Wireless router BIG problem

[sbilheim]

I have the Linksys wireless access point router (befw1154). My win2000 machine is hardwired and no problems. My xp laptop is wireless and no problems. However, my ME machine kept dropping and wouldn't recognize the wireless, and was up and down. So we ran cable across the hallway and hard-wired it. No problems since then.

Here's the problem. I have an xp desktop machine one floor directly below the router and am using the Linksys wireless USB network adapter. This machine cannot keep a connection for more than 5-12 hours. Worse, strange error messages come up, such as saying that "AOL needs to be reinstalled," "initialization failed on some files," pages don't load, you get the idea. It's like a graduated failure ... first sign is that pages won't load, even though the network icon says wireless is connected and signal is excellent. Then, in the last stage of failure, the red x comes on. The failure happens when the computer is just sitting and in standby. Like you wake up in the morning and it's already "locked up." We keep that machine on all the time.

HOWEVER, when we reboot, it works just fine again (for another 5-12 hours)!

We have McAfee running on there too.

This has gone on for about two months, since we installed it. When we first installed and it was happening to both machines, I called Linksys and spent about three days on the phone with them troubleshooting.

We did EVERYTHING, including reinstalling, updating drivers, changing channels, changing a million different settings. Nothing made a difference.

I'd say it was this machine, but it also happened to the ME. And the laptop dropped a little, until I changed channels.

Oh, and prior to having this model of router, we had the regular Linksys router at our old house, to which all were hard-wired. And we had NO problems at all on ANY of the machines.

We took the XP box upstairs and hardwired it and it worked absolutely perfectly, except that within the first hour, there was one message that it couldn't connect, and do you want to work offline. Tried reloading the page again, and it worked perfectly for two days. Then we moved it back downstairs and wireless, and within a few hours, the problems started again.

Linksys has wonderful support, but they are baffled by this as well. We don't have any cordless phones or anything else (e.g., powerlines) that would interfere.

Please help! We really don't want to drill a hole through the ceiling to hard-wire the computer. You can email me directly at sbilheimer@techwritingmkt.com.

THANKS!!!

Susan

"AOL needs to be reinstalled,"

is this AOl the ISP program to dial up to their servers or AIM? (aol instant message)

when you plug the machine up to the hard wire do you get the errors also?

do you have the antennas pointing straight up and down? also have you updated the firmware for the router?

one other thing do you have the router by any otyher electronics? i.e speakers, stereos or microwaves?

Do you have WEP and mac address filtering on?

what wireless card are you using?

[sbilheim]

Thanks for your response. Below are your questions and my answers:

AOL needs to be reinstalled,"

is this AOl the ISP program to dial up to their servers or AIM? (aol instant message)

It is both the AOL program (dialing through Bellsouth DSL) and the AIM program.

when you plug the machine up to the hard wire do you get the errors also?

NO errors at all for two days, except the one described in my previous message, but cleared immediately upon reloading page.

do you have the antennas pointing straight up and down? also have you updated the firmware for the router?

Yes all updated firmware/software, and antenna is pointing straight up

one other thing do you have the router by any otyher electronics? i.e speakers, stereos or microwaves?

Router is near small tv, but no other electronics (other than my computer system that is in this room)

Do you have WEP and mac address filtering on?

I don't know. Where do I find that in the setup on the Linksys page? (e.g., Advanced, Filters, etc.) I see WEP disable radio box selected in the Setup page. And next to the word "Wireless" is text that says--(MAC Address: 00-02-DD-84-59-22)

what wireless card are you using?

No card, just the Linksys usb wireless adapter

Thanks, Susan

[meese]

Maybe try another wireless adapter. Possibly a PCI adapter.

[M_Six]

I've been having similar problems with an XP box. Same router, same USB adapter. Every now and then it will stop downloading stuff from the internet. It works fine PC to PC on the network, but it can't download webpages or email. If I uninstall and reinstall the adapter, or switch USB ports, it works fine again for a few days. Then for no apparent reason, it stops downloading webpages again. No rhyme, no reason.

I have another PC with the same adapter also running XP and have no problems with it, although it doesn't get used nearly as much. My laptop also has XP, but it uses an Orinoco Gold card. I never have any problems with it. I'm so frustrated with the errant XP box that I'm considering running a CAT5 line through the attic and down the wall so I can hard-wire it.