ARCHIVED: Using a Lucent ORiNOCO wireless card in my laptop computer, why am I sometimes not able to connect?

Note: If you are a student, faculty member, or staff member at Indiana University Bloomington or IUPUI, use the IU Secure network for wireless access. For help, see What is IU Secure? If you are visiting IU, instead see Network Access accounts (guest wireless access) at IUB and IUPUI.

Occasionally, a Lucent ORiNOCO wireless card will conflict with the infrared port on your system. To fix the problem, you need to disable the infrared port:

1. Open the Device Manager:
   
   
   • In Windows Vista, from the Start menu, select Computer, or double-click Computer on the desktop. Click System Properties, and then click Device Manager.
   • In Windows XP, from the Start menu, select My Computer, or double-click My Computer on the desktop. Under System Tasks, click View system information. In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
   • In Windows 2000, you must first be logged in with an account that has administrative access to the computer. Then, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and then click Properties. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
   • In Windows 95, 98, or Me, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and click Properties. Click the Device Manager tab.
   
   
2. Next to "Network Adapters", click + (the plus sign).
   
   
3. Look for items with "infrared" in the name, and select them by clicking once.
   
   
4. Disable the device:
   
   
   • In Windows 2000, from the Action menu, choose Disable. In the confirmation window, click Yes.
   • In Windows 95, 98, or Me, click the Properties button. Check the box labeled Disable in this hardware profile. Click OK.
   
   
5. Next to "Ports", click + (the plus sign). Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the devices in the Ports section.
   
   
6. Restart your computer.

Also see:

• The basics of VPN at IU
• In Windows 2000, why does my VPN connection to IUB or IUPUI stop responding?