Wireless internet on IBM Thinkpad keeps disconnecting

Every few seconds it disconnects. Idk what's wrong with it! The internet in the house is fine; the problem seems to be just with this laptop. This's a use laptop and i've just had it for a few days and this has been happening since. My old computer, compaq, worked just fine with the internet. I did a few searches about the problem and did read a few threads about people who had the same problem with their internet and they said they changed the 'options' settings on IBM Access Connections, but on my computer I don't see any options button to click when I open Access connections. Some said they unclicked a tab about the radio being inactive or something, as that was the reason for the problem and their internet worked fine after doing just that. But I don't know how to do it on my computer. Or do I need to change some other settings? Pls help!

 

What Thinkpad it is?

 

IBM Thinkpad Microsoft xp. Version 2002. Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor. 1.60Ghz.

 

Quick googling shows that at least T40 and T41 would have used 1.6GHz Pentium M cpu's.

If that is the case, I have an idea what is wrong. I recently had a T40 and its original wlan card (Intel 2100) is really bad, it will not work reliably with todays encryption standards. Sometimes working but usually disconnecting and then it won't see the network for a while, generally annoying.

Solution is simple, remove the old wlan adapter and replace it with a new one that supports current standards. Any card will not do because the bios has whitelisted only some cards.

I've seen Atheros AR5005G 54Mbps 802.11b/g with AR2413 chip being sold as IBM compatible. I was going to test one myself but I actually sold the computer before I had the chance...

 

Thank you so much for the reply, KLF.

Ok, so you're saying the problem's the wireless adapter? I guess I don't need to check for anything on Access Connections then? Here's a thread about what I was talking about above, to give you a better idea: Why does my wireless on my computer keeps disconnecting...? - General-Gateways-Routers-and-Firewalls - General-Networking


I just looked for the name of the network adapter on the laptop and it's "Intel(R) Pro/Wireless LAN 2100 2B Mini PCI Adapter," so you were right. I know this's a pretty old laptop, so I can understand how the adapter might be an issue. I will reinstall it then. Can I buy that chip (Atheros AR5005G...) at any computer store? I just did a google search for it at Future Shop and Best Buy, but didn't find it. I did find a link to download it. Would it work fine downloaded?

 

I had the exact same problem, it was so frustrating I almost threw the laptop out of the window... Until I found the reason and then I just sold it.

I believe there could be other wlan cards that might also work but they need to be specifically tailored for T40/T41 (or whatever you have), because that laptop has a safety feature and it will not boot if there is "unauthorized" card installed. Those Atheros cards I linked are made so they appear as authorized cards and laptop will boot normally.

 

There is a hack available that allows you to use non-whitelisted cards on those computers. Google "no 1802" then download and run the program.

The program sets a bit in the CMOS to bypass the whitelist check but won't make any permanent changes to your computer, so if you ever change the button battery under the palmrest you'll have to re-run the program.

 

+1, this! Did this on my cousin laptop, works perfectly.