Need Help from Computer Dudes

this is in regards to my new laptop seemingly dropping wireless signal at will.

i received new toshiba laptop for christmas to use for school, on the go, etc. i have a macbook pro i use at my desk, and there is an extra IBM laptop floating around for general use. my new toshiba is the ONLY laptop that this happens to. i'll be surfing the net or doing whatever online, and then all of the sudden i'll loose the connection, and the only way to get it back is to restart my wireless router. keep in mind though, that none of the other laptops are losing connection during these times, so its gotta be something with the new laptop. this happens frequently, and almost every time i use the internet on the toshiba. ive run the automated windows network diagnostic, which doesnt fix the problem either. it just tells me to restart the wireless router. then it says: "Wireless network connection" doesnt have a valid IP configuration.

what gives?

 

I have the same problems once in a while but I havent had time to find the real reason behind it
but by analyzing what happens to me, its possibly the wireless signals from the mac conflicting with the signals for the other machines, especially evident when the mac is running on N and the others are legacy B/G. I can tell ya that wireless in fact is a very dodgy interface as they can jam and mix. I've had instances where I was able to log into someone else's router (even though it was WPA locked) because my router somehow conflicted with theirs and then I would jump onto their router lol
So yeah, I can look at possible solutions when I get home from class tonight but yeah windows diagnostics wont help u lol
mind telling me what router that you're using as well and the laptop model? toshiba are known to use Atheros chipsets for wireless as opposed to intel ones.

 

is your router a d-link?

 

i have a toshiba laptop also, and my router is a d-link. (i have the same problem from time to time)

although Kyoshiro will likely have better answers (it is definitely his bag)

to regain the signal fairly easily, you can
1) repair the connection by disconnecting in the show all wireless networks window (right click i think will show the available options) and then reconnect
2) disable / re-enable the network adapter in the hardware panel

 

signals getting mixed up makes sense. do you think simply shutting down my mac if im using the toshiba would make a difference since in theory there would then be no wireless signal going to the mac? the toshiba is a Satellite L645D. our modem is a motorola model and the wireless router is a d-link.

 

yup its a d-link

 

thanks. i did the first step, but when i find the network adapter in the hardware, i dont see an option to disable it.

edit: maybe im not going about finding the network adapter in the right manner. sorry im just not used to working with PC's here. been using macs for a while now.

 

ok there's actually two things that come up for netowrk adapter in the hardware: a realtek and a atheros. when i click them, under the driver tab, i see a button for "disable", but its subdued and i cant click it.

 

try right clicking on it. i have no idea about macs btw so maybe someday you can help me!

 

here's what im doing...i go to control panel, hardware and sound. then it comes up with my PC listed as well as my printer. i double click my PC, then a new window comes up, with the tabs general and hardware at the top. i go to hardware. then i get the long list, but cant disable the adapter. i tried right clicking it too. no luck.

 

Problem not solved

 

Yea, I had this same issue with a sony vaio on a d-link router. I just went on CL and bought a used linksys wrt-54g router for $20. Problem solved.

And I don't think it's signal interference with the Mac, wireless hardware/software is pretty smart on prevent collisions.

 

go to control panel > device manager > network adapters

what does it say there?

 

If you are logged on as administrator

Method 1) Start>control panel>administrative tools>computer management> device manager>

Right click on disable and then re-enable the network adapters

Method 2) Start> control panel>network connections >

Right click on wireless internet connections disable and re-enable

 

what is set up of the router? does it set to mix mode (b and G or just one of those). is router also an N router couse newer macs have N wireless standard built in.
try putting router on G only mode and see if it happens. check signal srtegth before it drops connection. see if there is new driver avaliable for wireless car for your laptop

 

sadly wireless interference still happens often since its a radio wave thing. Microwave and legacy 2.4ghz home wireless phones especially will interfere.
the only "real" channels in the 2.4ghz for wifi is like 1 6 11 13 or so, everything in between does not have as big frequency ranges, its like mountain graphs .
Why I suggest the mac being a culprit on some routers is cuz i have had this happening very often with my N Router, with my mac on N and another machine with intel chipset with b/g. Mixed mode on routers is a flakey thing as well, it increases their load and if their software is crap, it could mean a lot of problems.
But yes, pushing it to only G mode is not a bad idea as all the B devices will not be able to connect anymore but it also means it may not be able to clock down to 11mbps and below if the signal strength is weak (this may or may not be the case as I have not tested that but its a possibility)
It could also be because of the Mac's airport software that forces the router to give it an assigned address constantly which makes it impossible for the other machines to get into queue and get an address, I dont know but it could happen, it could also be the signal sending back to the router being congested in the air and corrupting the packets thus your toshiba's mac address gets broken or something.
Do try different channels on your router, even different security settings as encryption plays a large role in wireless packets.
Try using the windows wireless manager instead of the toshiba's one that comes with its atheros chipset vice versa, and make sure one of em are disabled before using it as it could also happen that both of them try to get the lock on the wireless card and then it simply fails to work properly.
If the only problem is the router not giving you an IP, you could also try setting the internal IP yourself manually and not rely on the DHCP server on the router as again its an extra load on routers that goes stupid an wonky sometimes

 

^ see... i told you info. tech. was his bag!

^lol

 

yoshi's suggestions are top notch. But you may just end up having to try to manually assign a static internal IP address to the new Toshiba laptop. Because you have two other laptops (the Mac and the IBM) that are not experiencing this same problem, it sems that the problem is with the new computer.

You may not be able to disable the wireless through Windows Control Panel as many new laptops have a manual external switch (or a manufacturer's software-driven switch) to enable and disable the built-in WiFi.

Try updating the driver first, as others have said.

 

I have a netgear, and a dell xps17 and it does it all the time......... it even does it on the hardline to my XPS desktop. Ive given up trying to figure out what it is, and just reset the router.

 

thanks dude ill have to mess with that. i have no idea what you're talking about to be honest with you, but i'll figure it out, lol.