Using a Lucent ORiNOCO wireless card in my laptop computer, why am I sometimes not able to connect?

Note: To use the wireless network on any Indiana University campus, you must first ensure that you have a strong wireless connection signal. For added security and full access to IU resources, you need to establish a VPN connection. IU students, faculty, and staff need to register their computers before making a wireless connection at IU Bloomington and IUPUI. See the instructions in the "On-campus wireless" section of At IUB and IUPUI, how do I register my computer? (If you are using a Network Access account, instead see At IUB and IUPUI, what is a Network Access account, and how do I get one?)

Note: To use the wireless network at any IU campus, you must first establish a VPN connection. For documentation to help you do so, search the UITS Knowledge Base using the term vpn connection and choose the document appropriate for your operating system.

Occasionally, a Lucent ORiNOCO wireless card will conflict with the infrared port on your system. To fix the problem, you need to disable the infrared port:

1. Open the Device Manager:
   
   
   • In Windows Vista, from the Start menu, select Computer, or double-click Computer on the desktop. Click System Properties, and then click Device Manager.
   • In Windows XP, from the Start menu, select My Computer, or double-click My Computer on the desktop. Under System Tasks, click View system information. In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager.
   • In Windows 2000, you must first be logged in with an account that has administrative access to the computer. Then right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop, and click Properties. Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.
   • In Windows 95, 98, or Me, right-click the My Computer icon on the desktop and click Properties. Click the Device Manager tab.
   
   
2. Next to "Network Adapters", click + (the plus sign).
   
   
3. Look for items with "infrared" in the name, and select them by clicking once.
   
   
4. Disable the device:
   
   
   • In Windows 95, 98, or Me, click the Properties button. Check the box labeled Disable in this hardware profile. Click OK.
   • In Windows 2000, from the Action menu, choose Disable. In the confirmation window, click Yes.
   
   
5. Next to "Ports", click + (the plus sign). Repeat steps 3 and 4 for the devices in the Ports section.
   
   
6. Close the Device Manager, and restart your computer.

Also see:

• The basics of VPN at IU
• In Windows 2000, why does my VPN connection to IUB or IUPUI stop responding?
• At IU, how do I configure my Windows wireless network card?
• About wireless connections to the Internet at IUB and IUPUI