rangertark@hotmail.com hath wroth:
>Sony Vaio PCG-K35 laptop
>Netgear wireless router WGR614 v6
>Internet access: Comcast cable
>
>After attempting to download a firmware update for my wireless router
>(which I apparently didn't even need), I can no longer connect to the
>internet via a wireless connection to my wireless router. I ran a
>system restore and reconfigured the router, but that didn't help.
>
>I CAN connect to the wireless router via a cable, and other computers
>can connect to the wireless router (wirelessly) and access the
>internet, email, etc. without problem.
As I read this, only this one laptop cannot browse the internet and
probably cannot see the configuration page on the WGR614v6. Is this
correct?
Have you tried to connect to the WGR614v6 with a CAT5 ethernet cable?
It's difficult to tell from your subject line. That should work. If
it doesn't, then something is really screwed up on your Sony laptop.
My guess is some software firewall such as Norton Internet Security.
If a direct cable does work, but wireless still refuses to connect,
then it's something in the wireless configuration. I'll assume the
wireless can "see" your SSID using "view available networks" or you
would have mentioned it.
Are you using WEP encryption? If so, use the Hex key and not the
ASCII key. The conversion from ASCII to Hex is NOT standardized and
subject to creative interpretation by various manufactories.
If it's NOT the WEP key, try turning off encryption temporarily and
see if that helps. If that works, then try again with the WEP key,
this time without typo errors. Incidentally, WEP is not terribly
secure and I suggest to you switch to WPA-PSK.
Hopefully, you did *NOT* save your settings as a file from the
previous firmware version and restore this file to the current version
of the firmware. This is generally a lousy idea as such backups and
restores and NOT guaranteed to work across different firmware
versions. If this is what you did, punch the reset button on the
router, and setup the router from scratch (again).
>I've spent 12 hours (literally) on the phone with Comcast, Netgear, and
>Sony without any luck.
I can see why. I had to read your description of the problem several
times to decode exactly what works and what doesn't. Your subject
line is also somewhat ambiguous in that the word "connect" does not
describe how you connect (wired or wireless). I have no clue what
operating system you're using, or what wireless device is inside the
Sony laptop. I can't tell if you're using the Sony supplied wireless
driver, the driver supplied by the wireless device manufactory, or
just Windoze Wireless Zero Config. However, your problem description
is better than most, so I probably shouldn't complain.
--
Jeff Liebermann
jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558