[ChinaLamb]

dgwt, on Jun 19 2007, 08:45 PM, said:

ChinaLamb, on Jun 19 2007, 07:42 AM, said:

Hmmm. I am following this thread with great interest.

I have a Precision M90 workstation laptop that is like the 1710 in some respects. I have the 3945ABG card - and have been working with Dell Workstation support. After hours and hours of troubleshooting, and hunting through Dell's resources - I still have no answer.

I have tried all drivers off the Intel site as well as the Dell site. I assume the 10.6.0.15 driver did not work for you? I have not yet tried this driver.

I just got a brand new Latitude D630 with Vista Business and exactly the same problem. I've logged a support issue with Dell, but so far all they've done is sent me links on how to set up a wireless network and enable/disable wireless from the Taskbar. It looks like there's a large number of Dell users reporting this issue on the Dell forums but I can't see a real solution anywhere.

Btw I also have a Latitude D820 connected wirelessly with same card but running XP - absolutely no problems with this...

Driver dated 6/21/2006 version 10.6.0.15 has been working since yesterday with no problems - either being disabled or losing connection...

/CL

Nick Marques, on Mar 18 2007, 01:09 AM, said:

Hello all,

I have a Dell XPS M1710 laptop which has an Intel PRO Wireless 3945ABG built in. I am using the latest drivers available on Intel's website.

The issue is that it seems when the radio or adapter reaches a lot of connections or bandwidth, the radio just turns off. The connection in Vista remains active (but it changes to Limited), and the device in Device Manager is there as if everything is normal.

However, I have an LED above my keyboard telling me of radio status, and it turns off. Normally, with Dell QuickSet, you can press Fn+F2 to toggle the radio on and off, but in this case the software "thinks" it is toggling radio power, but it just stays off.

I am forced to reboot to get it back on.

This is really becoming an issue.

Uninstall all intel wireless software from Control Panel / Programs / Uninstall

Go to Device Manager, And select the option under the 3945ABG to Roll Back driver..

Use Microsoft driver dated 6/21/2006 version 10.6.0.15. This is the only driver that seems to be working.

This is the original Vista driver for this card.

/CL

[aron7awol]

Just wanted to give an update...

I've been running the Windows XP 10.1.1.7 driver (Dell download R127811) for 24 hrs without a hiccup. I've tried to cause the connection to drop numerous times, start an Ubuntu torrent, let it connect to 100 peers, and then put the computer to sleep. It wakes up like nothing happened.

This looks to be the solution we've been looking for, especially for those like myself who have had problems even after rolling back to the original MS driver.

Thanks Halon for the recommendation.

[Mustangman76]

aron7awol, on Jun 20 2007, 05:53 PM, said:

Just wanted to give an update...

I've been running the Windows XP 10.1.1.7 driver (Dell download R127811) for 24 hrs without a hiccup. I've tried to cause the connection to drop numerous times, start an Ubuntu torrent, let it connect to 100 peers, and then put the computer to sleep. It wakes up like nothing happened.

This looks to be the solution we've been looking for, especially for those like myself who have had problems even after rolling back to the original MS driver.

Thanks Halon for the recommendation.

I`m pretty sure when u put a computer to sleep it won`t continue to download

[Scamallite]

Mustangman76, on Jun 20 2007, 05:59 PM, said:

I`m pretty sure when u put a computer to sleep it won`t continue to download

I think what he was saying is when the computer comes out of sleep mode, the wireless connection turns on and there are no issues. The problems mentioned in this thread lead many to believe that when multiple connections were open, and the computer went to sleep, that when it 'woke up', they couldn't get the wireless to connect/turn on.

[aron7awol]

Scamallite, on Jun 21 2007, 09:07 AM, said:

Mustangman76, on Jun 20 2007, 05:59 PM, said:

I`m pretty sure when u put a computer to sleep it won`t continue to download

I think what he was saying is when the computer comes out of sleep mode, the wireless connection turns on and there are no issues. The problems mentioned in this thread lead many to believe that when multiple connections were open, and the computer went to sleep, that when it 'woke up', they couldn't get the wireless to connect/turn on.

Starting a torrent, letting it connect to about 100 peers, and then putting my laptop to sleep was a surefire way to reproduce this problem for me. Every time I'd wake it up, the Wifi light would turn off within seconds.

Since using this XP driver, this issue has completely disappeared. I haven't had to restart my computer since.

[Halon]

About a week ago I was giving a rather tentative thumbs up to the 'XP Fix', as it'd kept the connection open for a whole half hour when before it was dropping after a few minutes. A week later I'm happy (and a bit smug) to report it's still working no less than perfectly.

I'd previously reported this issue to Dell with no success, interesting to note that their Tech Support called me the day before yesterday and suggested I try the 'XP Fix'.

Looks like someone, somewhere, is watching.

[Scamallite]

Halon, on Jun 21 2007, 09:46 PM, said:

About a week ago I was giving a rather tentative thumbs up to the 'XP Fix', as it'd kept the connection open for a whole half hour when before it was dropping after a few minutes. A week later I'm happy (and a bit smug) to report it's still working no less than perfectly.

I'd previously reported this issue to Dell with no success, interesting to note that their Tech Support called me the day before yesterday and suggested I try the 'XP Fix'.

Looks like someone, somewhere, is watching.

I just now switched from the original microsoft driver (which I wasn't having issues with) to the 'XP Fix'. I do notice that i'm getting much better signal reception. It went from 50% to 94% . Its only been updated for a few minutes, so i'll report back later on how its doing.

Some things I did notice while updating:

1. Went I went to Dell's website and tried to DL the XP driver by selecting my model # (Inspiron 6400), the driver listed was not the one Halon recommended. I had to do a keyword search on Dell's website for "R127811". Below is a link to where it took me

http://support.us.de...p;fileid=169955

2. After unzipping the files to the drivers folder, of course it gave me the error because its an XP setup on a Vista machine.

3. When I went to 'update driver' via the device manager then to 'Have Disk' I found the R127811 folder and there were two files in there to choose from. You want the file "w39n51".

Hope this helps and i'll keep you updated on how she performs.

Thanks again to Halon for letting us know about the 'XP Fix'

[.John.]

Okay, followed those instructions...working for me too, but I'll definitely report back!

[Scamallite]

Its been over 24 hours with the 'XP Fix' and still running strong with no disruptions..

[.John.]

Working great here, too!

[Dre]

Same Issue: Sony VAIO Laptop, Windows Vista Business Edition, Intel ProSet Wireless 3945ABG.My wireless connection usually drops out after about 24-48 of use. I have Limewire installed, but it does not have to be running for the problem to occur. I usually have several Firefox tabs open, which may lead to the connection problem but I'm not totally convinced that's it either because I can run Firefox, Limewire, several IM clients, and download numerous high-bandwidth files for hours without any problems.When the connection dies, the only solution is to reboot. I have also recently (within the last 2 months) upgraded my BIOS and wireless drivers (as well as numerous other Vista updates).Just a shot in the dark, but is anyone else using a 2.4 GHz cordless phone??? (2.4 GHz is the same frequency range as 802.11g and 802.11n networks). Probably not the issue, but I thought I would ask. I would rather throw out the phone than the computer.

Dre, on Jun 26 2007, 09:50 AM, said:

Same Issue: Sony VAIO Laptop, Windows Vista Business Edition, Intel ProSet Wireless 3945ABG.My wireless connection usually drops out after about 24-48 of use. I have Limewire installed, but it does not have to be running for the problem to occur. I usually have several Firefox tabs open, which may lead to the connection problem but I'm not totally convinced that's it either because I can run Firefox, Limewire, several IM clients, and download numerous high-bandwidth files for hours without any problems.When the connection dies, the only solution is to reboot. I have also recently (within the last 2 months) upgraded my BIOS and wireless drivers (as well as numerous other Vista updates).Just a shot in the dark, but is anyone else using a 2.4 GHz cordless phone??? (2.4 GHz is the same frequency range as 802.11g and 802.11n networks). Probably not the issue, but I thought I would ask. I would rather throw out the phone than the computer.

I'll try the 'XP Fix' and see what happens... (even though I don't have a Dell)

[dgwt]

ChinaLamb, on Jun 20 2007, 02:02 AM, said:

Driver dated 6/21/2006 version 10.6.0.15 has been working since yesterday with no problems - either being disabled or losing connection...

/CL

I went over to the 10.6.0.15 driver on Sunday and so far it hasn't shut off. I've noticed the signal strength is weaker so if this continues to be a problem I guess I will have to try the XP driver.

I thought it worth mentioning that I had previously logged this as a support issue with Dell and even though their own support forums have many reports of the same issue, the best the support engineer could offer was "Switch off your firewall - this can sometimes affect wireless performance" and a suggested uninstall/reinstall of the Intel driver.

[c0lin]

dgwt, on Jun 26 2007, 09:43 AM, said:

ChinaLamb, on Jun 20 2007, 02:02 AM, said:

Driver dated 6/21/2006 version 10.6.0.15 has been working since yesterday with no problems - either being disabled or losing connection...

/CL

I went over to the 10.6.0.15 driver on Sunday and so far it hasn't shut off. I've noticed the signal strength is weaker so if this continues to be a problem I guess I will have to try the XP driver.

I thought it worth mentioning that I had previously logged this as a support issue with Dell and even though their own support forums have many reports of the same issue, the best the support engineer could offer was "Switch off your firewall - this can sometimes affect wireless performance" and a suggested uninstall/reinstall of the Intel driver.

Engineer? Why would dell pay an engineer to take phone calls? Engineers are expensive. Dell support guys mostly follow a script that tells them what to do. And when you go beyond their script they guess or ask their supervisor. That's hardly worth mentioning.

[RyanN]

I'm going to try the XP fix. I haven't had any trouble with the Microsoft driver, but maybe this will improve the performance and signal strength of my laptop. Also, I upgraded to the new firmware last night for my E1505/6400, and my wireless card has been acting strange this morning. It's supposed to fix something with the Dell 1394 card, but it has no affect on my 3945ABG card other than dropping its signal. Is there any reason not to use the newest XP driver? I'm going to try it and report back soon.

EDIT: Okay, this is a rather quick reply for my install, but anyone thinking of trying to install the Intel PROset Wireless software, you will be wasting your time. It does not work. I will report back later to tell you how the XP fix with the newer driver works.

EDIT AGAIN: Eh, the driver I downloaded doesn't have the 3945ABG listed for some reason?!? I'm going to Intel's website to download their driver.

This post has been edited by RyanN: 28 June 2007 - 04:37 PM

[Halon]

I was at the end of my tether when I stumbled across the 'XP Fix' and was of course delighted when I found that it worked, and posted my actions so other people could try it.

However, I certainly wouldn't like to suggest that anyone try it as a 'tweak' if not suffering from the problem with the WLAN radio shutting off.

There have been lots of posts here from people suffering from the problem but only a few saying that this fix has worked for them (though, of them it appears to be 100% successful). I'd be really interested in hearing from anyone else who has good news after trying it.

[RIZR308]

I went through this whole ordeal about a month ago. I spent a combined 9 HOURS on the phone with Microsoft trying to resolve the issue. We finally decided on using the Microsoft driver. It worked, but my computer would never recognize more than 60% wireless signal when connected, and my range and connectivity to other networks was limited.

I found you guys about a week ago, and did the "XP Fix" six days ago, and I am proud to report FULL signal and FULL range and connectivity with available networks. It has been working 5x5 ever since I did the XP fix.

[aron7awol]

I got a BSOD a couple days ago caused by w39n51.sys, the 'XP Fix' driver.

I'm gonna try Dell Download R138747, the 10.5.1.72 XP driver and see if I have any problems.

Only one blue screen in about a week, though, much better than resetting my wireless card or restarting every few hours.

[.John.]

Well...how did I solve the problem? Ordered a new Dell E1420 with the 4965 card...so hopefully no more issues

haha!

[Scamallite]

.John., on Jun 30 2007, 12:45 AM, said:

Well...how did I solve the problem? Ordered a new Dell E1420 with the 4965 card...so hopefully no more issues

haha!

My guess is you wanted a new laptop anyway and that this issue wasn't the only reason for buying a new one? If it is the only reason, you could have just replaced the internal card with a 4965 for around $100

[Halon]

I too am guessing that since John reported a few posts back that the problem was already fixed he was already in the market for some fancy pants new hardware.

I'm giving up being an 'earlier adopter', it's all far too much trouble.