Wireless connection problem: DHCP not responding

I've gotten good advice from this place in the past, so hopefully you guys can come through again this time.

First off, the specs:

IBM X41 Tablet, Intel Pro Wireless 2200BG, WPA-PSK
Netgear WGR614v4

All driver/ firmware are updated.

What happens is that whenever I re-boot the system, the adapter has a hard time connecting to my wireless network. This does not happen to the HP laptop I used to own. The IBM either takes 3 mins to connect or never. Today, I took a look at the problem and this is the log from IBM wireless sofware. JS BACH is my network name. Can someone tell me how to fix the "DHCP server not responding" issue? I have no clue what it does.

Connection status: Not connected
Cause: DHCP server not responding.
Error code: 031
Recommended action:
The DHCP server on this network failed to respond to the request your system made for automatic IP address configuration. To force another request, click Repair. If the problem persists, contact your network administrator.

If the problem persists, contact your network administrator and provide the troubleshooting information below.


Adapter Details
***************
Adapter name Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
Adapter type Wireless LAN
Adapter speed 540000 Mbps
Driver/Firmware version 9.1.0.104/ N/A
Adapter status Enabled
Connection Status Not connected
Disable unused cards? Yes

TCP/IP Settings
***************
DHCP enabled? Yes
Append parent suffixes of the primary DNS suffix? Yes
Register connection's DNS suffix in registration? Yes
Register connection's DNS suffix in DNS registration? Yes
Enable LMHOSTS Lookup? No
NetBIOS setting "Default"

Wireless Settings
*****************
Network name (SSID) J.S.Bach
Connection type Access point
Wireless mode Auto
Security encryption WPA-PSK/TKIP


System Information
******************
System model 1867J11
BIOS version 75ET60WW (2.06 )
Operating system version Windows Vista, Service pack 2
Access connections version 5.62

Access Point scan list
**********************
Network name (SSID) Wireless mode MAC address Signal strength Channel
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
J.S.Bach 802.11g 00:09:5B:FA:26:8C 99% 6

 

Sometimes if this happens, it is because you have don't have your ip config on auto. Go to your Control Panel> Network and Internet> Network Connections> Right click on Wireless Connection> Properties> Select Internet Protocol version 4> Press Properties> Select auto for IP and DNS> Press OK

 

The wireless network was set to auto for IP and DNS...just as you suggested.

 

Have you tried a newer driver for that 2200BG?
I had similiar issues with that same card in an older laptop. Sometimes it would just drop the signal and I'd have to repair the connection or reboot for it to reconnect back to the router.

 

For some reason I remember there being a driver issue with this card when connecting to networks with WPA-PSK TKIP/AES encryption. This card REALLY prefers WEP encryption.

 

Well, I've tried 9.1.0.104 and 9.1.2.10 to no avail. I've got 9.1.1.15 yet to try. According to Intel website, it's the latest version for 2200BG. I am not holding my hope up.

 

Are you letting Windows manage it's own network connections or are you having a Util do it?

 

I tried both. Neither really worked. I have to manually disable and reconnect...then it will work fine. Seems like it just doesn't acquire network fast enough on its own.

 

Ok, I just tried WEP. I entered a paraphrase and it generates four keys. I applied the setting and tried to connect using the paraphrase but it didn't work. Do I need to use the generated keys instead? i am a dummie when it comes to network security.

 

Yea, and usually you select which of the 4 keys is used.

 

Vista network and sharing asks for key or paraphrase, I would much rather use the paraphrase than the key. It's almost a guarrantee that I will forget the key at some point, even writing it down somewhere...