Wireless Network Troubleshooting with windows XP

This post provides server support to fix wireless network problems, These Steps provides basic troubleshooting for wireless network problems, It is applied for home server support or Small business support Services


To troubleshoot wireless network connections in Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. Check the Windows Catalog at http://www.windowsmarketplace.com (http://www.windowsmarketplace.com) to determine if there is a Windows XP-compatible driver that is available for your wireless adapter.
If there is a compatible driver, install the updated driver before you perform any additional troubleshooting procedures.
If there is not a compatible driver, you may be able to use the network adapter, but its configuration and functionality may be very limited.
2. Determine if the driver that you are using recognizes the Windows XP Wireless Zero Configuration service. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. In the right pane,click Network and Internet Connections.
3. In the right pane, click Network Connections.
4. Right-click Wireless Network Connection, and then click Properties.
5. View the available options:

If you do not see the Wireless Network Connection icon in the Network Connections folder, or if you cannot view the properties, there is a problem with the driver for the wireless network adapter. To troubleshoot this problem, see the Driver installation issues section.
If you can view the properties for the Wireless Network Connection icon, but you do not see a Wireless Networks tab, see the Drivers that do not support the Wireless Zero Configuration service section to continue troubleshooting.
If you can view the properties, and you can see and use the Wireless Networks tab, see the Drivers that support the Wireless Zero Configuration service section to continue troubleshooting.
If the Authentication tab is missing in the Wireless Network Connection properties, make sure that the Wireless Zero Configuration service is running.

What is LAN, WLAN, WAN, MAN, SAN, CAN, PAN and GAN ?

Computer networks are bunch of interconnected PC or computers that facilitate the exchange of data or some other purposeful work. The first computer network to be designed was the "Advanced Research Projects Agency Network" (ARPANET) for the United States Department of Defense in the late 1960s and early 1970s. From then on, numerous new network technologies have been developed.

Computer networks can be classified into different types based on their scale of operation. They include:

• LAN: Local Area Networks cover a small physical area, like a home, office, or a small group of buildings, such as a school or airport.


• WLAN: Wireless Local Area Networks enable users to move around within a larger coverage area, but still be wirelessly connected to the network.


• WAN: Wide Area Networks cover a broad area, like communication links that cross metropolitan, regional, or national boundaries. The Internet is the best example of a WAN.


• MAN: Metropolitan Area Networks are very large networks that cover an entire city.


• SAN: Storage Area Networks help attach remote computer storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, to servers in such a manner that that they appear to be locally attached to the operating system.


• CAN: Controller Area Networks allow micro controllers and devices to communicate with each other without a host computer.


• PAN: Personal Area Networks are used for communication among various devices, such as telephones, personal digital assistants, fax machines, and printers, that are located close to a single user.


• GAN: Global Area Networks support mobile communications across an arbitrary number of wireless LANs and satellite coverage areas.


• INTERNETWORK: Internetworking is the process of connecting two or more distinct computer networks or network segments through a common routing technology.

Computer networks are an integral part of our lives. It is only because of networking that telephones, televisions, radios, and the Internet are at our fingertips.