A friend of a customer has a brand new Netgear DG834G ADSL Router. I have set up his desktop PC with the USB wireless module that came with the router and that worked fine straight away.

As soon as I opened the lid on my Dell Laptop it found the wireless network and connected no problem.

An HP Pavillion DV6000 laptop they have refuses to work point blank wireless. Stick a patch lead in and it works perfectly. If you set it to pick up an IP and DNS server auto' the connection comes up with a yellow caution and states limited or no connectivity. If I set the IP and DNS manually the connection appears fine but you can't get out of the network, no internet, pings, nowt.

This happens whether security is on or off.

I spent two hours tonight fiddling about with it and had to concede defeat, anybody have any ideas why this chuffing thing won't connect!?

Check the HP has the latest drivers + theres a few patches available from microsoft (for WPA2 etc) - i had similar problem with a HP, cant remember how i fixed it tho lol

Soetimes they just don't. Is there a newer driver for the HP wireless? Have you tried the external USB wireless dongle on the HP?

Some times certain wireless cards just play up with certain routers or APs. Can be a nightmare.

USB wi-fi dongles are SH*TE!

throw in the bin, or use it to stir cocktails with, and get a PCMCIA card instead

USB wi-fi dongles are SH*TE!

throw in the bin, or use it to stir cocktails with, and get a PCMCIA card instead

The laptop isn't using a dongle, it's got a built in Broadcom adaptor. The desktop is using a usb dongle which worked straight away.

TBH I don't even know if this model has a PCMCIA slot?

Also make sure the router has the latest firmware on it - i had issues with the same router on old firmware.

most do? would be unusual for it not to

do a serach for compatibility issues bettwen Netgear and Broadcom

Depends if it's old stock.

Mine came with a version which was 3 away from the newest.

Phoned HP who told me to re-instate the XP install, tended to agree with them on this occasion actually as the user had been trying since christmas to get it up and running and had somehow manged to install about 5 tool bars!

Fresh install on XP still no joy, re-updated the drivers, still nothing.

Tried a different router, still nothing so it's pronounced faulty and it's going back to Currys or wherever it came from!

I'm going to start turning down home users with PC problems, 4 hours for £50 is it worth it?

Had big problems with netgear and usb wireless ...in the end went on PC advisor forum and they found a different driver for the netgear that worked OK for a while but in the end the router packed up altogether so got a belkin one