Comments | valydiarosada: Does not compute!

valydiarosada

Does not compute!

Jul 26, 2009 22:51

We have wi-fi. We have had wi-fi for a lo-o-o-ong time. According to the symbols in the bottom right hand corner of my computer, I am not connected to any networks. But I have just posted a comment to smallship1's journal, and now I've posted this...

Comments 4

ci5rod July 26 2009, 22:53:19 UTC

Operating systems (not just Windows, Ubuntu has fallen for the same trap) seem to be trying to get smart about managing networks. Whatever it is that they do doesn't seem to understand networks that have been set up by hand, or before upgrades, or so on.

keristor July 27 2009, 07:45:29 UTC

Gah, yes. Although the latest Ubuntu seems to have actually made it possible for me to set a manual configuration and have it stay there across reboot.

Wireless is particularly bad on Windows, though, there are a load of drivers which grab control of it and don't put up the proper icons or allow management through any expected route. But even wired can have interesting things, my work laptop is now telling me that it has 4 wired connections all of which are disconnected (it actually has one), as is the wireless which has never worked, but it still talks happily to the network...

the_magician July 26 2009, 23:18:14 UTC

Depending on the icons in the bottom corner, there may be one that is like two tiny computers, one behind the other, one with a little blue screen ... that's the *wired* ethernet icon, but there may be another one hiding there that's a single computer with little radio waves (three sort of nested arcs of black) which is the wireless one ...

... or as Rhodri says, it could just be a confused computer! :-)

My work computers are always confusing because they have VPN and similar software which grabs control of the wireless network away from Windows control panel and handles it itself. My personal HP laptop has something similar installed ... designed to make things "easier" (by making it different from every other computer I've configured!)

valydiarosada July 29 2009, 21:46:52 UTC

I think it was a confused computer. It offered to disconnect me from the wireless network which it said I wasn't connected to...

It told me tonight I wasn't connected to the wireless network either, and I wasn't. But it's now been fixed, and it says I am connected. Which I am.

So all is well.