Browser in XP cannot find DSL connection

[John Weaver]

I have installed and properly configured an SMC 2635W wireless cardbus adapter (PCMCIA, 802.11b, 11 Mbps) on a Fijitsu-Siemens Lifebook C 1020 P4 PC running Windows XP Home (SP1), but I cannot connect to the internet even though the WinXP Wireless Network Connection icon in the System Tray shows "Signal Strength Excellent" from my combination DSL router / access point (T-Sinus 154 DSL Basic sold by German Telekom) connected to my DSL provider.

The problem is that, following card installation, the Wireless Network Connection Status and Properties listings in XP are incomplete, even with the latest driver / utility download from smc-europe.com (Win XP does not have driver support to automatically install the SMC 2635W), and this affects IE 6 and other browsers and mail clients attempting to connect to the internet.

Clicking the "Show Available Wireless Networks" menu item, the text is grayed out in "Connect to Wireless Network", there are no available networks listed, and neither the Advanced nor the Connect tabs can be used. Clicking "Status", the Advanced tab of Properties contains the firewall check-box, but the Settings options are not available, either. So I cannot adjust settings through XP. The SMC Wireless Card Manager, however, provides excellent configuration, and these settings are reflected in the Properties tab of the SMC adapter in Control Panel - System - Hardware. The SMC utility (with a separate icon alongside the Wireless Network Connection icon in the system tray) also shows an optimal connection to my DSL provider through the router.

Yet when I try to reach an internet site, IE 6 fails to recognize the DSL network connection and attempts to connect over my modem -- even though I have deleted all dial-up connection entries, and only have one LAN and one wireless LAN connection (both to the DSL provider) listed in Network and Internet Connections. Microsoft's troubleshooting advice -- to deactivate the Wireless Zero Configuration service -- did not help. It was already deactivated, probably by the SMC install process. Deactivating the LAN connection did not help, either.

Does anyone know of a work-around for this -- registry settings, etc.? Or is the driver -- despite SMC's claims -- simply XP incompatible?

[Dutch Boy]

Originally Posted by John Weaver

Yet when I try to reach an internet site, IE 6 fails to recognize the DSL network connection and attempts to connect over my modem -- even though I have deleted all dial-up connection entries, and only have one LAN and one wireless LAN connection (both to the DSL provider) listed in Network and Internet Connections. Microsoft's troubleshooting advice -- to deactivate the Wireless Zero Configuration service -- did not help. It was already deactivated, probably by the SMC install process. Deactivating the LAN connection did not help, either.

Does anyone know of a work-around for this -- registry settings, etc.? Or is the driver -- despite SMC's claims -- simply XP incompatible?

I have a suspiciously similar problem in a simpler sandbox. I work under HyperOS 2004SE. I have a ZyXel Prestige ADSL Router. Connected to it be LAN. Works fine on several XP partitions and a Linux partition. My (almost - ha, ha) virgin XP SP2 partition on C: has extra:Firewall, AVG anti-virus and Skype (like all the other XP partitions). IE WILL NOT connect, except if I dial up. Here comes the clincher: Skype works! Ping to Router works.

All the proper lights are on, I went through the setup procedure many times (as I did in the other partitions) NO GO.

I suspect this is an XP problem. Anybody any ideas?

Thanks.

[Dutch Boy]

I would like to add that pings to Internet work too. Turning off the ZoneAlarm Firewall and AVG anti-virus gave no relief.