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 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/ .

 I agree, it doesn’t make sense to move the everything around when your computers should certainly be able to talk to each other and print on the network.

First, I’m going to give you some homework. Read this Microsoft TechNet article  which addresses network connectivity between Windows XP and Vista machines so that both computers can see each other on the network. Then read this Microsoft TechNet article which addresses Vista file and printer sharing in general.

You will need to ensure that the Windows XP machine has the Link Layer Topology Discovery Protocol installed on it. A link to the download is included in the first TechNet article. This should allow XP and Vista to both show up on the network map. Once you’ve created a new network map as the article advices, check to be sure that the printer is shared on the Vista machine. Go to Start, Network, Network and Sharing Center, and make sure that Network Discover and Printer Sharing are both turned on.

Next, go back to Network and then find the Vista computer, double click it so that you can see the printer. Now, right-click the printer and choose Properties. Click Share this Printer and give it a memorable name. Click the Drivers button because you will need to install printer drivers for Windows XP so that the XP machine has everything it needs to communicate with the printer.

Now, write down the name of your computer and printer in the following format for future reference:

\\computername\printer name

If you ever need to configure a port to print to, this is the network path to the printer.

Now, on the XP machine, see if you can find the printer and print to it. If not, you will need to add it. Go to the Control Panel>Printers and choose Add a Printer. Choose the option for network printer and follow the prompts. The XP machine should be able to detect it.

If this doesn’t work, go back to the Vista machine and right click the printer (in Network) and choose properties. Check under the Security tab to be sure that “Everyone” has permission to print to the printer.

I realize you’ve checked all of the settings, so I’m hoping that the LLTD protocol update on the XP machine will get you what you need.

Just because you have a wireless network, it doesn’t mean that you can automatically “see” the other computers on it. First, computers must be set up in such a way so that they are visible to others on the network. In addition, the wireless profile that the computer is using may be set to hide the computer from view to others on the network, particularly if the computer is using a public wireless hotspot.

First, if you want to make all of the computers on your home network visible to each other, you will need to go into the Network and Sharing Center and make a few adjustments. First, make sure that Network Discovery is turned on. This option makes sure that you can see other computers on the network and that other computers can see your computer on the network. In addition, it allows you to access the shared resources of other computers.

If Network Discovery is turned on, click on the “View computers and devices” link under Tasks to see if you can see the other computers. You may need to turn on Network Discovery for the other computers as well.

Still can’t see the computers on your network? Check to see what “Network Location” the various computers are using. For example, if one of the computers on your network location is set to “public,” then you will not be able to see it. This is by design. After all, if you are at a public Wi-Fi hotspot such as a library or coffee house, would you want everyone else using the hotspot to be able to see your computer and explore its files?

You can double check what network location you are using by opening Windows Firewall which will display this information. To change the network location, go back into the Network and Sharing Center and click the link labeled “Customize.” Click either Public or Private depending on your security needs at the time.

Once you have set up all computers with the correct Network Discovery and network locations, you should now be able to see the other computers on the network. Other settings to consider are whether or not to use public folders on the network and if you want to allow the other computers to browse the files of the hard drive. A good compromise involves sharing your files only to users who have a user account and password.

The transition from IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4) to IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) is currently underway with two protocols co-existing side by side. When two technologies are in a state of transition, so too are the ways in which we use them. Some have adopted IPv6 while others haven’t yet. In between, users want access to both.

Most computer users are blissfully unaware of the network addressing that takes place on their computer networks and the Internet. We are generally unaware of the IP address assigned to our equipment and aren’t terribly concerned with how many binary digits are involved. But we do care when we can’t connect. Teredo is a type of “automatic tunneling” technology that bridges the differences between IPv4 and IPv6 protocols.

For example, IPv6 traffic can be “tunneled” through IPv4 hosts. Teredo is a transition technology that will eventually fade away as more routers and edge devices are upgraded to support the IPv6 technology.

Windows Vista comes with built-in support for both IPv6 and Teredo with both protocols enabled by default. Depending on the computer’s configuration, Teredo may by enabled but inactive. Windows XP Service Pack 1 and 2 both have IPv6 and Teredo available but they are not enabled by default.

To check the status of IPv6, go into the Control Panel, choose Network Connections, and right-click the network connection. Look for IPv6 in the list. Is there a check mark in the box next to it? If so, it is enabled.

To check the status of Teredo, go to the Control Panel, click on Device Manager, and look under Network Adapters. You should see Teredo Tunneling Pseudo Interface in the Network Adapter list. If it is disabled and you want to enable it, go to the Driver tab and click on Enable.

Teredo tunneling does not subject incoming IPv6 traffic to IPv4 packet filtering which has led to concerns about malware sneaking past defenses and infiltrating private networks. However, according to Microsoft, using a firewall that support IPv6 such as Windows Firewall protects against unwanted, incoming IPv6 attacks. If your computer uses IPv6 and Teredo, make sure that you have Windows Firewall or a similar IPv6 supported firewall enabled.

What if the world ran out of IP addresses? With a limited number of IP addresses available, the World Wide Web would eventually max out. Once maxed, no more computers or devices could connect! Imagine buying a cool new gizmo and being denied access because you bought it too late and all of the four billion IP addresses have already been given out. With IPv4 (Internet Protocol Version 4), the original protocol for IP addresses, this scenario was fast approaching. Fortunately, it won’t happen, at least for a long time, thanks to IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6).

IPv4 addresses are 32-bit addresses while IPv6 addresses are 128-bit addresses. What does that mean in plain English? While IPv4 allows for about 4,000,000,000 IP addresses, IPv6 allows for over 300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 IP addresses. We won’t be running out any time soon.

In addition to added capacity for a virtually unlimited number of IP addresses, IPv6 also offers other enhancements to the old protocol such as increased security (IPsec and MobileIP) that adds compression, encryption, and authentication as well as addresses the concerns of mobile devices such as allowing mobile roaming between networks without losing the existing IP address.

Currently, IPv4 and IPv6 are in transition and coexisting side by side though eventually IPv6 will become the new standard. Your computer may already have support for IPv6. In fact, if you have Windows Vista, support for IPv6 is built in. You can double check by going into the Control Panel and choosing the Network Connections icon. Here, you’ll see a display with your current network connections. Right-click the network connection that you use for connecting to the Internet, such as your wireless network connection, and then choose Properties. Under the Networking tab, you’ll see an area under “This connection uses the following items.” Look for Internet Protocol Version 6 in this list. If you find it, then your computer is already equipped for the next generation of IP addresses.

 LAN is an acronym that stands for local area network or a group of computers including network devices that have all been connected together. LANs can be thought of as private networks. Some residences with more than one computer connected to the Internet have LANs or home networks that share resources including their Internet connection.

Sometimes, the computers that comprise a LAN are all in the same office or in the same building. In this case, the number of computers connected through a specific LAN will be small. However, sometimes LANs are spread across several buildings and can include hundreds or even thousands of computers.

The primary purpose of a LAN is to link all of the computers together within a specific company, organization, or group in order to facilitate sharing among the computers. This sharing functionality will include the ability to share files, printers, and servers. A LAN can be connected to other, larger LANs as well as to wide area networks or WANs. Typically, the Internet connection on the computers within a LAN is high speed. The expense to put together a LAN is much lower than the cost to put together a WAN.

Although the basic concept of LANs is utilized throughout each one, the specifics vary. In general, however, some components are universal or common across LANs. These components include: the connective media for the devices, the protocols for transmitting data across a LAN, the interfaces that are included on each of the devices to facilitate connection to media, and the software that is utilized. In particular, the software administers the network services.

WAN is an acronym that stands for wide area network. A WAN is not limited by geographic location and can span several states, countries, or even the entire world. However, a particular wide area network might be confined within specified boundaries such as those determined by a state or country. Typically, it includes geographically dispersed telecommunications as connotated by the use of the word, wide.

In general, a WAN is used to connect several, smaller LANs or even to connect several large LANS. In fact, a WAN or wide area network might be restricted to a specific company, organization, or enterprise. On the other hand, WANs are often collective efforts and exist simply at the discretion of several organizations or companies.

WANs might be accessible to the public, and yet they do not have to be accessible to the public. One example of a public WAN that is also on a worldwide level is the Internet.

Typically, the Internet connection on the computers within a WAN is high speed.

The technology used with a WAN is generally expensive in comparison to that used within a LAN. This is generally related to the greater amount of distance that is involved with a WAN as well as the greater number of computers and devices that are involved. Another difference between the two is that LANs are often privately owned, whereas WANs can be privately owned, rented, or publicly owned.