darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
| [Wireless] PC freezes after installing WMP54GS drivers
I have a Pentium 3, 733 mhz, 384 RAM, with Windows XP SP2 that freezes after I install the drivers for my wireless card, WMP54GS. It does this even after a format and fresh install of Windows. It won't freeze if I turn off Linksys wireless software and swicth to Windows, but then I get the error saying it can't find any networks and to make sure the wireless switch is turned on. It's a desktop so I don't think there is any switch.
The same WMP54GS wireless card works fine when I install it in another computer of mine and they both sit in the same place. This one's a Pentium 3, 500 mhz, 384 RAM, running Windows XP SP2.
Is it possible the motherboard on the first computer is just not compatible with this card or with any Wi-Fi devices? Or is there a wireless switch somewhere? |
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Phil
Rojo Sol
Premium
join:2001-06-11
Camarillo, CA
 ·DSL EXTREME
| The reviews at Amazon.com for this device aren't great. It looks like others have had similar problems getting this card working minus the freezing.
Check out this review which details how he got it to work. Maybe it will help in your situation?
You're correct, there is no switch. |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA | I tried installing the drivers the way he said and I'm still having the same problem. I've tried the card in every PCI slot and also have the most updated BIOS. I've reformatted and reinstalled Windows XP multiple times as well. |
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mstombs
join:2002-04-14
uk
| As its a "GS" it must be Broadcom chipset, so you should be able to force the use of much more recent generic Broadcom drivers and utility, see long thread here
»www.linksysinfo.org/forums/showt···?t=47999 |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
| I tried installing the broadcom drivers and the PC freezes during the installation. Then when I start the PC back up it has a yellow exclamation mark error on it in the Device Manager. I've also tried using the broadcom utility while having Linksys default drivers installed and I get an error saying the wireless radio isn't on, similar to the error I get with Windows XP Wireless utility about the wireless switch being turned off.
Of course the broadcom drivers and utility worked fine both ways on the computer the card was already working with. |
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mstombs
join:2002-04-14
uk
| reply to darien95
Crashing installs not good! Which version Broadcom did you try? I recall it was tricky to get a WPC54GS to use generic drivers, having to force them in. With Linksys's own drivers I found it better to not install the Linksys utility just use the one built into windows - but I suspect you have a PCI bus setup conflict (in the good old days interrupt numbers had to be played with - PCI is supposed to be auto configuring). |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA | I tried the driver version 4.170.77.3 with this utility: »ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp39001-3···9244.exe |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA | I've never tried configuring the PCI before. How could I fix a conflict with it? |
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dellsweig
Extreme Aerobatics
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY | reply to darien95
My guess is you have some other device installed in the machine using the same IRQ as the default for the wireless card - hence the yellow exclaimation mark in device manager...
try setting a different IRQ onder advance settings |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
| I've never changed those setting before. Could you tell me where I go to do that or guide me to a tutorial?? The only other PCI devices I had installed were a video card and a USB slot card. Also, I get the yellow question mark only after installing the broadcam drivers when the PC freezes during the installation. I've never got the yellow question mark otherwise; it just doesn't find any wireless networks and says to check if the wireless switch is on. |
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dellsweig
Extreme Aerobatics
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY
edit:
July 14th, @08:31PM
| said by darien95  :I've never changed those setting before. Could you tell me where I go to do that or guide me to a tutorial?? The only other PCI devices I had installed were a video card and a USB slot card. Also, I get the yellow question mark only after installing the broadcam drivers when the PC freezes during the installation. I've never got the yellow question mark otherwise; it just doesn't find any wireless networks and says to check if the wireless switch is on. What other cards do you have in the systems (sound, video, etc)..
edit: I see youadded a video and usb card - my bet is you are conflicting with the usb adapter... You could pull it and then install the wireless adapter - might work
Changing your IRQ is not for the faint of heart. There really are no rules here - you just try a anoter and see if it takes
Go to device manager - highlight the device with the conflict. Right click and open the properties window
Click the resources tab, then change settings
There is a box that may have some information about any potential conflick - what does it say in there?? |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
| 
Properties with Broadcom | 
Properties with Linksys |
It also wouldn't allow me to change the IRQ numbers. As you can see in these screenshots, the change settings button is faded out, even when I clicked IRQ. When there's a yellow excalmation mark, it says it isn't using any resources. |
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mstombs
join:2002-04-14
uk
| Changing IRQs isn't something I've done for years, but can sometimes be done in the Bios (reserving certain values) but sometimes Windows completely ignores those and does its own thing (plug and pray philosophy), moving cards around as you have done should work. From memory IRQ#7 used to be reserved for the parallel printer port. I haven't used a PCI graphics card for a while (have Linksys or Broadcom engineers?), it is possible both the graphics card and wifi want to be a "bus master" but can't offer any help to resolve issue, sorry. |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
| reply to darien95
I tried two other video cards that fit into a slot other than PCI. I don't know what the port it fits in is called, but there's only one and it's darker and above the PCI slots. So the WMP54GS was the only PCI device. I could install the drivers without the PC freezing, but I got this violation error in the screenshot above. And a few minutes later the PC froze.
I then reinstalled Windows XP, tried another video card that fits in the same slot, again with the WMP54GS being the only PCI device. I was able to install the drivers once without it freezing, but it couldn't find any wireless networks. After that I tried reinstalling the drivers and the PC froze during installation. |
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dellsweig
Extreme Aerobatics
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY | Did you try letting XP handle the wireless INSTEAD of the Linksys utility?? |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA | reply to darien95
Yes, I've tried broadcom's utility, Windows XP's utilty, and Linksys. The problem with Windows XP's and broadcom's is that they never find a wireless network. And the Linksys utility doesn't find any and then makes the PC freeze. |
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paulusa
@qwest.net | reply to darien95
This might be a dumb question but did you ever figure the router out for wireless by typing 192.168.1.1 in your browser,which opens up a utility program to change settings |
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darien95
join:2004-02-12
Whittier, CA
edit:
July 18th, @10:05PM
| Yes, I've done that on the computer I'm on now although I don't know what settings on the router would help stop my other PC from freezing. |
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