Wireless Networking Can't start internal wireless adapter after installing a buffalo adapter

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Subject Author Date
Can't start internal wireless adapter after installing a buffalo adapter Knight 08-07-07
Posted by Knight on August 7, 2007, 6:09 pm
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Hey guys,

Just signe dup today because I'm kind of stuck here.
I have a laptop that has an internal wirelass adapter in it which you
turn on using the Fn+ f2 keys.

I purchased a buffalo wireless adpater and external antenna for
specific uses but don't plan on using that all the time! I thought I
can just unplug the Buffalo and turn on the internal but I can't!
When I hit those two keys(Fn+f2) the little antenna light doesn't show
up!
How can I use both of these adapters? At different times of course!

Pete


Posted by Jeff Liebermann on August 8, 2007, 12:09 am
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> I have a laptop that has an internal wirelass adapter in it which you
> turn on using the Fn+ f2 keys.

Any particular manufacturer and model laptop? Not all laptops
are created equal. Extra credit for identifying the operating system
version.

> I purchased a buffalo wireless adpater and external antenna

Any particular Buffalo wireless adapter model number?
Extra credit for identifying the updated driver version you probably
forgot to download.

> I thought I
> can just unplug the Buffalo and turn on the internal but I can't!
> When I hit those two keys(Fn+f2) the little antenna light doesn't show
> up!
> How can I use both of these adapters? At different times of course!

Fn-F2 is possibly an HP or Compaq laptop. Don't use that to switch
devices. Go to:
Control Panel -> Network -> wireless device -> properties
and check the box inscribed
"Show Network Connection icon in system tray"

With both wireless devices plugged in, you can switch devices by
simply right clicking on the icon in the system tray, and selecting
enable or disable as required. I've had 4 wireless USB devices
running one at a time in a single laptop this way.

However, there's a potential problem. HP has some type of
connection manager that like to grab control and not let go.
That's probably why you can't just plug and unplug what I guess
is a USB wireless adapter. I figured out some trick to make
it work, but forgot what I did. Later, I just disabled the HP
connection manager, set everything to
"Let Windoze manage this wireless mess"
and used the enable/disable trick to switch devices.



Posted by on August 8, 2007, 6:48 am
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> I have a laptop that has an internal wirelass adapter in it which you
> turn on using the Fn+ f2 keys.

Does the internal adapter work?

> I purchased a buffalo wireless adpater and external antenna for

Does the Buffalo work?

> specific uses but don't plan on using that all the time! I thought I
> can just unplug the Buffalo and turn on the internal but I can't!
> When I hit those two keys(Fn+f2) the little antenna light doesn't show
> up!
> How can I use both of these adapters? At different times of course!

The FN+F2 probably toggles the internal adapter, and has no effect on the
external adapter at all. Or maybe it does. What laptop is this?

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

Posted by Knight on August 8, 2007, 8:43 pm
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Thanks for the replies so far guys.

Jeff & D, it's a Gateway and yes Fn+ f2 starts and stops the
wirelss adpater which DOES work. Windows XP by the way....
The Buffalo adpater also works just fine!


"""""Extra credit for identifying the updated driver version you
probably forgot to download."""""

Why do feel you know what I did or didn't do? That's really rude
dude! And I'm not a little kid in school asking for extra credit OK?
YES I DID DOWNLOAD THE DRIVERS!

If I uninstall the Buffalo adpater drivers then I get my internal to
work but it seems like I can't turn on the internal as long as I have
the Buffalo drivers
on the machine.

I'll play around with it some more, let you all know how I make out.

Thanks "D" for answering too!

Pete




Posted by on August 8, 2007, 9:34 pm
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> Jeff & D, it's a Gateway and yes Fn+ f2 starts and stops the
> wirelss adpater which DOES work. Windows XP by the way....
> The Buffalo adpater also works just fine!

> That's really rude dude!

Take the knowledge, and adjust your humor detector to something that
includes, or ignores, Jeff's level of side notes.

> If I uninstall the Buffalo adpater drivers then I get my internal to
> work but it seems like I can't turn on the internal as long as I have
> the Buffalo drivers on the machine.

The internal works. Turn off the internal, and the external works.
Plug in the external, enable the internal, and neither works.
Unplug the external and the internal still doesn't work, until... what?

What do you have to do to get the internal to work? Uninstall the buffalo
drivers? Not just remove the card and reboot? When you uninstall the
Buffalo drivers, does the internal card start working right away, or after
a reboot? Does it reinstall drivers for the internal card?

Same named driver, different rev, perhaps?

Does IPConfig ever show both NICs? What about device manager?

Do you know what card the internal is? I see an Intel 3945 listed for some
Gateways. start-run-msinfo32 network adapter might let you know.
The MAC address, Device ID, service name, or driver name might be clues.
Or the FCC-ID, on a label on the bottom of the laptop.

Jeff will probably ask for the FCC-ID of the Buffalo and the internal, just
so he can find out what they really are... retail package names aren't that
interesting. You could ignore him, but I don't ;-)

--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5

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