I bought a laptop and when I try to connect to my wireless router thru my
computer it says it needs a password or passphrase. I preloaded the computer
and password on a USB flsh drive and it says it doesn't recognize the
password. I have even tried to type it in. Is it possible that I am entering
a different password for my computer than the one that is loaded on the USB
flash drive? If it is, how do I find out the real password. I am using a
Linksys wireless router.

Thx for any help you can give me.

Jobeck1 wrote:
I bought a laptop and when I try to connect to my wireless router thru my
computer it says it needs a password or passphrase. I preloaded the computer
and password on a USB flsh drive and it says it doesn't recognize the
password. I have even tried to type it in. Is it possible that I am entering
a different password for my computer than the one that is loaded on the USB
flash drive? If it is, how do I find out the real password. I am using a
Linksys wireless router.

The password (or passphrase) needed is the one that was set up on the
router for your wireless network encryption, not the password you use on
your computer. Either ask the person who set up your wireless networking
what the passphrase is (and you should be using WPA2 PSK/Personal for
encryption), look to see if it is written down anywhere, or go to the
router's configuration screen to see what it is. Here is general
information about configuring your router for wireless networking:

Open a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the
addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter]

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left blank and the default password is "admin" without the quotes. If
you changed the router's administration password, enter that instead of
the default of course. Click "OK" or "Continue". You are now in the
router's configuration utility. Your configuration utility may differ
slightly from my example.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. If not already
done, change the Wireless Network Name (SSID) from the default of
Linksys to something you will recognize. I suggest that my clients not
use their family name as the SSID. For example, you might wish to name
your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). If
you have a newish computer, you will be able to set the Security Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. The passphrase is what
you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

Now when your computer asks for a passphrase so you can use the wireless
network, enter the same one as is on the Linksys.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

"Malke" wrote:

Jobeck1 wrote:
I bought a laptop and when I try to connect to my wireless router thru my
computer it says it needs a password or passphrase. I preloaded the computer
and password on a USB flsh drive and it says it doesn't recognize the
password. I have even tried to type it in. Is it possible that I am entering
a different password for my computer than the one that is loaded on the USB
flash drive? If it is, how do I find out the real password. I am using a
Linksys wireless router.

The password (or passphrase) needed is the one that was set up on the
router for your wireless network encryption, not the password you use on
your computer. Either ask the person who set up your wireless networking
what the passphrase is (and you should be using WPA2 PSK/Personal for
encryption), look to see if it is written down anywhere, or go to the
router's configuration screen to see what it is. Here is general
information about configuring your router for wireless networking:

Open a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox and in the
addressbar type:

http://192.168.1.1 [enter]

This will bring you to router's login screen. The default username is
left blank and the default password is "admin" without the quotes. If
you changed the router's administration password, enter that instead of
the default of course. Click "OK" or "Continue". You are now in the
router's configuration utility. Your configuration utility may differ
slightly from my example.

Now click on the Wireless link at the top of the page. If not already
done, change the Wireless Network Name (SSID) from the default of
Linksys to something you will recognize. I suggest that my clients not
use their family name as the SSID. For example, you might wish to name
your wireless network "CastleAnthrax" or the like. ;-)

Click the Save Settings and when you get the prompt that your changes
were successful, click on the Wireless Security link which is right next
to the Basic Wireless Settings link (where you changed your SSID). If
you have a newish computer, you will be able to set the Security Mode to
WPA2-Personal. Do that and enter a passphrase. The passphrase is what
you will enter on any computers that are allowed to connect to the
wireless network. WRITE IT DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

Now when your computer asks for a passphrase so you can use the wireless
network, enter the same one as is on the Linksys.


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User

Malke,

Thx for replying so quickly. The weird thing is, when my laptop looks for
wireless signals the computer comes up by far the strongest followed by the
Linksys signal that has only 1 bar. Is that odd?

Jobeck1 wrote:

Thx for replying so quickly. The weird thing is, when my laptop looks for
wireless signals the computer comes up by far the strongest followed by the
Linksys signal that has only 1 bar. Is that odd?

I'm sorry but you're not being clear in what you are asking. I have no
idea what this means:

"the computer comes up by far the strongest"

If what you are saying is that you are getting a low-strength signal
from a network called "Linksys", this is probably a neighbor's wireless
router that has stupidly been left at the default SSID (Linksys).


Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User