troubleshooting: pc with USB wifi as gateway for your notebook?

Hi all!

I have quite a problem. I have managed to do this several times, but I have never been able to reproduce it quite fast and without a problem. Sometimes it works fine and I get it right in 3rd-4th-5th try, and sometimes I can retry it dozens of times and it won't work.

I have USB wifi dongle, D-links DWL-122 (old thingie, new generation is DWL-G122). I carry it in my backpack with my notebook, for the purpose of using other broadband-connected PC as gateways for my notebook.

Such setup should not take more than a few steps:

1. Install USB WiFi dongle onto the desktop PC with broadband connection.
2. Create ad-hoc (with or w/o WEP) connection from laptop to desktop.
3. Enable Internet Connection Sharing on the broadband connection on the desktop.
4. Disconnect and reconnect laptop to WiFi network, and voila, there you go, job done.

However, it does not work for me. For some reason, no matter how many times I tried it, sometimes it just won't work. I've been trying to simulate this in my office for couple of days without success (it is annoying when I go to another location and expect such setup to work for me, only to find myself trying it out for 3 hours without any luck). Is anyone familiar with the exact sequence of things to do, or what should be enabled/disabled in order for this to function? I've tried disabling or enabling WZC service, it seems like it has no effect. Does anyone have experience in these things?

Also, another thing that I am curious about (although, this is not SO important) is - how to remove permanently any wireless configurations? Whenever I just "remove" it in the WiFi Panel, tool for finding wireless networks can still find this "removed" wifi network. It is annoying and creates problems if you try several configurations with same SSID (what should make it easier makes it more complicated in fact)

 

A small update: I got it working only when I have changed ad-hoc channel onto ch. 11. Other channels somehow won't let my laptop connect to the gateway.

Such setup functioned, but I've had just so many problems with it, once I nail the procedure down, I am gonna do a nice howto for all you out there that do have desktops and laptops and still haven't bought wifi router for the house

I'd still appreciate the information on how to remove old old old configurations from my windows...