TZ31, Wireless Device Switch Utility and WLAN Woes

[d_mcclelland]

Laptop: Sony Vaio TZ31VN
Integrated Globetrotter HSDPA Wireless WAN, Bluetooth and Intel 4965AGN Wireless LAN, Windows XP SP3 (Official Sony XP Downgrade Build)

This one really has me stumped - I'd appreciate any suggestions!

In summary, I have a problem with my Sony VAIO TZ31 wherein I'm unable to use my WiFi. The Wireless Device Switcher utility (C:\Program Files\Sony\Wireless Switch Setting Utility\Switcher.exe version 4.0) no longer 'sees' my integrated WLAN card to give me the option of turning it on or off, however it does see both the Bluetooth and WWAN cards. The hardware switch on the front of the laptop is in the 'ON' position, and the Bluetooth and WWAN lights are illuminated, however the WLAN light isn't, and I can find no way of enabling it. The Bluetooth and WWAN are still working.

My problem determination so far:

The normal Windows Wireless Network Connection dialogue tells me immediately (i.e. doesn't seem to scan at all) that it can't find any networks and that I should check that my wireless is turned on. I have another several devices in the house that are seeing the network just fine, as does my iPhone right next to this laptop.

Running an `IPCONFIG \ALL` from the command line suggests that it is physically still there:

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-1D-E0-C3-xx-xx

Checking in Windows Device Manager the `Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN' entry appears with no question marks or exclamation marks telling me there's a problem or that the device is disabled. Opening up the properties dialogue for this, the drop down box on the Advanced tab says 'Wireless On'. All other properties are on the default values.

I've updated the wireless drivers to the latest version (12.2.0.11 iirc) from the Intel website and installed the Intel PROset Wireless Software with them. When I load the Intel ProSET WiFi Connection Utility, I get the error in the main window telling me that: "The hardware radio switch is off. To enable the wireless, turn on the hardware radio switch.", and at the bottom of the window it tells me that the "Hardware radio switch: OFF". - again, I confirm that the switch is ON, but the WLAN light is off and there's no Wireless LAN option in my Switcher application any more to enable it.

I also notice that, since updating to this driver version, the Advanced tab on the properties for the adapter doesn't give me the 'Wireless On/Off' option.

I've uninstalled, re-installed and rolled-back (to version 11.1.1.16) the driver for the WiFi card. I've un-installed and re-installed the Sonly Wireless Switcher Utility. I've deleted the network adapter from the Device Manager and let Windows re-add it.

There's nothing untoward in any of the Windows Event Logs.

I checked and there's nothing in the BIOS (pressing F1 or F2 during startup) to enable or disable the integrated peripherals.

Now, following on from all of this I was suspecting a hardware fault - however, when I reboot my VAIO into Safe Made with Networking Support, the WLAN light on the front illuminates and the WiFi card works and connects just fine (using Windows' own Wireless Network Connection tool - the Intel PROset tool doesn't work in Safe Mode). However, I then fire-up up with Sony Wireless Switcher utility and immediately the WLAN light goes out, the WWAN light goes on instead and I was am longer able to connect to any Wireless Networks. The Wireless Switcher utility still doesn't give me any options to enable my WLAN card. What's worse, this setting seems to have persisted, and when I reboot into Safe Mode with Networking once more the WLAN light is no longer illuminated and I can't work with the WLAN any further.

This now begins to suggest to me that there's a software/driver issue going on somewhere, perhaps involving the Sony wireless switcher application.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? Of things to try? I'm at my wits' end here and I really don't want to have to resort to re-installing Windows XP from scratch.

Many thanks,

David Mc
London, UK

[Blencogo]

Hi David and welcome to Club Vaio.

You seem to have covered most things. If it works in Safe Mode and not notmal mode, the possible causes of the problem are: -

1. Firewall is blocking the WLAN. Try it in Normal Mode with the AV/Firewall turned off.
2. You may have more than one wireless utility running in Windows - is the PROSet utility conflicting with the Sony Utility? Have you tried turning off the WZC Service? Have you tried uninstalling the Intel Utility?
3. You could try running services.msc in BOTH Safe Mode and Normal Mode and note which Services run only in Normal Mode. Then disable them one by one until the WLAN works. Look for two WLAN services running together.

I presume you are using the XP version of Wireless Switcher - ver 4.0.00.11070?

My bet is on two wireless utility services running together in normal mode.

Let us know how you get on.

[d_mcclelland]

*** UPDATE *** - after chatting with a guy at Sony and rolling back to the original version of all of the WiFi card drivers and Wireless Switcher Drivers (kinda obviously really - latest drivers aren't always the greatest), it all starts working again.

Which leads me, without exhaustive testing, to guess that there may be an incompatibility between the latest Intel drivers (packaged as version 12.2.0.0 as part of the PROset suite) for their WLAN card (Intel 4965AGN) and the Sony Wireless Switcher Utility (version 4.0).

If I get a chance, I'll do another test (now that I know how to get back to a working system) to attempt to recreate the problem - and report back of course.

(I'm still back to my original problem of intermittent packet drops though - even when another VAIO (my 'old* SZ1VP) sitting right next door to it isn't getting drops when pinging the same destination...)

/David Mc
London, UK