Intel 3945ABG / Windows XPSP3 / Wireless Card randomly shutting down

Hi there,

My girlfriend's Lenovo T60 runs Windows XP with the Intel 3945ABG wireless card. Recently she has been having some issues with it when using the Internet, the Wireless Card just seems to turn off (the Wireless Indicator turns off) for no reason after 30 mins or so browsing. I've tried to turn the Wireless Radio back on through Windows (Start/Connect to/Wireless Connection) and the dialogue box won't even come up, you select it and nothing happens! I have also used Thinkpads Access Connections, this does come up but when I try to switch the 'Wireless Radio' on the computer freezes and all of the desktop icons start indiscriminately flashing! Very pretty in it's randomness but ultimately not what she wants .

I downloaded and installed the latest drivers for the Wireless Card from the Intel website (version 11.5.1.15, dated 3/13/2008) but the Wireless Card keeps shutting down... Ugh!

If anyone has any ideas on how to fix this I would much appreciate it!!

Thanks!

 

You have indeed the latest driver, is just the wireless card that stop working or is also the rest of the laptop?

 

Just the Wireless card. The laptop itself works fine when the Wireless Radio is off until I start trying to access Thinkvantage Access Connections!! The Wireless Connection light goes out, hitting CNTRL F5 (on a Lenovo for the Wireless Connections) doesn't work and also trying to access the Wireless Connections through Windows doesn't work.

Very strange!

 

What wireless radio service you have?

 

We are using a D-Link DIR-655. When I log into the router on my laptop when hers is down she is still connected. She is using G at 54MBPS and I'm connected with N at 130MBPS with the mixed mode on the DIR 655.

I'm not sure if the issue is with the router (which I have the latest Firmware update for) as the laptops Wireless Radio light indiscriminately keeps switching off (and I have no issues accessing the router at all)

Thanks for your help by the way

 

Lol, I thought it was that but I wasn't sure, when you say "wireless radio" I imagined you were lietening radio on your laptop, but you are referring to the WiFi link (WLAN, wireless link between the router and the laptop). Now the laptop doesn't have a router, they have a wireless card and/or a LAN card.

Anyway, it seems that your gf has an intermittent operation and it could be so many things. From a heating router, laptop malfunction down to an ISP mal function as well.

You are saying that you only lose internet, but you can still see the other laptop, right?

 

Something you can check: Go to Control Panel--Network Connections. Right click on Wireless Network Connection and bring up Properties. In the little box that shows what card you're using (mine says Dell wireless minicard, for example), click on CONFIGURE. Go to the last tab that says "Power Management." Make sure the little box that says "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is NOT checked. Hit okay.

I fixed this on my husband's Lenovo, as well, as his wireless would drop, and this fixed his problem. Hopefully yours is similar.

 

Yes, that's a great idea but that only works when the laptop is working on the battery. If the laptop is connected to the power adapter that feature should be inactive. Plus that features kicks in after the laptop is inacive for a certain time so the OS see nothing wrong with saving power, and my understanding is that internet get disconnected while the laptop is being used.

 

Yeah Wirelessman the 'Wireless Radio' thing is confusing but that's exactly what the Thinkvantage connections software says so I thought I'd say it for clarity!! I'm pretty clued up with laptops normally so I know what the routers etc are Yep when I log into the router I can still see her laptop listed as a connection, the wireless light on the laptop is out though indicating the wireless card is turned off. Strange.

Thanks Grannygamer, that option was selected and I've turned it off. Wirelessman was correct in his assumption that the laptops connected to the mains, I'll see if that fixes the issue (hopefully it does but I honestly cannot imagine why that was the issue when the laptop was connected to the mains all the time!!)

Thanks again

 

Do let us know if it helped. I know it *shouldn't* make a difference if you're on main power, but I do believe about a year and a half ago there was a Lenovo blog about this very issue and this was the fix the engineer proposed.

 

I definitely will. Thanks again we really appreciate it

 

i had an issue the same as yours laspud. it was the windows zero config that just kept switching off. and using another pc the router was still showing the laptop as connected.
i just switched off the let windows configure your connection option and used the software from my wifi card manufacturer.and i change the channel number from auto to 8. as most local in range routers (wifi) where all using channel 11.
I took my time and just kept playing about with settings on the router and my wifi card.
West Ham for everlol
Phil

 

How did you prevent that "windows zero config" continues turning off all by itself?

 

just went in to services and disabled it.
if you use software provided by your card manufacturer you don't need windows zero config as this will conflict with the software.
i use the Broadcom drivers and software and make sure you untick the box for "let windows handle your wifi connection".

 

Thanks my poor feeder club supporting friend! Joking aside I appreciate that mate, the fix suggested by grannygamer hasn't worked unfortunately, the Wireless Card has shut off twice this morning (in the middle of downloading a load of stuff from iTunes). I'll give your fix a try. The other Wireless software on the laptop is Lenovo's Thinkvantage Access Connections which I have found conflicts with Windows own wireless management software.

COME ON YOU SPURS!!!

 

Sorry the easy fix didn't work for you. I tried to uncover that old Lenovo blog but after spending some time searching for it, figured it probably wouldn't apply as you said this problem only just started occurring.

Two other things come to mind: You say you have SP3. Could it be possible that has screwed up the wireless settings in some manner? Did the two coincide? Might you uinstall SP3 to see if it works properly?

The second thing--and this is so easy it's probably worth trying just for the heck of it--have you reset your router and your cable modem?

 

Yeah I reset the router and modem, I have disabled Windows Zero Config, I have disabled Windows managing the connection and still the Wireless keeps on shutting off.

The strangest thing is when the Wireless light is extinguished I cannot access any of the Thinkvantage connections software (or even connect through Windows through 'Start>Connect to>Wireless Connection', when I select it nothing happens).

So strange.... I've never seen anything like it

 

I honestly would point my finger at the SP3 upgrade here after hearing about more than a few problems with it. I don't have any first-hand experience with it, but there are 2 things I would try in your shoes (assuming you don't want to uninstall SP3):

1. I would try uninstalling Access Connections through Add/Remove Programs and also the wireless card through Device Manager. Then, using a wired connection, go to the Lenovo site and do a system update and get the thinkvantage connections software and drivers for your card. Think maybe some driver got forced through the SP3 update that is conflicting and you need a fresh install.

2. If you're reluctant to do #1 and just want to try something suggested by someone else (who actually also has a Lenovo that was exhibiting the same problem you have), he kept the Windows Zero Config ON but discovered that there were 2 services that were related to it that had been set to manual. Once he set those 2 to automatic, everything started working again. These were the 2 services he found that needed to be automatic:

- Extensible Authentication Protocol Service
- Network Access Protection Agent


Again, I'm not a wireless wizard like some of the folks are in this forum and I sure appreciate their help and advice now and in the past. But assuming you don't have any sort of hardware problem and this all seemed to occur right around the SP3 upgrade and you've never seen anything like it, I kinda think it deserves further exploration. Good luck!

 

Thanks I'll give re-installing Access Connections and stopping both of those services a try tonight. Fingers crossed that sorts it out!!

 

Just in case your fingers were typing too fast...the fix that worked for the guy I mentioned entailed turning ON Windows Zero Config *and* making sure those 2 services were on AUTOMATIC (not stopping them). You could try it since it's a simple thing to check out.

 

Well I tried starting those two services and restarting the Windows Zero config. This time the wireless card went down 5 mins into using the laptop (usually it goes down after a longer period of time).

The strange this is once the card shuts down the wireless software refuses to even start up. Thinkvantage Connections, hitting FN-F5 for the Wireless on/off menu. Nothing works.

I haven't reinstalled Thinkvantage Access connections yet.....

Reckon if I upgraded her computer to Vista that it would sort it?!!

 

Honestly, I think what would sort her out would be reinstalling both the Thinkvantage Connections and the wireless driver (and make sure you get the wireless driver from the Lenovo site and don't use whatever gets installed automatically by windows; get the Lenovo driver and Thinkvantage both). I believe when you install the Lenovo Connections software, it will automatically uninstall the previous version.

The suggestion I mentioned about starting those 2 services was just a suggestion...something that worked for someone else...and it was an easy enough thing to try.

If it were my computer, I would do the Thinkvantage connections and wireless driver before anything else. If that didn't work, I personally would uninstall SP3. As a last desperation step, I would do a clean reinstall of winXP. That pretty much exhausts my troubleshooting....

 

Hi
I had the same problem with my Dell XPS M1210 withIntel 3945 card. It first happened months ago same symptoms. Wireless turns off after some time of browsing. Wireless indicator led turns off. Right or left click on wireless network icon does not work and when I go to network connections under control, it does not work either. Additionally when i try to restart computer it takes more than 5 mins to shut down.
I have solved this issue by reinstalling windows xp (sp2) then. But now i have vista business and same thing happened three times today. Is there any new idea what could this be?

 

Sorry wrong thread.

 

Wow I was searching for something else D-Link related and am surprised to see my old thread at the top of the recent search results!

We were still having this problem until recently, I was tinkering with the settings again and under Power Management (under control panel - system - device manager - network adapters - Intel 3945ABG (right click / properties) - advanced - Power Management) I moved the slider under value all the way to the right side. We haven't had any issues since.

How annoying eh?!

 

i have the same problem with the same adapter but i cannot find that "slider".

it is not in the advanced section...

anyone?

 

under the advanced tab, go to property and scroll down. you'll find power management towards the end of the list.

 

also, don't know if this may be an issue, but check if there's a conflict on windows and the lenovo software trying to control the wireless at the same time. Has caused problems for me before.