Wireless internet/Windows Vista problem, maybe you are a genius and can help

[pawsplay]

Box: Windows Vista
Router: Netgear wireless router and DSL modem

Ok, so my computer network was running basically smoothly. Then one day, my computer took a brief nap as it is wont to do when not in use. Ever since then, something named Virtual Profile now lives in my list of wireless networks and my computer no longer automatically connects itself to my router when it turns on. Removing the Virtual Profile just causes it to reappear at the top of the list when I turn my computer on. My computer now dithers and announces "Wirless networks are available" instead of assertively connecting to my home network which is set to connect automatically and not to connect to other networks even when it lives at the top of the list. Virtual Profile also likes to turn itself on to connect automatically even when i disable that option before restarting.

And, of course, connecting to Virtual Profile grants no Internet access.

What is really weird is Virtual Profile has the SSID of Netgear, the router default. This leads me to suspect that something is cached somewhere in my computer.

Googling has revealed that other people have had this problem, some people do not understand, and those that do, do not have an answer.

Help?

 

[Thanee]

Maybe it helps to remove all wireless networks and reset your router to factory defaults and then set it up again from scratch?

For diagnostics, it would be helpful to try, whether the virtual profile reappears (after removal and reboot), while your router is OFF.

Bye
Thanee

 

[pawsplay]

Maybe it helps to remove all wireless networks and reset your router to factory defaults and then set it up again from scratch?

For diagnostics, it would be helpful to try, whether the virtual profile reappears (after removal and reboot), while your router is OFF.

Bye
Thanee

It does not reapper when the router is off. As soon as it detects my network, the Virtual Profile reappears. I can therefore conclude, I think, that either the router is broadcasting a second SSID, or that this Virtual Profile is a Windows artifact that is not behaving as intended (i.e. the MAC address or IP of my router once having been associated with the SSID Netgear, the Virtual Profile is now immortal).

Next step: factory defaults on router.

 

[Thanee]

Next step: factory defaults on router.

Yep, that should help.

Hopefully.

Bye
Thanee

 

[pawsplay]

I figured it out! The reason for the confusing symptoms was this: another Netgear product was broadcasting on the same channel. I figured this out when I noticed that on one occasion, "Virtual Profile" had a different signal strength than my home network. I switched channels and it stopped adding itself to the available networks. However, VirtualProfile still kept adding itself after connecting to the network. As VirtualProfile had the NETGEAR SSID I became suspicious since nothing should be broadcasting that. I unplugged my network card, removed VirtualProfile, and lo and behold, when I rebooted, no VirtualProfile. However, it reappeared when I again connected...

So, to make a short story long, I looked at my adaptar to see what was broadcasting and noticed there were NO networks in range advertising that SSID. As I tabbed through my network card settings I noticed... my adaptor defaulted to calling itself NETGEAR, as well! I suggested it use the SSID as my home network and now it is autoconnecting again. Happiness!

So it probably happened when I changed the home network name, but I had trouble figuring out what was going on because of the channel 3 interference.

 

[Thanee]

Nice!

Bye
Thanee