Cant get online with my Dell Inspiron 2200

[marc100]

Hi Great site! I found it on google.

24 hours ago reformatted my Dell Inspiron 2200 laptop which runs xp. After the reformat I re-installed windows xp and the drivers form the cd. Im not sure I got all the drivers because there are a dozens of them, but I think I got them all.

This computer has an internal wireless card. But After the reformat I cant get online anymore.
I cant find that small green icon anymore that shows the wireless connections in my area. I cant figure out how to get it.

heres what Ive done:

1. I downloaded xp service pack 2 on my other computer and ran it on this desktop. But it made no difference I still cant get on.

2. I did the fn + f2 and yes, it shows im on.. But I cant get online.

3. Ive played around in the Network COnnections area and made every single kind of connection, and I still cant connect.

4. I went into control panel / system / hardware profiles and under "Other devices" theres a block of deviced that have the yellow ?/! on them.
But, when I pop my cd in to update the drivers, it doesnt find them on the cd

It goes to the CD and looks at d:\ (where the cd is) and says it cant find the driver. Im using the DELL cd's, but I dont know where on the cd to look.
Then it asks to go online to look for the driver. Grrrr, I cant get online.

Ive been struggling with this for 20 hours and im so beat. any ideas?

thanks!

 

[TerryNet]

Grap your chipset drivers and the wireless adapter driver and utility from Dell's web site and install them. Then see if you still have any missing drivers. Use your Service Tag to make searching on Dell's site much less painful.

 

[marc100]

Thanks TerryNet! Ill try that.

 

[marc100]

Terry,

Sorry to ask this but I didnt see any Wireless adapter drivers. i did see a networking driver but theres a huge list of them and they all say "wireless" in them.

http://support.dell.com/support/dow...=&SystemID=INSPIRON+2200&hidos=WW1&hidlang=en

Do you know what I should install from ths list?

 

[TerryNet]

"Do you know what I should install from ths list?"

The one that matches your integrated wireless adapter; you haven't told us which it is.

I'm a little surprised that all those were listed for your Service Tag. Was also surprised that your Service Tag didn't show on that page.

 

[marc100]

Oh I dont know the name of my integrated wireless adapter and dont know how to find it.

I didnt want to list my service tag on the net. But those are the same results that I got when I put my service tag in.

I just downloaded all of them, burned them on to a cd and put them in my laptop, and when I try to update my drivers and say to look on the d drive, Windows gives an error: "The specified location does not contain information about your hardware".
Unreal. I dont even think it looked, just gives that error right away.

I copied all the drivers into my Windows folder and now when I select to look in that folder it wont allow me. It grays out the next button.

Ths is like an april fools joke on me. Everything I try to fix the problem Windows or Dell wont let me.

 

[TerryNet]

That's OK that you didn't list the Service Tag; I just wasn't sure that you had used it.

As for your procedure you did notice that those downloaded files are executables, right? You execute the file to install the driver (and utility in many cases). If you did that, or do it now, there will be a number of utilities installed that you don't want. Probably best to remove each unwanted one as you go.

I suppose that Dell has changed, but the packing slips for the Dells I bought 3 and 4 years ago list every component, including the integrated NICs.

 

[JohnWill]

Why don't you tell us EXACTLY what those "other devices" are described as in Device Manager?