Windows XP Bedevils Wi-Fi Users

[Akasha]

Kevin Gilmore is a network administrator at MicroDisplay, a small company in San Pablo, California, that uses several Wi-Fi access points to give employees the freedom to roam around the office with their laptops while remaining connected to the Internet.

But these days, Gilmore keeps encountering a problem that many Windows XP users know all too well: the sudden and inexplicable loss of their wireless Internet connections. As Gilmore knows from the flow of support calls, there's little point in trying to find a permanent solution to the problem.

"It will and does lose connection for absolutely no reason whatsoever, and then picks it up again, seemingly randomly," Gilmore said. "At first, it was so aggravating. And now, it's considered a normal factor of working with Windows."

Here are the symptoms of the problem: A Wi-Fi-enabled computer running Windows XP is working fine one minute, pulling up Web pages and processing e-mail. Then, for no reason, the connection drops, websites fail to come up and the e-mail flow stops. The small wireless connection icon in the taskbar says the signal from the access point is strong, so the problem isn't that the user wandered out of radio range. The icon even shows that the computer's Wi-Fi hardware is sending information to the access point -- it's just not getting anything back. And manual attempts to re-establish the connection through XP's built-in wireless configuration tool won't do the trick. Even more bizarre, the connection sometimes comes back on its own.

From anecdotal evidence, most users assume the problem is with the Wi-Fi hardware. But the trouble seems to arise from a tool in Windows XP called Wireless Zero Configuration, a feature that was meant to do away with the mishmash of software drivers and configuration utilities.

Microsoft disputes the notion that there's a problem with the way Windows XP works with Wi-Fi.

"We don't have data that suggests Windows XP drops wireless connections more than any other system," said Greg Sullivan, the lead product manager in Microsoft's Windows division. "Wi-Fi configuration in Windows XP is much different and easier than in previous versions."

Indeed, in earlier versions of Windows, users had to configure their equipment through software written by the Wi-Fi hardware manufacturers -- which aren't known as user-friendly program writers. The configuration utilities varied from maker to maker, with various manufacturers sometimes using different words and definitions to describe the same concept. Microsoft stepped in with Wireless Zero Configuration to unify the utilities and ease the pain.

Unfortunately, the feature is hardly infallible, said Glenn Fleishman, editor of WI-FI Networking News.

"The flaw is, if Wireless Zero Configuration gets funky in any way, then to the user ... wireless connectivity is unavailable," he said. "It's a tricky interaction of many different elements of this system. It's frustrating."

To some, the most infuriating part is that the wireless network connection icon in the XP taskbar doesn't display any indication at all that something's wrong. When there is a genuine hardware failure, the icon displays a small red X to indicate that the connection was lost. But with these mysterious disconnections, the icon continues to show a connection.

Microsoft said users shouldn't be misled by the icon.

"It indicates that you've associated with an access point. It is possible for you to be associated without having (Internet) connectivity," said Shai Guday, a Microsoft wireless group program manager.

But most users don't have the background to parse the distinction between connection and "association" with an access point. All they know is that the icon says there's an access point with a strong signal nearby and they can't get on the Internet.

There are several theories about what goes wrong. Sometimes it's because of interference from microwave ovens, cordless phones and other electronic devices that generate radio noise, said Christian Gunning, director of product management for Boingo Wireless, a Wi-Fi connection provider.

Others say it could be because of a Microsoft software update that tries to enhance wireless security, but causes other problems with certain, usually older, equipment.

And others blame the same problem Microsoft was trying to fix in the first place: an infinite combination of drivers, utilities, hardware and software configurations.

For its part, Microsoft insists the problem is not with XP. Guday said he knows of no problems with "Zero Config" and would be "happy to look into any reports with that." And Sullivan said users can always deactivate XP's configuration utility and use the Wi-Fi manufacturers' software.

"Windows XP reduces wireless deployment costs via automatic configuration," said Sullivan. "It reduces help desks' call times for wireless networking questions due to simplified configuration."

But Fleishman said Microsoft's belief in this might be because most XP users assume the fault lies with their Wi-Fi card, not with Microsoft's operating system.

"Microsoft probably isn't getting tech support calls on this," he said. "It's almost certain the hardware makers are getting the tech support calls."

There is a way of getting lost Wi-Fi connections going again, but it involves going deep into XP's settings every time the problem arises, Fleishman said. And the fix could be a nightmare for people like Gilmore, who don't want less-advanced users mucking around with the guts of the operating system.

With advance apologies to Gilmore and other network administrators, here's Fleishman's workaround:

• Go to Control Panel.
• Choose Administrative Tools.
• Select Services. A two-pane window comes up.
• In the right-hand pane, scroll down and click Wireless Zero Configuration.
• Click Stop the Service. A progress bar may come up briefly.
• Click Start the Service. Again, a progress bar may come up.
• Close the Services window. At this point, Fleishman said, the connection should come back.

Information Source : Wired News!