Cannot connect with the Atheros AR9285 card

I have a Mini 1012 netbook with an Atheros AR 9285 wireless card, running XP home sp3. I have a Trendnet wireless router for my gateway. This netbook will not connect wirelessly. I have the newest driver from Dell and even tried the newest driver direct from Atheros, but still no connection. The network shows up, so it sees the router, but I get no IP and after several attempts, the card gets a red X across it. However, when I try ipconfig, I get this:

C:\Documents and Settings\user>ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration


Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection 5:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected


So I can ping myself, but nothing outside.
C:\Documents and Settings\user>ping 127.0.0.1

Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

I can connect fine, however, with the ethernet card.

Now I also have a 1545 laptop with the Broadcom 1397 wireless card and it connects fine with win 7 and ubuntu. Also an ipod and another Toshiba laptop that also connect fine with wireless.
McAfee Internet suite is installed on the 1012, however, I did try and disable it but still no connection. (again it connects fine with ethernet)

Now sometimes, rarely, if I uninstall/re-install the driver it will connect, but that no longer seems to work.
Do you think it is a faulty card, or an incorrect setting. All settings are windows XP default.

Colin

 

127.0.0.1 is a loopback address... have you tried to release/renew the DHCP config? But then it does state that the media is disconnected... hmm.

EDIT: McAfee is HORRIBLE. That is probably the root of all your problems. Is this netbook new?

 

Yes, got both Dells a month ago.
BTW the router is set for:

WPA PSK TKIP

Beacon interval: 100

RTS threshold: 2346

Fragmentation threshold: 2346

DTIM interval: 1

TX rates (MBps): auto

11g only mode: disable

transmit power: full

"all settings default"

 

Well I think I may have found the answer. I installed ubuntu netbook remix (dual-boot with XP) and the atheros card was picked up with no additional drivers to install.

Several re-boots into ubuntu and the card connected everytime. That leads me to believe that it is either a windows problem or more than likely McAfee (which shouldn't surprise me as I used to do tech support and 9 out 0f 10 times connection issues were because of Norton/McAfee).
Thanks XGX2007

I will ts some more and maybe a new driver for XP will come out, or I will remove McAfee and put MS Security Essentials on it (works ok in 7 and Vista).

This Netbook is my daughters and as it works fine in linux, she may have to get used to it (I already use it exclusively on my desktop and dual-boot win 7 on my 1545)



I think I will have to mark this as solved.

Forgot to mention that obviously there was nothing wrong with the atheros card or my "cheap" trendnet router.



Colin