have, but check your computer manual for a hardware on/off switch or a Function-keypress that activates and deactivates the wireless adapter.

There is also a bios option in most cases - check that it is enabled there

The wireless adapter would not appear in the Network Connections or Device Manager window if the hardware was disabled in the BIOS, so I doubt that is the issue.

Have you tried simply rebooting the laptop and power cycling your router? My Acer has this annoying habit of refusing to find any wireless networks if I used the manual wireless switch to turn the wireless system off and then back on. I have to reboot the laptop to get it working again (sometimes I even have to power cycle the router as well).

Before you get too fancy though, try technut's suggestion to check for any manual wireless switch and ensure that the system is on. It is somewhat confusing that on most laptops the wireless switch can be off yet the wireless adapter in Network Connections has no visible indication of this fact.

The laptop is a Sony VGN FS 980 and the LAN indicator is OFF. I need to figure out where the Wireless LAN switch is :o. Documentation under troubleshooting just says, "check that the switch is on".

Some laptops have a function key assigned to turn wireless on and off. Check the little icons on them and see if one has it on there. Usually it looks like a little tower with signals coming out of it.

Duh!!! How dumb do I feel. I kept reading documentation about a physical switch...yea...the tiny one on front of the machine :rolleyes:. Must have been switched off during yesterday's transportation. Now I know its there. Sigh!!!

I've had a number of guests fail to see our network, particularly with Toshiba laptops. This past winter, one of them was having the same problem. After bringing her laptop into the house and not being able to solve the problem myself, she hired a local tech ($100/call-out and $100/hour), and the tech simply turned on the tiny switch on the front of it! Boy, did I feel like a dope. :rolleyes: