I have a favorite story about a similar problem. It has to do with a two-year-old who loves pushing buttons. He regularly slides the tiny slider that turns my wireless adapter on and off. Whenever I can’t connect, that’s now the first thing I check. So, do me a favor and double check the switch or button on your laptop that turns your wireless on and off.
Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s try to isolate the problem. I want you to shut everything down: the laptop, DSL or cable modem, wireless router, and so on. Go have a beer or something and let them sit for ten to twenty minutes. I’m serious. Sometimes these finicky components need to reset themselves.
Come back and plug in the modem (if any) first, letting it fully boot up with all lights lit. Next, do the same with the wireless router. Finally, boot up your Vaio laptop. Do not connect the yellow cable. Once everything’s up and running, see if your laptop connects to the network or not. If so, then the entire system just needed to refresh.
If not, let’s move on. If you have Windows XP, download Microsoft’s Wireless Networking Troubleshooter tool which can help you diagnose and troubleshoot wireless problems. If you have Windows Vista, a built-in networking diagnostics tool is available in the Networking and Sharing Center. Go to Start> Network > Network and Sharing and then click on Diagnose and Repair. These two tools may provide you with the answers you need.
While in the Network and Sharing Center, right-click your home network icon and choose Properties. Make sure that there’s a check mark in the box that says, “Connect automatically when this network is in range.” Try to connect to the network.
Next, let’s check to be sure the wireless adapter is functioning properly. Go to the Control Panel and find the Device Manager. If you have Windows XP, it will be under the System icon; if you have Windows Vista, it is its own category. Find Network Adapters in the list and click the plus sign to expand it. Any “yellow yield sign” icons on the wireless adapter? If so, there’s your problem. Double click the wireless adapter and see what the error message says under Device Status.
If it’s working properly, I wouldn’t mess with anything here with one exception. I want you to check to see what’s under Power Management. Remove the check mark in “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” and see if that has any effect. It’s possible that the Power Manager is cutting off the device.
The wireless router may have restrictions that are blocking your wireless adapter as well. Get out your router’s manual and log into the router’s interface (usually you enter a standard IP address into a web browser) and explore the settings to see if anything appears amiss.
There are so many possibilities involved that trial and error will be necessary. You might consider using a tech support service that can remotely check your computer on your behalf such as http://www.supportsave.com/ .
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