Almost Clueless -- Please Help

I moved into a new building where the landlord has given me permission to connect to his network. However, when I try to connect using the Belkin Wireless Utility on my Dell desktop with Windows XP, I get the same error messages I got in a hotel room one time. However, that night I succeeded in connecting after calling the hotel's tech support number.

First, it says that there are no available wireless networks within range -- which is not true.

If I try to repair the problem, the error message reads:

"Windows could not finish repairing the problem because the following action cannot be completed: Disabling the wireless network adapter. Make sure your network adapter is properly installed."

If I try to disable the wireless network adapter, the error message that I get reads:

"It is not possible to disable the connection at this time. This connection may be using one or more protocls that do not support plug-and-play, or it may have been initiated by another user or the system account."

These being the same error messages I got earlier in the hotel, I knew to go into Properties and check "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings."

But I can't remember the other steps that the tech person took me through that night. Can anyone help with this?

Does anyone have any insight on this? I only have limited time on a library computer these days -- I'll check back in later tonight. In the meantime I am at a standstill because the library system won't recognize the kinds of files I use for my work.

I keep thinking the problem might be some simple thing that people who are more familiar with Wi-Fi would know about, and that's why I joined the forum. I really do need a solution. Thanks.

Hi Starsworth. Using Windows Zero Config Utility is an easy way to get around your problem. Remember to disable the proprietary utility (the Belkin utility) that currently controls your WiFi device. You will probably need to add your landlord's Access Point or Router into the list, and it would be best to move it up to the top in priority. If your landlord has some kind of password security, you will need to find out what is it and add it in. Otherwise, your difficulty in connecting may be due to your being out of range of the router. Alternatively, if your landlord's router is open (no security), there may be so many people connecting to it that you have no "slot" open.

Try moving your laptop closer to the router first (within line-of-sight) and see if you can connect first, just to make sure its really your device (or not). If possible, try connecting it by LAN cable, just to check that its not a Windows problem either. Eliminate the possible problems one-by-one.

Let me know what happens.