Windows 7 A rather specific wireless connection problem

[Malacandra]

Hi, my son has just been given a Toshiba laptop running Windows 7 for Christmas. It can't see my unsecured Belkin router although it seems perfectly well able to see my neighbours' wireless routers (Netgear and others, including another Belkin). Any suggestions? I believe this very same laptop accessed this router just fine when it was running Vista (it's my father-in-law's, with a new install of Win7 on it).

Thanks in advance.

 

[Trouble]

Typically this might be a result of the wireless router not broadcasting its' SSID. Try resetting the Belkin to factory defaults using the recessed button usually on the back inside a small hole with a paper clip or other such device. Check the documentation for the router to determine exactly how to do this, you may also consider using Belkin's website to see if they have a downloadable manual for that particular device and additionally if they have a firmware update that might also help with the problem.

 

[Malacandra]

Thank you. I've also been looking for advice elsewhere and acting on another recommendation have installed inSSIDer on the troublesome laptop and a couple of other computers. The one that's giving trouble is not picking up the SSID (I'll call it FRED) although the other two are seeing FRED quite happily on channel 13. All three computers are seeing neighbours' SSIDs on channels 6, 7 and 11. So before I touch the router, does this information suggest that the router is not the problem - and is there a setting I should adjust which would enable the problem laptop to see channel 13? (Purely inspired guesswork on my part. I was a computer pro for 27 years, but all my knowledge of SQL databases etc is inapplicable here. )

 

[helpifIcan]

You could try changing the channel and see if it gets picked up. Maybe some issue with the wireless card that it is not or can not see channel 13.

 

[Malacandra]

You could try changing the channel and see if it gets picked up. Maybe some issue with the wireless card that it is not or can not see channel 13.

Yes, that's what I tried shortly after my previous post - and it worked a treat! Perhaps it's a "feature" of that wireless card; at any rate, all's well that ends well. Thanks to all.