Disable Wireless Zero Configuration in Windows XP

Posted by Andy Atkinson on October 25, 2005

If you are running a wireless card on Windows XP and have experienced problems maintaining a connection to your wireless router, I highly recommend that you disable the "Wireless Zero Configuration" service.

The Wireless Zero Configuration service allows your network card to automatically select and connect to preferred networks as they become available. On my home desktop computer with a Gigabyte 802.11g wireless card, I only ever want to be connected to one wireless network and thus have no need for a service that is automatically scanning for different wireless networks. I found that my wireless card would frequently (every 10 minutes or so) drop my wireless connection for just a moment, long enough to kill any connection-oriented applications (like FTP or AIM) and force me to reconnect.

By disabling this service, I noticed a huge improvement in the short "drops" of wireless connectivity. I can now have an active FTP, BitTorrent, or chat session running wirelessly and not worry about it being dropped.

To access this service and other Windows services, you can browse to the Control Panel, then Administrative Tools and finally double-click on Services.

Alternatively, you can launch Windows Run, type services.msc and hit OK.

Launch Windows Services

From the services window you will want to scroll all the way down to Wireless Zero Configuration and right-click the name, then click Properties.

Right-click WZC service

From the Service Status area choose Stop to stop the service.

From the Startup Type drop-down menu, choose Disabled so that the service doesn't startup the next time you start Windows XP.

Disable and Stop WZC service

I found that disabling this service was very helpful, however your results may be different. If you disable this service and then are unable to connect to your router after you restart, try enabling this service again to determine if disabling the service caused the problem. Otherwise make sure your SSID (wireless network name) is in your list of preferred networks.

If things are working properly, your wireless connection should function like a wired connection, and you shouldn't have to worry about "dropped" connections in Windows XP ever again!

About the author(s)

Andy started Pain in the Tech in 2005 as a way to share tips and tutorials with friends and family, and evangelize great products and services. By 2008, Pain in the Tech had 7 contributors, thousands of daily page views. Site ownership was transitioned to Matt Thommes in 2008.

Comments

# Anonymous at 11/6/2005 3:56 pm cst

But this will make impossible setting up the wireless connection. What's the point?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c3860

# Andy Atkinson at 11/6/2005 4:26 pm cst

Actually it depends. I have found that when I am using Windows XP to manage my wireless connection, I do not get wireless "drops" with the WZC service disabled when we do not have encryption enabled. The problem I am having now though is figuring out how to prevent wireless "drops" of connectivity when we have encryption enabled (since we need the WZC service enabled when encryption is enabled). I believe that the manufacturer's driver would manage the wireless connection and I would not need the WZC service, which would hopefully prevent the signal drops that WZC causes as it searches for new access points. I plan to do some testing with this soon. On my iBook, there is never a noticeable service drop, with or without WPA encryption enabled.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c3861

# Johigh at 12/8/2005 2:28 pm cst

Thank you! This worked a treat on my wireless network. I have three computers - one wired up to the router, the other two connected wirelessly. The wireless connections were dropping every 30 minutes or so. I tried the usual suggestion of disabling IEEE 802.1X authentication - but to no avail. Your suggestion of disabling WZC has finally worked! I now have a constant connection (I also have encryption turned on - I don't understand why the poster above needs WZC in order to have encryption). Thanks again!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c3912

# Andy Atkinson at 12/8/2005 2:39 pm cst

That's great news. I originally heard the suggestion from Leo Laporte on a [This Week in Tech](http://thisweekintech.com/) podcast, and explored it since I was having the problem at home. With encryption enabled however, I am still getting drops in connectivity. I need to experiment with TKIP instead of AES WPA mode, or changing when keys are renewed. I heard that it may be possible to either increase the duration of keys, or set the time when keys are re-generated to a time when the router is not in use. This may any drops in service would not actually be noticed by the users. I need to explore these solutions however, so I may be misstating the problem slightly.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c3913

# Anonymous at 7/18/2006 7:40 am cst

Pliz i need omeone to help me. I intalled a DWL-G650+ wireless cardbus adapter (D-Link) on my laptop (Toshiba Satellite) but to my amazement it could not connect. Always refering me to wireless zero configuration problem on the microsoft webite. I did all on microoft web ite yet no way. what ele can i do

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4059

# Andy Atkinson at 7/19/2006 7:06 am cst

Hello, your comment is difficult to follow, it seems you are missing your "S" key. If you successfully disabled WZC as above, try temporarily removing all encryption from your wireless router (no WEP/WPA etc.), and make sure you've installed the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website for your wireless card, and make sure you have downloaded and installed the latest firmware updates for your wireless router. Enable SSID broadcasting (should be enabled by default), and try to connect to your router again after you’ve done this. Check your retail package for any installation CDs that help guide you through the initial setup process. If you are still have connectivity problems, I suggest returning or selling (eBay) your router, and buying a Linksys or Netgear product, as these are generally the easiest to set up, and can be purchased for as little as US $30.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4060

# AJ at 7/24/2006 10:05 am cst

So when I select "Disabled" or even "Manual" using the "Startup" pull-down menu, it does not save the settings when I re-start. And I do click "Apply" and "OK". Not sure if this has anything to do with it but there are multi-users on my machine (I'm the only one with admin rights). What gives?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4057

# Andy Atkinson at 7/24/2006 1:57 pm cst

Not sure, but I'll bet service preferences are unique to each Windows account. One way to make this work would be to change the default for all users (since you an admin user) to disabled or manual. There is probably something to set at a lower level to notify Windows that you want this change "for all users," although I don't know if that setting exists or where it might be. I'll try and take a look and post help if I find it, otherwise please post your results if you successfully get the change to persist between all users.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4058

# Anonymous at 7/30/2006 2:59 pm cst

I am having problems with the wireless connections. I have a netgear WPN824 router. It was continually dropping and I have disabled the Wireless Zero Configuration. Now I cannot get it to stay connected at all, or when it is connected, I cannot get to any page in Internet Explorer.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4072

# Charlie at 7/31/2006 11:18 pm cst

Hi Folks, I hope you don't mind me posting here but i came upon this page while searching the net trying to solve a problem on my daughters pc. The pc is connnected to the internet via a wireless adapter which is fairly new and i have had no problems with it before. “Automatic” using the “Startup” pull-down menu within WZC is set on every re-boot. However to get the computer to access the internet i have to change the following 2 settings before it allows access. I have to do this every time the pc is re-booted. Setting 1: Control Panel/Performance and Settings/Administrative Tools/Services/Wireless Zero Configuration. Once Wireless Zero Configuration is open go to Sirvice Status and start it until it says Started next to it. Next click Apply and come out of the screen. Next Setting 2: Control Panel/Network and Internet Connections/Network Connections Right-click the Wireless Network Connection and select Properties Select the Wireless Network tab Check the Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings box to enable automatic wireless network configuration. Save and the close all windows. The wireless adapter will then connect and we have internet access. Everytime that the pc is switched off the two settings go back to how they were and i have to carry out the above 2 settings again. I would be really grateful if anyone could help me to solve this please.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4075

# Charlotte at 8/14/2006 12:46 pm cst

The Very Exact thing is happening to me. Did you ever solve the problem and could you pass on the fix to me. Thanks

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4206

# Scott at 8/23/2006 9:01 pm cst

I am experiencing the same problem charlie and charlotte are. Every time i restart or put my computer to sleep and turn it back on I have to reset the settings for WZC. It is inconvenient but otherwise it works. It would be of great help if someone could let me know how i can permanently save my settings so I dont have to reset these every time to get a wireless connection. Please help out, I would be very greatful. Thanks a lot. -Scott

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4080

# Andy Atkinson at 8/23/2006 9:25 pm cst

Hi Scott. I replied to Charlotte above. Let me know if any of that helps.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4082

# Andy Atkinson at 8/23/2006 9:27 pm cst

Can't help directly on this one, but I can give you some troubleshooting pointers. Are you sure you've removed any software that came with the wireless card? I believe that WZC does not play nicely with any other software. Your options are to either let Windows manage your wireless connections via WZC, or use other software. A few forums mentioned that will conflict with WZC. Also, do you have the latest drivers for you wireless card? Driver software unfortunately is more important than the hardware itself (meaning it causes more bugs). Have you downloaded the latest firmware update for your router? I've had mixed results between various brands of wireless cards and routers. If the hardware is inexpensive enough, I think it it may be worth purchasing a piece of hardware for additional testing, then returning it if it does not work for you. For example, I had a D-Link 802.11g PCI card for my desktop that would simply not connect to our Belkin router. I returned the Belkin, bought a Linksys router, and the card connected immediately. If neither of those options work, there is an [article on wi-fiplanet](http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/webmaster/article.php/3577111) describing how you could create a batch file to make it easier to stop and start WZC. This may help you out with troubleshooting. Please update me on your results, good luck.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4081

# Scott at 8/24/2006 1:09 pm cst

Hey thanks for the help. The drivers and everything are updated on my computer so I dont think thats it. Its not a real big deal if I cant get the setting to be permanent, just inconvenient. Thanks for the reply and I'll continue to mess around with everything as well and let you and everyone else know if I find anything. Thanks again. -Scott

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4084

# Anonymous at 9/2/2006 11:20 am cst

What application are we supposed to use to connect to our wireless connections then? Windows wont automatically connect without WCZ and the proprietary Belkin software I have seems terribly bloated to me.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4090

# Andy Atkinson at 9/5/2006 7:20 am cst

I believe Microsoft recommends a third party application. [This article](http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips/Windows2003/AdminTips/Network/DisablingtheWZCServicetoSolveRandomWirelessDisconnects.html) mentions that a third party application to manage your application may fix your problem. I am not aware of "generic" applications that could be used between various wireless cards, only the software that came with (or is available for download) from the manufacturer's website. That being said, there are third party firmware options for wireless router devices, and Linux driver support does not generally come from the manufacturer, so it would not surprise me if there is a driver software package out there for Windows that supports Linksys and other (similar chipset) wireless cards. If I see anything like that I'll make sure to post it here. If anyone else has a link or info on software like this, please share.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4098

# Phil at 9/9/2006 2:20 pm cst

When I was having serious trouble getting a Dlink wireless card to work I needed to abandon their software and use WZC. Unfortunately it wasn't a service installed on the machine I was using and so I needed to install it. I found this extremely hard to do until I trawled round the net, so when I had worked it out, I put this page together to help anyone who wants to Start the Windows Zero Configuration service: http://www.thevirtualword.org/thevirtualbinaryword/starting-windows-wireless-zero-configuration-service/ Hope this helps someone. Phil

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4104

# glyn012003 at 9/11/2006 3:36 am cst

I think this fits in this chain of discussion! I have just set up a Belkin Wireless High Speed Mode USB Adapter (F5D7051) with an AOL-supplied NetGear router to set up a wireless network on an Hewlett Packard desktop for my father. [Took ages for one thing - nothing ran as per the instructions for either kit!]. The problem: we are working wirelessly, but the 'Wiresless Zero Configuration' won't start automatically - I have to go into 'Start', 'Run', 'services msc' - and start it manually everytime the PC is switched on. Everything is set to automatic as far as I can see. AOL say it's Belkin's problem, Belkin say it's HPs probelm. Any clues would be much appreciated!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4105

# Andy Atkinson at 9/11/2006 2:16 pm cst

In the short term you could simply automate the start of WZC when Windows starts. Create a batch file to `start wzcsvc`. This [PCMag article](http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1568517,00.asp) should get you started. Your batch file `target` should look like the following. Finally, place this batch file in your `startup` folder so that it runs when you log-in to Windows. `C:\WINNT\system32\net.exe start wzcsvc` If I think of something better I'll post here.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4077

# Glyn at 9/11/2006 11:54 pm cst

Thanks - I'll try this as soon as I can!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4107

# JimBobUK at 9/19/2006 3:28 am cst

I have a problem, I am trying to sort an issue out where users have no local admin rights. They want to be able to disable/enable wireless as there are so many APs, it searches all the time! Is there an app or a reg hack to allow the user to enable/disable wireless Thanks in advance

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4122

# Anonymous at 9/20/2006 3:55 pm cst

Ok Guys here's a simple teaching: First Install your wireless router , give it a SSID then manage to give it a WEP(10 numbers and write them down) (PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU DO THAT UNDER YOUR ROUTER FEATURES NOT WINDOWS XP, TO DO THAT CHECK THE ADDRESS OF YOUR ROUTER WHICH SHOULD BE 192. etc..) When it is done the router page will ask you to reboot , click reboot. Then go to control panel/Networking connection/ select wireless connection and advanced and make SURE" let XP managing my wireless connection is NOT checked". Reboot your PC then install your wireless adapter try to purchase the same wireless adapter BRAND than your router to avoid compatibilities issues. Now don't try to download new drivers if the items are new, it sometimes give too much issues, do it only if your router is used or old.After installing your wireless adpater and driver go to the adapter utilities and configure your WEP encription then save all the configuration & reboot. I suggest for the individuals who have issues on this forum to uninstall their wireless adapters to unckeck XP wireless configuration then to reset their wireless router(no need to reinstall it) then follow what I said above and everythings should be fine. Fred.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4125

# Shiro at 9/24/2006 6:27 pm cst

Thanks!!! I have been waiting to find something like that to help me from getting disconnected every 2 minutes. Now I don't have that problem :D

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c3953

# Timbo at 9/30/2006 7:37 am cst

Guys, guys, guys. You are getting wireless drops when using the Windows WZC (Wireless Zero Configuration) because you are "Hiding your SSID" - which is a big no no if you want to use WZC. The way WZC works it needs to see the SSID broadcast of the network that it's connect to, otherwise it'll drop the connection and look for one with a SSID that it can see and try to connect to that! Rule of Thumb: If you want to use WZC make sure u broadcast SSID (on router or access point) If you want to hide the SSID of your network then use third party client adapter software. (the drivers and software that came with your wireless adapter) Hope this helps, if it does pop and say hi at Moongames! www.moongames.co.uk :)

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4139

# Mayuran at 10/11/2006 4:59 am cst

Hello I have a problem where my belkin card detects my home network but doesnt connect. It worked fine on monday which was 09/10/06 but then yesterday 11/10/06 when i started my laptop it gives me this problem. I have enabled windows to setup my wireless network. The other notebooks at my place work fine..its only mine... it detects the network 100% but doesnt connect at all. There shouldnt be a pb with the PCI card as it tries to a diff connection where the signal is very very low but it couldnt get the ip adress due to fading signal from there... can some one help...

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4153

# PyRoe at 10/11/2006 8:43 am cst

Yeah, it sounds like you have the other network set as your default. choose your home network as the default make sure you know your wep key. if it still doesnt work, try to disable the wireless zero configuration.... Pees yo

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4155

# Jane at 10/12/2006 9:39 am cst

I have a belkin wireless PCI card which is connected to a d-link router, which is working fine as it connects to the internet, however, windows xp doesnt realise i am connected and keeps the unconnected wireless image in the corner of the screen. Not only is this a general pain but i believe that when windows does try to connect i am getting chucked off then. Hope someone can help me in making these to work together?!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4156

# charlize at 10/13/2006 8:55 am cst

hi, i was just wondering if someone could help!! i have set up a belkin wireless pre-n router and have connected my two other housemates who do not have belkin wireless cards - but i cannot seem to be able to connect mine. I am the only network around that we can pick up - the wireless card i have is also belkin - wireless g network card - 802.11g but i just cannot connect. When i try to repair the little box tells me it is unable to connect to the network - i have entered the wep code soo many times!!and it tells me that it is configured!!just it won't let me on! please if anyone can help!!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4157

# gb at 11/15/2006 8:07 pm cst

I only get wireless connectivity to my linksys router with the original HP_ADMIN user, no other users no matter how I do it: with either linksys adpater or belkin adapter, and using either belkin software or windows wzc. No other user gets on net. Wonder if anyone knows what is going on here. Am sorry I bought HP system.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4215

# Dodger at 11/22/2006 2:39 pm cst

I have a Belkin Router. Connected to it I have one desktop via ethernet cable. I have two laptops both running on XP. Both connected wirelessly using Belkin Wireless Cards. One laptop works perfectly. The other continually drops connection. The message "renewing IP address" shows. Quite often I can see a strange IP address 169.xxx.xx.xx in the status screen when the correct IP address should be 192.168.2.4. Can anybody help and explain what is going on and how to put it right. The odd thing is that the desktop and one laptop (wireless) are perfectly ok. Why should the other laptop be a problem??

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4227

# Yogesh at 11/26/2006 12:00 pm cst

I have a 802.11b wireless ready laptop - Compaq Presario US2580. Operating system is Windows XP + SP2. I bought a Netgear WGT624 wireless router and installed it. When I install the router, everything goes smoothly and the Wireless connection works. I have chosen to go with the WEP encryption feature. However, when I reboot after the installation, I cannot connect wireless. I tried this by repeating the installation of the router and the same thing happened. I have been researching the Internet and seem to read that this has something to do with Encryption. Can someone help me out please?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4238

# Rohit at 11/28/2006 7:34 am cst

Hey Scott, I have tried this on 2 similar laptops and i found that on 1 laptop the WZC goes down when rebooted and on the other laptop it doesnt. The Laptop i used was HP Compaq nc6400. I am not able to come to a conclusion on this whether some fix is needed or it is a hardware/software compatibility. Thanks .. Rohit

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4241

# christian at 12/31/2006 7:56 am cst

Hello, I have a HP dv1000 a wireless ready laptop. I have the SBC 2wire getaway. Everything was working smoothly, but without doing anything, I was uninstalling some softwares, and after rebooting my machine, I couldn't connect to the getaway thru the wireless, and WZC is not working anymore, I got the message that the dependencies are not working properly ( RPC and NDIS usermode I/O protocol. But the funniest part is that I can get connected to a router that is not mine !!!! I can't even see my own router !! Can someone help me on that, cause It's now becoming like X-FIles.. Strange !!! Thanks in advance for your help guys

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4280

# Hustler at 1/4/2007 1:38 am cst

My WZC service (and Windows Audio service) stops on its own when I log out as well as others on here. It gets annoying to start these services each time to get them to work. I think I need to update these drivers? Where and how would I go about doing this? Thank You

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4294

# palmer at 1/5/2007 9:51 pm cst

this could be so little that uve overlooked it... but is that particular wireless connection set as one of your prefered ones... and its a lot easier to add it to this list if... your ssid is set to broadcast... openly as opposed to privat... i had that problem 2 until i set it as my preferred one and then it went away... wifi is a pain in the A$$

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4301

# Mike at 1/8/2007 6:30 pm cst

Sorry if this was posted before, but this wireless zero configuration is getting me fusturated. When I stop and disabled the wzc on my laptop it works fine. (the wireless adapter was built in when I bought it) However for my computer whenever I click stop, I automatically disconnect from the internet. I use a d link wireless 108 AG desktop pci adapter. I was wondering If someone could give me some breif steps in fixing this. thanks.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4308

# Mike at 1/11/2007 12:25 pm cst

So I play this game that has 'pings' A normal 'ping' would be 10-70. But my ping spikes from like 50 to 110-400 every few seconds. I beleive if I can stop my wzc I wont spike anymore. But the problem is..I just cant stop my wzc, everytime i do stop it, i get disconnected. your help would be appreciated.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4315

# Tony at 1/13/2007 3:12 am cst

Hi My friend has a Compaq Presario that connects via built in wifi to his unsecured network. He asked me to set-up his router so it was secure which I duly did. But when the router is secure he can't get on to the internet. So I right click on 'View Network Connections' and the usual message about WZC not being available appeared. I followed the Microsoft KB871122 fix but when it comes to the part where I have to select properties on the wifi connection, then in properties there's supposed to be a wireless tab. There's no tab. Does anyone know if Compaq use their own utility to set-up/connect to wireless networks. Tony

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4322

# Zoltan at 1/15/2007 3:58 am cst

Hi, If you can view the properties of the Wireless Connection icon but you do not see the Wireless Networks tab, the network adapter driver does not fully support the Wireless Zero Configuration service. Check here how to fix: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313242/en-us Zoltan

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4328

# Darryl at 1/16/2007 9:14 pm cst

I have been having simlar problems with intermitant lag or searching for a connection with my desktop ever since I connected to the router above. I have a laptop connected wirelessly that seems to have no problems but my desktop (wired, not wireless) lags for 3-4 seconds every 2 minutes or so. Take out the router and the problem goes away. This happens even with the laptop powered off. Secure password is setup so I know nobody else is using the wireless. Anyway, would "control panel, administrive tools, services, disable wireless zero configuration" work in this situation or can anyone think of anything else to try? This is getting to the point where it's a strain on my marriage because I keep disconnecting the router and killing my wife's laptop connection :-) Please help...

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4327

# Stephen at 1/17/2007 9:34 am cst

I purchased a Belkin router to connect my wireless enabled Dell Inspiron notebook in my study to my main PC (MS XP). I got everything connected OK regarding the software, but the connection failed. I've tried three times, but no luck. The power light on the router does not light up. Before I return the router, is the problem likely to be electrical, or is there a software or other connectivity problem I could resolve? I'm not a techie, so some plain English instructions would be appreciated. With thanks.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4330

# alden xu at 1/19/2007 2:02 pm cst

I have Gigabyte GN-BR01G wireless router. Recently I bought a Dlink DWL-G650+ PCMCIA wireless card for Acer aspire 3003LC laptop. The current problem is very hard for me to connect to router via this card. I once used Dlink adapter utilty to make the connection and never succeed. So I have changed to windows zero configuration utility and can make the connection properly. After the connection has been established, but if I restart the laptop, the connection won't connect automatically and manually in which I click "connect" button t make the connection. Help!!!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4335

# Zoltan at 1/22/2007 2:12 am cst

Hi Stephen, I also have a Belkin, the light goes on immediately as I plug it in. I would think the problem is pure electrical. Zoltan

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4339

# Sjoerd at 1/22/2007 10:56 am cst

Hi boys, Read all of the above and my problem seems to be new. My problem is that after installing my Belin router my wireless connection keeps on dropping for 3-4 seconds. I have siwtched the WZC setting from Automatic to Manual as well as Disabled however it does not resolve the problem. When disabled I get no connection art all, when set to manual it still keeps on dropping. Can you configure the WZC to "not check other networks"? Thanks Sjoerd

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4340

# Sjoerd at 1/23/2007 11:51 am cst

Dear all, Today I continued my struggle against the disconnections of the WZC with my wirelessnetwork. So far I am thinking there are 3 solutions: Solution 1: Leave WZC switched to automatic and have it search and connect to ONLY 1 single network at any given time, being my own network. I do however not know how to set this up, as XP is always finding the other networks in the area and I can not limit it to 1. It is also not clear to me whether if this were possible it would solve the problem or continue disconnecting looking for a faster network. Solution 2: Disable WZC and use a different Wireless Management program to connect to my Belkin G+ router. If this is a solution which programm should I use and coul danyone provide one for me (or point me in the direction of one)? Solution 3: Reconfigure WZC NOT to look for other faster networks or at least not disconnect the current one when looking for another one. Answers from far superiour beings than myself would be highly appreceated. Sjoerd

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4344

# Anonymous at 1/28/2007 7:01 pm cst

I uninstalled my wireless device from device manager and restarted, then my drops quit. But every time I restart or simply turn on my laptop, the WZC service is stopped and in order to see my available connections, I must go start the service. Why does this stop, it is set to automatic.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4389

# Anonymous at 1/29/2007 6:53 pm cst

I have a strange problem! My linksys router loses the ssid that I use and the encrytion goes from 64 bit to disabled by itself. I returned one router and purchased the same model thinking it was defective but the same thing happened. All the other information in the router remained. I think it has something to do with the one computer hard wired into the the router but what? help? Thanks.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4312

# Anonymous at 1/30/2007 6:04 am cst

I have 3 computers at home and the recent one was a laptop Dell Inspiron 9400. I have thedesktop top on the 1st Floor, the lap top mobile in my house and the 3rd desktop was in basement. They were all sharing a single Netgear Wireless router. Initially they were all fine but when I decided th emove the 1st floor pc to the living room. Trouble started. I was only able to connect either the laptop or the living room desktop, one at a time. The basement pc remains unaffected. If I am able to connect to the internet using the laptop, the living room desktop won't work and vice versa (yeah, couldn't believe it myself). Eventually I contact Dell support and the problem was resolved by: 1. Getting the desktop PC hooked up to the net 2. Removing the AC connection to the laptop. 3. Turning off the laptop 4. Removing the laptop battery 5. Holding down the power-on button for 3 seconds 6. Fixing the battery back 7. Power on the laptop. It worked, what a miracle. The technician checked my settings remotely and he found nothing wrong with them. He said it could be probable that some static electricity resident in the laptop could have caused this problem. If you have a related problem, you may want to try this and hope it will work for you guys.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4313

# Anonymous at 2/3/2007 2:49 am cst

I would like to see the reply re Alernative Configuration please

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4396

# Andy at 2/5/2007 6:50 am cst

Please can someone take a moment to read my problem that I am having with trying to get an internet page displayed on my laptop. I have a broadband 4Mb connection with the cable modem for the PC, but I am not having much luck getting a 'wireless' connection for the laptop. Have installed Belkin Wireless G Router (802.11g) on the PC and the associated Belkin Network adapter is installed on the laptop. I have had some internet connection recently, however, since installing KASPERSKY Internet Security 6.0 onto the laptop, I have not been able to access any web page at all,instead all I get is 'page cannot be displayed' or 'work offline' and yet the Belkin icon on the toolbar will show that I am in fact 'connected'!! Does anyone have a solution to this problem, PLEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZE !! Thankyou for listening Andy

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4402

# Charly Walter at 2/6/2007 9:52 am cst

I have a XP lappy with no WZC in the Control Panel at all. I believe that, once upon a time, someone did me a "favor" and removed it from the laptop. How, I am not sure, but it is gone. Do I have do install SP2 again to get it back or is there a way to undo what was done manually? I have no idea what was unswitched, re-registered or otherwise moved, btw. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4403

# Anonymous at 2/7/2007 6:48 pm cst

The same problem is happening to me. I loose the ssid and the encryption key is gone or changed after a day or so. All the other settings on the router remain the same. I change it back and a day later it happens again. I even changed the password to my router and it still happened.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4406

# Anonymous at 2/10/2007 7:37 am cst

I have similar problems as some of those described a few posts up. In wireless network "properties", "wireless networks", preferred network "properties" or "add" a new preferred network; each time I change the password, set WEP and AES and click OK, the settings always revert back to OPEN, NONE, and the password also reverts back to a previously stored state. Once it connected with the new password and encryption, then about two seconds later lost connection and reverted. Do I have to erase all the preferred networks and find the files in regedit/reboot to get rid of this? Anyone else figure this out?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4230

# Anonymous at 2/10/2007 7:41 am cst

I have the same problem, but I'm not using linksys. It is happening on both my desktop and laptop, with D-link and Intel 2200bg. Settings for preferred network revertfrom WEP AES to Open, None, password reverts to previous state. SSID ws not changed, so I don't know if that reverts also. I think it is a Microsoft problem, not with linksys.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4410

# David at 2/10/2007 8:01 pm cst

I have mine working for now. I disabled all network devices, deleted a network bridge and ran ccleaner, then rebooted. after reboot I enabled the wireless NIC, but did not connect to any networks. I then went to network connections, wireless adapter, properties, wireless networks, add and entered the settings I wanted, ad hoc wep aes, ssid and password. After completing all these steps on the other computer I connected the two with wireless networking, and so far the encryption has not reverted to "none" etc... I have not bridged my connections, however, so I don't know if that will affect the settings or not. Some really useful advice found in another post, if you enable the 1394 USB firewire network interface, you no longer get the incongruent messages regarding connection status; not connected, click here to disconnect; not connected but able to browse internet, file and printer sharing functional. Only problem is while performing the steps above the 1394 connection, when you select disable nothing happens until you reboot, then the status changes to disabled. Hope this helps!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4412

# laura at 2/11/2007 11:25 am cst

Hi, Im having MAJOR problems , i have been supplied with a wireless Netgear router from AOL, Im meant to have wireless installed on my computer already but it doesnt seem to work so went to a local store and they told me to buy the BELKIN Wireless G usb adaptor which i installed. Then i carried on installing the netgear router which doesnt recognise the adaptor and says AOL doesnt support it. What am i meant to do! HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4413

# David at 2/11/2007 8:59 pm cst

I was having some connection problems so I got lazy and instead of figuring it out (my notebook upstairs was turned off) I ran network setup wizard. The wizard installed a network bridge, and that did not revert the SSID or settings, but it might have generated some false disconnected status messages.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4414

# Anonymous at 2/13/2007 2:43 am cst

I have a netgear router and an Inspiron 6000. I'm unable to connect wirelessly , only via the ethernet cable. I've spent ages on calls to netgear support with them fixing the problem, only for it to revert back if I switch off the laptop. Can anyone help please??????

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4415

# TK at 2/18/2007 11:31 am cst

hi there guys, I have an aggravating problem I currently have the WRT54G linksys router that is connected to a desktop. It appears to be working fine. On my thinkpad I have the belkin 802.11g wireless network adapter, but I can't seem to connect to the internet. When I open the window for the belkin, it displays the network that I want to connect to and I try connecting to it with the correct encryption key and such, but it keeps saying that its 'scanning...' This was never a problem earlier, I just started having connection problems! Any solution would be very helpeful! Thanks so much!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4419

# Anonymous at 2/21/2007 6:09 am cst

Don't let XP manage your wireless connection. Let the card's driver software do it. Routers: If your wireless router/modem is the only router on your network, and assuming you've installed your wireless card's drivers... 1) Change your router's password. 2) Set the router to be a dhcp server. 3) Enter your wireless connected machine's MAC address in the MAC address filter table (don't forget to enable the filter). You can get your wireless card's MAC adrress by opening a CMD window and typing "ipconfig /all". 4) Set your wireless card's network connection to obtain it's IP address automatically. 5) TURN OFF WZC. It's just that simple. I'm running a Linksys WRT54G router with a Netgear .11g card, and it works just fine, and Windows isn't stumbling all over itself trying to connect me to different routers that it can see (but that I don't care about). Lastly WEP is pointless. If you're mixing brands like I'm doing, it's best not to even mess with it (it's easy to crack and only slows down your throughput).

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4425

# Anonymous at 2/22/2007 12:05 pm cst

Hello, This seems like a really helpful forum and I've got a problem, so... I just bought a new wireless adapter (US Robotics 802.11g). I formerly had a USR MaxG, which connected fine, but it was flimsy and a wire snapped. I'm living abroad and this new one is the ONLY adapter I could find in about 8 stores so I want to try to make it work! I installed the software and it automatically set up so that the WZC was disabled and the USR program found my router. However, the little 'computer' icon from windows was still in the task bar and had the yellow dot going back and forth, saying "Acquiring network address" - eventually it would say 'no network connection' or something similar, even though the USR icon showed a connection. I could not access internet. So I did the opposite of your original post to re-enable WZC and it worked fine. However, I sadly have an older laptop with only one USB. I disabled the connection (through WZC) in order to unplug the Adapter when I needed the USB port. When I plugged it back in and re-enabled the wireless, the WZC immediately said 'connection failed' and wouldn't restart. The USR software didn't recognize that anything was plugged in (even though the computer itself did) and i had to stop and re-start the WZC again, it was the only thing that worked. If i could avoid the neverending "Acquiring Network Adress" problem, I'd gladly use the USR software, if it means I won't have to go through 5 steps every time I need to plug in my ipod. I apologize for the length of the email - just wanted to get all the details in! If you could help me solve either problem, that would be GREAT! Thanks!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4428

# Anonymous at 2/25/2007 8:14 am cst

Hi, I have been reading the posts here hoping to find a solution to my problem. I have a Dell Inspiron 9400 and a Linksys N Router. I was having problems with my wireless internet connection being dropped often and for a long period of time. After reading posts here, I disabled WZC and it worked great, no more drops. But, then I realized that by doing this, I have now lost my connection to the other (wired) pc on the network - I can no longer see my shared folders. How do I reset this up? The other pc is used as storage on my network! Thanks for any help.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4430

# Anonymous at 2/26/2007 1:35 pm cst

The thing I think that everyone needs to understand is that it is a simple either or situation. You must choose to use WZC or third party configuration and control software. You cannot have both or you will have issues. You need the third party drivers; however, you do not need their configuration and control software. However, you may want to use them for enhancements and or security options that are included. It is entirely up to you which to use, but you need to make the choice then remove or disable the one you will not be using.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4432

# Rabble at 2/27/2007 3:11 pm cst

I had the same problem you had for over 2 years and I finally figured out what the problem was (at least on my computer). The service called "Network Connections" was not starting automatically. Once I selected this service to start automatically the Wireless Zero Configuration did not stop when my machine booted up. Hope this helps

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4433

# Martin Wildsmith at 3/3/2007 2:29 am cst

I have been experimenting with wireless setting for some time now and have found the following. The default TKIP refresh was set to 10 seconds on my router (Belkin F5D7633 UK4). With this setting I was experiencing progressively reducing wireless connection speeds (eventually down to 1 mbps). I have reset the TKIP key refresh (found under the security section of the router HTML interface)to 120 seconds at the same time as introducing full 64bit hex string strong password protection. I reasoned that the connectivity was falling because the keys could not refresh fast enough. This has improved the connection speed but not entirely to my satisfaction. I was also still getting line drops even though the connection Icon showed an apparent connection ( I have since read that the connection icon simply shows an association with a router not a connection so it is possible to be associated but have no connectivity). Remembering that I had heard about disabling Wireless Zero Configuration I have now carried this out and re-associated the wireless card (Belkin F5D7001) with the card's utility so that the Belkin utility manages the network connection instead of the now disabled Microsoft utility. I am now experiencing 48mbps connectivity so far with no drops. Seems as though this may be the answer. One final point there is no need to have zero wireless configuration if there is a utility provided by the network card manufacturer as this takes over the role of the MS utility.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4434

# Simon Wen at 3/3/2007 2:51 pm cst

Charlie, I had the same problem as you did. Here is what came to work for me: I just followed Rabble's suggestion and checked my "Network connections" service, which is in the same dialog interface when you type "services.msc" in /RUN. It turned out that my Network Connections service is "Manual". After setting both "Network connections" and "Wireless Zero Configuration" to Automatic startup, I can log on to the internet after reboot automatically. Simon

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4435

# Tim at 3/3/2007 10:37 pm cst

Hi. I'm running Windows XP SP2, using a Belkin Model F5D7230-4 wireless G router with WPA-PSK protection enabled. I have 2 computers using wireless, an iBook which works fine and is very stable and a Compaq Presario x1000 - model x1012QV which is giving me nothing but problems! For some reason which I can not figure out, my wireless connection keeps dropping. It seems to happen only when I recieve large amounts of data (that is, if I'm downloading a file or streaming video/audio.) Normal web surfing doesn't really cause it unless it's a large page with a lot of images. I have the latest firmware running on my router as well as the most current drivers on my computer. These issues happen no matter where the laptop is in the apartment, whether it's 10" or 10' away from the router. The problems go away when it is plugged into a hardwire, but the whole point of getting this laptop with WiFi was so I could be wireleess! Please help me before I throw this thing out the window!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4436

# Anonymous at 3/12/2007 4:13 pm cst

G'day, I have a Windows XP SP2 machine and need to install a PCI wireless adapter card. The manual tells me to cancel the Found New Hardware message when I have physically installed the card and run the setup software on the supplied CD. However during the install process the Windows message "Your hardware is not Windows Logo Certified" appears, but gives no option to "Continue Anyway", just says your hardware was not installed. How can I install my TP-Link WN550G card??

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4443

# xlr8ted at 3/13/2007 2:17 pm cst

I too am having a major problem with my sony ericsson gprs/edge gc89 card. It worked great for a couple of months. One day , it worked in the morning and that afternoon when i inserted it again to get to the net...it stated device not found. I have spent hours with Tmobile, Sony, Gateway, Microsoft and no one really seems to step up to the plate and advise as to what has happened to my laptop. I purchased the laptop in August 06 so its not even a year old. I have removed the software and reloaded from the cd rom and the sony ericsson sight. While I have made headway, its still unoperable. At one point when I inserted the card it didnt even open a hardware wizard. It now does open a wizard. WHen loading the the card via tmobile's cdrom for their conneciton manager, when it get to the step to insert the card, it doesnt do anything. It doesnt install. I have tried to manually install the card however, it doesnt find the software for the hardware. When inserted the Windows hardware wizard states that new hardware is found, first its a PCI Serial Adapter, hows it is found with a yellow ?, and when attempting to update the driver, it says software not found. The next hardware found is a Network Adapter, same results. I really am frustrated and rely on my computer heavily for my job. I find it odd that it just stopped working. Can you offer some light and a solution? Thanks so much guys!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4445

# Anonymous at 3/16/2007 8:00 am cst

The Simple Solution works great for me. Have 3 computers connected to a linksys wireless router with linksys/netgear/IBM wireless cards in them. Was constantly having problems with the computer with the netgear card in it. Too many connection problems to mention here, but I turned off the WZC, turned off WEP and put my mac addresses in the mac filter table, and voila!...don't have any problems with any of the computers and the throughput "seems" faster. T

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4447

# Mark at 3/20/2007 2:43 pm cst

Hi, ive recently installed my Belkin 802.11g router into my P.C and that works fine, i've also installed the Belkin 54mbps wireless adapter to my laptop so i can get a wireless connection to the internet to my laptop via my p.c, but all that keeps coming up on the laptop, in the 'belkin wireless networking utility' box is No wireless connection!! although it recognises that i have installed and plugged in my wireless adapter, why is this? P.S. My this still happens when my WZC is disabled.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4450

# Ram at 3/24/2007 6:18 pm cst

The problem here, is that there's a choice between third party managment or WZC. The new network adapter drivers will likely be set to run your operations once installed. Only problem is, WZC was doing so before and hasn't completely let go otherwise you'd have no problems. Either read up, reinstall or upgrade the third party drivers to handle the job or follow these steps to allow WZC to do so. Disable the third party drivers. I can't tell you how because of the different ones out there so you'll have to figure it out yourself. Run the services and set both WZC and Network to Automatic. Enter your control panel, go to systems, hardware, device manager and double click the network adapter. Hopefully your adapter will have advanced settings (tab). Find WZC on the menu, click once to highlight and change the other setting to "Enable" OK and your done. Good luck

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4452

# stormal at 4/1/2007 7:27 pm cst

Many home and small organizations secure their wireless networks using WEP or, preferably, WPA. But some institutions use the enterprise-oriented IEEE 802.1X authentication framework, which Windows XP supports natively. Unfortunately, if you don’t use 802.1X on your wireless network, Wireless Zero Configuration may interrupt your connection when it periodically attempts to perform 802.1X authentication against your associated access point. To prevent interruptions in connectivity, disable 802.1X authentication for your wireless network adapter. In Windows, open the Network Connections control panel. Locate your wireless adapter, double-click it, and choose Properties and then Wireless Networks. You should see a tab labeled Authentication, in which you can disable “Enable IEEE 802.1X Authentication for this network”.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4462

# Nagelfar at 4/2/2007 3:29 pm cst

Hi, I had a CISCO software managing my WIFI networks, but when I uninstalled the app and change to Windows to configure and setup WIFI connections, all time I restart the PC the Win WIFI configuration tool is disabled, telling that another application is setup to configure WIFI bla bla...and I need to activate the check box "Let Win Setup WIFI" all time I reboot the PC. Someone know the reg KEY to leave WIn setup the WIFI all time??? I checked the RUN keys and there is no CISCO running at startup, don't know what is changing the status of that key (checkbox) help. thankx

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4464

# Kimi at 4/4/2007 12:24 pm cst

Disabling WZC did not solve my random disconnect problems, even Broadcom wi-fi utility or WZC shows still i'm connected. But the connection freezes(data transfer stops) and router's wireless client list does not list my wi-fi adapter anymore which proves wi-fi disconnection. The problem i'm having about freezing: While i'm surfing or downloading the net smoothly, randomly the data transfer(receive and sent, bi-directional) stops, no packets are received or sent anymore, I use Wireless Zero Configuration of XP Home SP2. But the connection does NOT seem disconnected and no logs in event viewer about this. I'm on channel 11 with my US Robotics 9108 MaxG router. Also there are some several wireless networks around my building. I tried channels 1,6,11 with same results. Removing cordless phone did not help also. NO problem with Cat5 wired connection when wireless freeze happens. NOTE: The only solution is to disable/enable wireless adapter from ''network connections'' or to use ''repair'' option, then the connection establishes successfully. Also i'm using WPA-PSK with 22 digits. Notebook: Acer Aspire 3004WLCI Wi-fi adapter: Broadcom BCM4318 802.11b/g network adapter Router: US Robotics USR9108 firmware 1.00 Thanks for the comments and helps.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4469

# barjockey at 4/7/2007 6:35 am cst

Hey guys - I'm in a real fix here...I recently installed a new wireless router on my pc and when I go to Network Connections, the wireless network command on the task list is non-existent. The wireless icon in the taskbar is not present. The Automatic Wireless Network Configuration app seems to be completely missing from my computer when it used to be there. I would greatly appreciate anyone kind enough to help me out...thanks OS: Windows XP Pro Wi-Fi router: la Fonera_fon Wireless Card: Linksys 802.11g

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4475

# Anonymous at 4/8/2007 1:17 pm cst

Like stated before if the WZC services doesn't start on reboot make sure nothing else is managing your wifi connection. In my case the solution was going into device manager and going to the advanced settings tab of the wifi card drivers in the list there was a setting called "Manage Wireless Connection" it was enabled, I disabled the setting. Then I made sure WZC and networking connections services were both running. After I rebooted WZC was started and my internet connection came right up. The driver settings may be worded differently depending on your wireless card.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4476

# rabelani at 4/11/2007 6:54 am cst

hi i was having the same problem as well with wzc everytime i log off or reboot I had to turn the wzc service on again . So I uninstalled the broadcom 802.11 wireless assistant software ,after restarting everything was fine ,I did not have to restart the wzc service again . Thank a lot

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4478

# Hayden Marshall at 4/11/2007 2:55 pm cst

Hey people , I am having the same problem as Barjockey... I think it was April 5th , I turned on my laptop .. or before and went on holiday for a while , I think I installed updates before then too.. Anyway my WIRELESS XP CONNECTION TAB, DOESNT SHOW ANY MORE ! I have always used this as my linksys software never "finds the internet" I am just so frustrated. I dont know what to do or anything ! I want my WZC back :( Barjockey , if you have another computer thats wireless then go to the bit where it says Wireless Network Connection 1,2 etc/ Create shortcut to desktop , copy onto a usb storage , floppy , cd go onto the pc that doesnt work and deploy it on the desktop. Right click and view all networks.. Thats as close as I have gotten to get my network back but it always says no networks..

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4480

# Anonymous at 4/14/2007 8:13 am cst

I'm having exactly the same problems. I've found several people saying that the adapter isn't compatible with the router - is this correct?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4482

# Nalin at 4/14/2007 7:45 pm cst

Hi Andy, I did what you said about turning off WZC and it's working fine now, thanks. I have a WIn XP desktop and an Acer Centrino XP laptop. I connected the Pronets Router/modem via ethernet to the desktop, and configured the router according to its user guide. I did not want WEP etc as these are overheads that reduce performance speed. So, I confiured the router to only respond to my laptop's IP address. As WZC had not been turned off (I did not even know about it at the time), WZC found and set up the wireless connection. But, the line kept dropping and sometimes the line was ok but I could not see any web page. After disabling WZC as per all your instructions, I am enjoying a super service. Thanks again, Nalin.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4484

# Ann at 4/16/2007 7:50 am cst

hi my daughter came home for Easter and we set her up using our BT hub 24. She has gone back to uni and could not connect to her Wanadoo live box. Wanadoo customer service has got her set up using Wireless Zero Configution ( which she did not use previously) but the connection only holds for 30 seconds and reverts back to stop. can you help? Regards Ann

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4489

# KB at 4/17/2007 9:55 am cst

I have a strange and infuriating problem occuring that I hope someone can help me with. When my laptop computer boots, services like windows audio, DHCP, etc all start (they are set to automatic). However, they then stop at some point so that when I disconnect my LAN or want to open volume control or something else I have to go in and restart the service. With the LAN it is particularly annoying because I have to repair the connection once DHCP is restarted. Does anyone know why these automatic services would stop on their own? It's a laptop, so sometimes I disconnect it from the LAN. If the the computer sleeps not only does the DHCP need to be restarted, but the computer often will not recognize that the LAN cable has been reconnected when I reconnect it. The only solution I have found for this is to reboot. This is a government laptop so it has all sorts of security crap on it, which makes rebooting a trial but I suspect may also have something to do with this problem. I would appreciate any help that anyone can give. It is getting so frustrating that I am about ready to chuck this thing out the window. Thanks

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4494

# Anonymous at 4/19/2007 9:08 am cst

Hi, I currently have 1 desktop and 3 laptops(IBM, Sony, Asus) at home which I am trying to setup to connect to a Linksys router. I was able to connect both the desktop and IBM laptop successfully to the Linksys router using WAP. However, the other 2 laptops (Sony, Asus) does not seem to be able to connect to the router at all. Whenever I try to establish a connection to the router for these 2 laptops, it trys to connect and then the connection shows Automatic after a while without even establishing a connection to the router. Things/Checks which I have done; 1) Updated Wi-Fi card drivers to the latest version 2) All machines are on Windows XP SP2 3) Both laptops were unable to grab any IP address even when the router is visible under "site survey" with full signal strength 4) The router is set to be a DHCP server with 50 IPs. I would appreciate if any kind soul out there is able to advise if I have missed out anything or if there is anything I can do to resolve this issue. Thanks in advance.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4496

# Varun at 4/23/2007 11:47 pm cst

Just wondering if someone can help me. I have Win XP SP1 installed on my system and I am using wireless broadband for internet. The ISP gave me a modem and the installation CD. I set it up as per the instructions. Everything worked fine for 12 days but now after every 2-3 mins, there is no data transfer even though the connection is still on. Thus, I can't open any websites. Signal strength is excellent and I have to restart my pc in order to connect again but again the data transfer stops every 3 mins. I have tried disabling WZC but to no avail. If anyone has any idea or can help me with this,,,thanks...

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4516

# feolener at 4/24/2007 3:38 pm cst

Hi, I've got 4 machines: 1 server W2k (sp 4) 1 laptop WinXP Pro (SP2) 2 PC's WinXP Pro (SP2) On one PC I've got the problem that a few minutes after booting into windows the Wireless connection drops and is only recoverable by rebooting the computer (disabling and reconnecting the NIC doesn't work). All the other computers are fine. All machines are running the latest updates. The only message that is turning up in the event viewer is the forced election of a master browser, but I'm guessing this is turning up because he lost the connection with the other computers.. By the way.. Windows still thinks the connection is up and running (icon in the taskbar shows as connected). It still has a pingable IP address, but when I try to ping any other device on the netwerk (even the router) then it failes.. any ideas?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4518

# chase at 4/25/2007 7:38 pm cst

i have a compaq presario laptop and the wireless conection wont find any networks when i check the settings in ip config it says media is disconected but windows says that it is enabled and also when i disable WZC it says windows cannot configure the device i'm new to wireless networking so any help would be appreciated chase

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4499

# Jeff at 5/9/2007 6:34 am cst

I have a d-link USB adapter with a belkin wireless router. My problem is also losing the connection after about a half hour. The wireless icon says I am still connected to the network, but I cannot open a browser and when I do a Repair with the microsoft utility, It just locks up and never finishes the repair. I also cannot shut the computer down and I have to manually restart the computer. Any suggestions.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4533

# Eve at 5/10/2007 9:53 am cst

Do you use a desktop or a notebook? I recommend to check the power options of the WIFI adaptor.. If it is set for power saving, than you can turn off power save and set the power to maximum.. That's waht you can do if you use a notebook, if it is a desktop I am not sure but there may be similar options.And also I recommend updating the driver with the latest one ..

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4546

# Tim at 5/13/2007 12:03 pm cst

Ok I have an HP notebook for about 5 months now, never had a problem with the wireless, well I did when it would hibernate, it would shut down the WZC and I would have to re-start it. But now, it does it even when my computer just goes into standby, or even if I leave it idle for 10 minutes. Even worse, it still doesn't work when I re-start the WZC. It's really weired. I have to re-start my whole computer in order for it to work. Also, my sound doesn't work with these instances, I also have to start up the sound function in the services.msc as well. It's driving me crazy. Anyone have any suggestions?? I'm about to reformatt this thing if not.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4513

# afree at 5/16/2007 7:10 pm cst

This is going to be a bit lengthy but I want to be sure to include all the gory details. For a while now I have been running a Belkin Wireless G Adapter (F5D7050) on one of my desktop PC's. It worked fine but the machine was old and the USB ports only supported the slower rates up to 12 MBits (USB 1.1). I decided to install a USB 2.0 PCI Card. Since the Wireless adapter was a Belkin I figured I should go with their board for the USB 2.0 interface. I bought the F5U219-LP board which has two external 2.0 USB ports and one internal port. I installed the board with drivers and of course I had to re-install the Belkin wireless drivers as well. Initially everything came up and a wireless connection was established. However as soon as I start loading the link with data (say streaming audio or mpegs) the link just shuts down. And when I say shutsdown I mean dissapears completely. Actually I have two wireless routers and the SSID for both of them dissapear from the available networks list completely. I can plug my flash into the USB card (same port)and it works fine so one has to assume the Belkin Wireless driver is dieing. This seems to be the case as I can pull the wireless adapter wait 10 seconds and put it back in and re-connect only to have it dissapear again once the data load gets high. I have tried using WZC only as well as the Belkin utility with the same results. I have updated the drivers for both the USB 2.0 card and the Belkin Wireless adapter. Same results. I have spent countless hours changing wireless parameters on my router as well as on the wireless adapter. Pretty much the same results with each change. The only thing that seems to help is if I limit the maximum transmit rate of the wireless router to 1 Megabit which is counter productive to what I am trying to achieve. One final note. I actually tried to same setup in two machines one old 800 mHZ machine and one old 1 GHZ machine. Same results on both machines. Ok now for the question? Has anyone else had a similiar problem and if so what was the solution?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4536

# freeman at 5/18/2007 9:10 am cst

I had the same problem but don't disable nothing because it was caused by a worm (today is may-18-07) c:\windows\system32\m_hook.sys HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\LEGACY_M_HOOK\ refer to http://www.vsantivirus.com/bagle-hz.htm you must modify the regedit and delete some files good luck

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4537

# Dstew at 5/22/2007 11:28 am cst

I am using a Compaq Presario laptop with built in wireless card and a Linkysis SRX200 wireless router. For some reason, I keep having to repair my wireless connection. It will work for a few minutes, then I will start getting this error messages in Outlook: Task 'pop3.digitalims.net - Receiving' reported error (0x800CCC0F) : 'The connection to the server was interrupted. If this problem continues, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).' I am also unable to view internet pages after I get this message. I have to right click on my wireless connection and select repair from the options. After it finishes the repair, I am able to do everything like I have been able to for the last seven months that I have been using this laptop/router combination. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4544

# Anonymous at 5/27/2007 10:59 am cst

I get the following error msg everytime i start my laptop. Eventhough this doesnt affect my other work.. just that it's a bit irritating to get this msg everytime i start my laptop.Kindly someone help. Thanks in advance. Error: "Windows cannot find 'c:\windows\wzcsvc.bat'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search."

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4503

# GE repair at 6/6/2007 3:52 am cst

Interesting issue you had there. How did you figure it out? My guess is that you had some help, i couldn't have done this by myself. I always have computer troubles...they drive me crazy.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4549

# CL at 6/6/2007 4:11 pm cst

Not sure this fits here in the Wireless Zero stuff- After letting my desktop sit on standby, and then resuming, it would not find my connection. (dlink WUA-2340 rangebooster) I'd have to uninstall and reinstall the driver to get it to work. Even rebooting would not find it. The answer was a simple one- but odd - An XP glitch? After resuming from standby, the welcome screen would come up. It was interrupting the signal for some reason.(which one of you guys knows why?) To turn the welcome screen off- Right click on desktop> Properties> Screen saver tab> uncheck the box which say "on resume, display welcome screen. No problems thereafter. Hope this helps somebody. CL

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4550

# Steve at 7/3/2007 6:12 am cst

The problem is that not any operating system is easy to configure. This is not an easy task. For most people it's quite hard to do that, so in order to acomplish this you have to contact an expert. side effects fosamax

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4554

# Moe at 7/11/2007 8:54 am cst

I own an HP Pavilion dv2000 laptop in which the Wireless Connection dissapears randomly-every four or so times I boot my computer, I have a Wireless Conection 1,2,3...ect, the other times, in the Network Conections box there is no indication that my computer even has wireless capabilities. I have updated the wireless driver, uninstaled/instaled the HP Wireless Assistant, reset the system to factory settings, loaded the default settings in the BIOS, even replaced the internal wireless card (Braodcom 802.11b). Nothing works...Thanks in advance.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4582

# Milap N at 8/3/2007 6:24 pm cst

My wireless Zero Configuration has been off. Recently though, I have been having problems connecting to any encrypted pages, so when I called tech support, they said to enable wireless zero configuration, but then i cant connect to ANY network. If anyone has any suggestions. I have an XP, BELKIN wireless G USB network adapter, and a netgear router. If you need model numbers, just ask if you think you know my problem. This is the only tech forum i can find that doesnt have me sign up, because i cannot sign up because of the previously explained problem.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4558

# Help at 8/17/2007 2:44 am cst

I've tried doing this, but as soon as I click "OK" my connection is lost, and can't reconnect. So I have to restart WCZ which defeats the purpose of this. Help please.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4585

# Stephen Burgoon at 9/3/2007 9:34 pm cst

New hardrive and windows xp would not connect to my wireless modem.This advice recconected me in 2 minutes. Thank you!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4606

# simon at 10/8/2007 11:02 pm cst

Can anyone help me? I decided to secure my wireless connection to my belkin router wich worked ok, i then set it to not broadcast the ssid, as soon as i done that my net work vanished from the list of networks and i havnt been able to connect to the belkin ip page through my router to disable the non broadcast ssid. Any hlpe would be much appreciated im pretty new to all this, Simon..

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4601

# Intel 3945ABG at 10/9/2007 10:09 am cst

Having had the same problem of freezing Windows XP once in a while using a Intel 3945ABG WiFi adapter built-in into a Toshiba Portegé M400 Notebook, switching off Wireless Zero Configuration (WSC) in 'services.msc' as described in the article solved the problem. Yet, no automatic configuration/detection of available networks was possible anymore (as expected), not even with Toshiba's WiFi ConfigFree utility! It said that some other program was controlling the network settings. I therefore wanted to add the following hint to the article: BEFORE disabling Wireless Zero Configuration, open the 'Properties' dialog of 'Wireless Network Connection' and UNCHECK 'Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings' on the 'Wireless Networks' tab. Only then stop/disable Wireless Zero Configuration (WSC) in services.msc. Otherwise, a third-party WiFi support utility might not have access to or control the WiFi settings lateron. (Once you have disabled WSC, the "Wireless Networks" tab in the properties dialog will not be there anymore!)

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4604

# Ace303 at 10/19/2007 2:39 pm cst

Hi, CharlieD - check this out... I was having the same problem with my Dell laptop because the "Dell Wireless WLAN Card Utility" has the "Let this tool manage your wireless networks" option set. It basically defeats you from using the Wireless Zero Configuration (a much easier tool IMHO) to manage your wireless card.

If this is the case with you, too, there are two things you will need to do.

  1. Go to Control Panel and open the "Dell Wireless WLAN Utility". Once that opens, make sure you are on the tab for "Wireless Networks" and un-check the box for "Let this tool manage your wireless networks". Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the setting.

  2. Open your Wireless Network Connection Properties (you may need to look for something that says "Change advanced settings") and make sure that the tab for "Wireless Networks" is selected. Make sure that the box is checked for "Use Windows to configure my wireless networks settings". Click "OK" to save the settings.

That should do it – GL!

P.S. To make some of the settings in step #2 you may need to do some poking around to get to the Wireless Network Connection Properties, or follow some of the instructions already posted by others.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4619

# Kyle at 10/22/2007 10:35 am cst

Hey.. I've done a lot of research trying to figure out why I would get enormous lag spikes while gaming online, making them impossible to enjoy, let alone accomplish anything.. So pretty much what I have heard the most is to disable WZC and it should go away.. and it does.. for about 10-15 minutes.. Then I get disconnected from my wireless and it'll say "Windows cannot configure a connection" I get soo frustrated with it.. It shouldn't NEED to configure a connection.. it already HAD one.. I don't quite understand why it can't just stay on the connection.. Anyways.. any ideas keeping WZC disabled after it finds a connection, and still keeping that same connection?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4622

# ITtechi69 at 12/17/2007 5:42 pm cst

Ok well I tried to use this method, which I thought it would be a good one to use cause it actually made some kidna sence. But I still have the same problem. I have a Wireless Linksys N PCI Adapter, WMP300N to be exact. I had no problem working with this adapter before on a Linksys router with a WPA-PSK encription. Well I got a new router, thats not a Linksys router. But I dont think I have to go into the details of what kinda router, cause other computers around the house work fine with WZC, but mine doesnt. Every time I try to use the WZC and go to connect to the net work, my security settings will revert back to WEP and open access not allowing my card to connect. Well ok maybe my card is being a prick, so I decide to setup the network by just seeing the network and connecting to it. Well when its detecting the network type, it disconnects saying the network has been taken down or lost signal when is hasnt. Really there is no logical sence why I can not get the encription and security settings to stay when I can get it work on my Linksys software, granted it works but it disconnects me constantly when I try to connect to the internet on anything, WL, MSN, AIM, IE, Ventrillo, it looses the connection every time I try to connect to a program... I can not figuar it out... Hope someone has a anwser or a salution I havnt thought of yet.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4663

# Debs at 2/18/2008 12:31 am cst

I agree with Ace303

The problem with the wzc restarting everytime you turn off your computer.

i was having the same problem. i found the same dell wireless wlan card utility icon in my control panel and realized that it was fighting for control rights with the wzc. there is a tab there for you to click if you want this program to control the wireless connection. they both cannot be used to control the connection. so you either use this program and disable the wzc or you use the wzc and uncheck the tab in this program and that should solve the problem

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4634

# amy at 2/21/2009 11:29 am cst

You fixed all my problems! Thanks so much!!!

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4932

# Victor J. at 3/1/2009 3:52 am cst

Yes Andy! Your advice at the top of this page was very helpful--disable the Wireless Zero Configuration service. But in addition to doing that, I found that I had to use the wireless utility that came with the driver for my wireless adapter in order to acheive wireless connectivity with my router. In my case, my wireless adapter is a Belkin USB wireless adapter. It comes with a utility to detect and manage nearby wireless networks. The Belkin utility and the WZC service were most likely in conflict. So now, instead of letting Windows manage my wireless network, I let the Belkin utility manage my wireless network. I betcha that wireless adapters by other manufacturer's also come with a utility program to manage wireless networks. And it's very likely that the manufacturer's utility that came with the adapter is in conflict with the WZC service. Therefore, disabing the Wireless Zero Configuration service is just the first step in solving this "loss of connectivity" problem. The second step is to find out to use the manufacturer's software that came with the wireless adapter to manage nearby wireless networks. Basically the manufacturer's utility that comes with the wireless adapter accomplishes the same thing as the WZC service, however both should probably not be running at the same time.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c4950

# George at 6/3/2009 8:57 am cst

Kyle, I have the exact same problem... when I disabled the WZC it fixed my lag spike problems, but now it drops my connectivity every like 10mins, is there anyway to stay connected to the same connection as before?

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c5132

# Lou Tengzelius at 6/3/2009 9:43 pm cst

SX260 Optiplex, XP, No SP2, Sagem USB WiFi Stick, -> Belkin Wireless Router, -> DSL modem. Connected to "Local" network. Needed to go to Control Panel > "Network Connections" > "Wireless Network Connection" right click, disable, then left click enable. Put a shortcut of it on desktop to make getting to internet easier. It then stopped working by disappearing. Went to device manager and activated the Sagem icon. Went to "Wireless Zero Configuration" and disabled. Deleted the aforementioned shortcut. Problem vanished. Booting up puts me directly on internet. Another identical twin had the same defect and was also corrected. Thanks to Andy Atkinson

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c5135

# Hexum at 6/18/2009 5:17 pm cst

Cheers Andy. Glad you wrote this up almost 4 years ago. :]

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c5176

# Stephanie at 6/27/2009 8:04 am cst

Hey I was wondering if someone could help..I am desperate. I have a Dell Inspiron 5160 notebook that I am trying to connect to a linksys router to no avail. Linksys tech support says that I have the wireless zero configuration for windows xp and the built in wireless untility running at the same time, which makes the two compete against eachother. The signals are strong, but they won't connect to the net. I was told I had to disable the built in utility. Can anyone tell me how to do that, and please keep in mind I am not computer literate AT ALL? Thank you so much . I appreciate the help.

Quick Link to this comment: http://TTIP.me/c5198