[etaf]

not according to that PCI info
Chip Number: RTL8167
Chip Description: PCIe Gigabit Ethernet Family Controller
Notes: http://www.realtek.c...&Conn=4
http://www.pcidataba...ils.php?id=1697

which may be the issue - interested to see what vista makes of the device

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After re-installing windows vista there are quite a few more yellow notification icons next to devices in the device manager. One of them is listed under network adapters, I'm going to try and find the driver for this one and see if that works.

Maybe it's a compatibility issue with this device and windows 7?

Edited by Patrick.A, 11 May 2011 - 12:19 AM.

[Patrick.A]

After re-installing windows vista there are quite a few more yellow notification icons next to devices in the device manager. One of them is listed under network adapters, I'm going to try and find the driver for this one and see if that works.

Maybe it's a compatibility issue with this device and windows 7?

Edited by Patrick.A, 11 May 2011 - 12:19 AM.

[etaf]

whats the make and exact model of the PC - all the drivers should be on the manufacturers support site

[Patrick.A]

Installed the driver for WG311v3 54Mbps Wireless PCI adapter and now it works. My only worry is that if I do install Windows 7 on this PC will the same problem occur? And if so, how would i rectify the situation?

[etaf]

can we see a device manager screen shot again
and also run one of the configuration programs to keep details of all the hardware

www.belarc.com
SIW - System Information for Windows
http://www.gtopala.com/

then you have details of all the hardware on the PC

Run the windows 7 upgrade advisor
http://windows.micro.../upgradeadvisor
see what that thinks of the PC

whats the make and model of the PC

[Patrick.A]

I Assembled the PC myself

[etaf]

is the wireless adapter part of the motherboard or a separate device you purchased

[Patrick.A]

It's a separate device I purchased


Here's the device manager screenshot now:



You'll probably notice that the NETGEAR WG311v3 is showing up now, still have to install the other drivers though

I'll see if my system is compatible with windows 7 now.

[etaf]

interesting the wireless adapter is now a completely different device - to the one we where looking for -realtek-rtl8167

WG311
looks like it works with windows 7 http://kb.netgear.co...tail/a_id/13589 - but the PCI info told us a different device
can you post the PCI info again for the WG311

I suspect all the other drivers you need will be from the motherboard chipset and from the website
whats the make and exact model of the motherboard - belarc or SIW will tell you if you dont know

[Patrick.A]

The motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DSL3. couldn't find PCI info for the WG311 on the PCIdatabase website. I'm considering getting a new adapter as this one is pretty terrible.

[etaf]

i can find a GA-EP45-DS3L - NOT DSL3

http://www.gigabyte....id=2844&dl=1#ov

if that is the correct motherboard - as there are quite a few variants - http://www.gigabyte....A-EP45-ds&ck=#1

you have a chipset driver available - which i would install first
then LAN drivers
Also drivers for Windows 7

As it does not have integrated video - you also need the video drivers - whats the video card you have ?

I'm considering getting a new adapter as this one is pretty terrible.

can we see an xirrus screen shot
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector Download and install
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC

http://www.xirrus.co...y/wifitools.php
Direct link to the program is here http://www.xirrus.co...ad_redirect.php
Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program

post a screen shot of the program running - if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on "networks" top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information, and also post which network "Adapter Name" (1st column) is yours on the list

To post a screen shot of the active window, hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file.
To upload it to the forum, open the full reply window and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are here http://library.techg...ng_a_Screenshot

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better.

If you are using the Mac OS then use http://www.istumbler.net/
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Patrick.A]

Okay, installed the chipset drivers and also the LAN drivers. There are no more yellow notifications in the device manager and everything seems to be up to date and working. When you said install the Windows 7 Drivers, do you mean when I install Windows 7 or right now even though I'm running Vista?

The video card is an ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series, and I have already found and installed the drivers for that. They were pretty easy to locate.

Here is the Xirrus Screenshot:



Apparently the signal is good but the reliability of the connection is often pretty bad. This may not be because of the wireless adapter, it may be because of my router which is known to be a bit of a dud. I heard even NETGEAR recognized it as a failure.

Oh, the motherboard is DS3L. I'm terrible with model numbers and stuff like that :/

Edited by Patrick.A, 11 May 2011 - 06:11 AM.

[etaf]

When you said install the Windows 7 Drivers, do you mean when I install Windows 7 or right now even though I'm running Vista?

if you choose to goto windows 7 - you have the drivers available

here are no more yellow notifications in the device manager

excellent - so now i would use belarc or siw to get a full configuration and save the details off the PC

xirrus is showing a good signal strength with that adapter - so what do you mean by

I'm considering getting a new adapter as this one is pretty terrible.

[Patrick.A]

I am only guessing that it is the wireless adapter that is causing connectivity issues, in fact it may well be the router seeing as my laptop experiences similar issues.

All right, I'm fairly confident that it should work with windows 7 but the windows 7 upgrade advisor still says there is a need for a new driver fot the WG311 wireless adapter. Will the Windows 7 drivers on the gigabyte website fix that or is that a compatibility issue between windows 7 and the adapter?

[etaf]

All right, I'm fairly confident that it should work with windows 7 but the windows 7 upgrade advisor still says there is a need for a new driver fot the WG311 wireless adapter. Will the Windows 7 drivers on the gigabyte website fix that or is that a compatibility issue between windows 7 and the adapter?

not sure - but now you have the correct adapter and know the windows 7 driver is available - its just a case of trying it now really

I am only guessing that it is the wireless adapter that is causing connectivity issues, in fact it may well be the router seeing as my laptop experiences similar issues.

sounds like a router issue - its NOT interference as we can only see one wireless signal on xirrus

i would try a powercycle on the router and if not see about a factory reset (make sure you know the configuration details ) and next a router firmware upgrade


------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to power cycle

“power cycle” process to reboot or reset the modem/router

• Switch off all the devices modem, router and computers also unplug their power cables.
• Wait at least 30 seconds.
• Plug the power cords back in, but don’t switch them on.
• First turn on the modem and then wait for a few minutes for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
• Next switch on the router (if a seperate device ) and then wait for a few minutes for it to settle and all the lights to become stable.
• Now turn on your computer, You should now be able to access the Internet.

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