I'm trying to set my SSID number on a Compaq Presario 1700 with a
Netgear MA401 wireless card.  I just upgraded to Windows XP and now I
can't find the settings and my laptop won't connect to the internet.

Hi brooke,

To set the SSID field in Windows XP, simply go to Start, Control
Panel, then "Network Connections", then right-click on the Wireless
Network icon for your Netgear wireless card and select "Properties".

Once there, go to the "Wireless networks" tab and ensure that "Use
Windows to configure my wireless network settings" is checked. Next,
click the 'Refresh' button, select the correct network, click
'configure' if needed, and it should all work. IF you can't find the
network, go to the 'Add' button and manually enter the SSID and key
manually.

At this point, everything should work.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask for
clarification on this answer prior to rating and closing the question.

Thanks,

Legolas-ga

No search was done - this is from my own use of wireless on XP.

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Request for Answer Clarification by brooke-ga on 29 Aug 2003 10:53 PDT

I guess the problem is that my computer is calling the wireless
connection a Local Area Connection so there is not a "wireless network
settings" tab.  I don't know why it doesn't see it as a wireless card,
because it says under the LAN part it says Netgear MA401 Wireless card

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Clarification of Answer by legolas-ga on 29 Aug 2003 11:45 PDT

In that case, I'd go ahead and remove the drivers for the card. You
can do so by going to the control panel, then 'System', then go to
'Hardware' then 'Device Manager'. Remove everything to do with the
wireless card, then, reboot, and go to 'add new hardware'.. Ensure
that you're using the newest version of the drivers (which can be
found here: http://www.netgear.com/support/support_details.asp?dnldID=175
)

You may also wish to try this FIRST:
Select Start > Run. 
Type D:\WLANSTA.EXE, and click OK. (The file may be elsewhere on your
computer. Search for it if the file is not found here.)
Follow the setup instructions. 
Reboot your computer

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Request for Answer Clarification by brooke-ga on 29 Aug 2003 13:38 PDT

aarrrrrggghhhh

Okay, now a window popped up that says I need to upgrade my firmware. 
I did a search on the netgear and there is nowhere to download the
upgrade (i don't even know what firmware is for that matter)

Of course I called netgear support and their phones aren't working.

Thanks for all your help so far!

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Clarification of Answer by legolas-ga on 29 Aug 2003 14:43 PDT

It may be that the card you're using is an old 'model' of a current
card..

I did some looking to see if anyone else has reported similar issues.
It seems that the card is quite old and that it isn't really supported
very well under XP.

However, with that said, there is another link to a (maybe?) more
robust driver/firmware upgrade utility. You can find the download
here:
http://www.netgear.com/support/support_details.asp?dnldID=181

It's the 'shipping' driver CD--and from what others say, includes
firmware on there. (Incidently, firmware is the software that is
present on hardware--this is just a different way to talk about
software.) HOWEVER, the big caveat is that from my quick reading of
usenet groups on the subject, most people it seems haven't been
entirely successful. Which means, you may wish to check out ebay on
some newer/replacement wireless cards :)

As a last ditch effort, you may wish to follow the directions on here:
http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/N100429.asp
to uninstall the card, and here:
http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/N100427.asp
to uninstall the LAN utility...

Then, use the CD driver download (provided above) to reinstall the
hardware.

Installation guide can be found here:
http://www.netgear.com/support/support_details.asp?dnldID=182

Hope that helps..

Legolas-ga

Thanks so much for all your help - the computer is finally up and running!

Thanks so much for the five star rating and the tip. I'm glad you're
up and running with the wireless card!

Thanks again,

Legolas-ga