Windows Zero Config? Why is it there!?

I just solved my constant disconnects by turning off Windows Zero Configuration. It must have gotten turned back on with a driver reinstall or something. Why the heck is that thing even there. All it does is make it impossible to reconnect to existing wireless connections! ?

Jeff ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jefferis Peterson, Pres. Web Design and Marketing

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Reply to
Jefferis NoSpamme
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I am using the native Win/HP drivers for OEM Intel Centrino Lan 2100 3B Mini PCI. It has never worked right. You'd think native drivers would work... Jeff

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jefferis Peterson, Pres. Web Design and Marketing

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Reply to
Jefferis NoSpamme

? I did not install any drivers except reinstall the ones that came with the computer. The only driver I am using or can see is the native Win driver I assume because it is accessed through the Control Panels, not through third party properties. Never got a not certified message or otherwise. I did yank out the Intel Proset drivers I installed because they just caused trouble. I'm not roaming around, but getting disconnects with WZC in a stationary location because of weak distant signals I assume, or other interference. The driver is current with WIN SP-2, or at least does not show any need to update when auto updates run.

Jeff

~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jefferis Peterson, Pres. Web Design and Marketing

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Reply to
Jefferis NoSpamme

No it does more than that though yes some drivers don't work well with it.

David.

Reply to
David Taylor

With Windows XP - SP2, I don't install the manufacturers utiltiies or drivers. I only use the Windows WZC. No need to load anything else, and then there are no conflicts. Before the proper drivers were available, then you needed to cobble in the various hooks and clients, and know how to deal with different ones. Now they all look the same.

On my personal laptop, I added Boingo to manage some IP addresses that WZC doesn't handle, but I only start that when I need it, and it neatly shuts down WZC. NetStumbler neatly shuts off WZC and restores it when finished.

Your driver isn't current enough. Probably not WinXP certified, but you ignored that warning when you installed it.

Reply to
dold

The purpose of WZCS is to allow wireless roaming that gives mobile devices like a laptop the ability to connect to other wireless networks as one wonders around aimlessly, because WZCS tries to seeks out the networks and connect to them dropping the connection to the current network being used. If the computer will never be used in a roaming situation, then why use it?

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

I have been using it in preference to the manufacturer utilities because there were too many incompatibilites, probably due to Microsoft changing the rules, but I can't fight that battle, so I use WZC. (I was just looking at a Bluetooth device that still has necessary workarounds posted on its web site for WinXP-SP2, and talks about how this might change with the RTM version... Isn't that a couple of years old, already?)

If I turn off WZC, I can set an IP address, or DHCP, in the TCP/IP properties just like I would for any other NIC. But where do I enter a WEP key? Where are other tunables? How does this impact roaming? Does it associate with any open WAP?

Reply to
dold

I was able to goto the Win XP's Device Manager and install the driver and configure the card there too for the Linksys WPC11 card, by right-clicking the node/line for the card Properties/Advanced.

I don't know I never had a machine in a roaming situation. I guess there would have to be no WEP involved, you know the keys or the keys are the same as you roam.

You know there is WZCS on Win 2k too but it's disabled by default.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

I missed that you load the OEM drivers but not the client tools. I don't load anything from the vendor, and I don't have any place to put in SSID, or WEP, or select maximum speeds, etc.

I thought everybody used encryption, judging from the other thread in this group ;-)

With Win2K, the OEMs were ahead of MS. The MS drivers for several cards that I tried just didn't work. WZC also wanted to turn on 802.1x authentication on unsecured networks, which generally broke things.

Current automatic driver downloads meant that if I can connect to the internet via some other method (wired or dialup) when I insert my brand new WiFi device, it will load drivers that work well, and work with WZC.

The alternative would be to load the OEM drivers, which either leave you crippled for features, as you seem to indicate, or also add the OEM client tools, which gives you a different set of tools to use on different machines, and some conflicts with built in Windows services like WZC.

It is easier and more consistent to just plug and play, as long as it works. It seems to work now.

Reply to
dold

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