Close but no cigar - yet (Helllllp!)

[IrishAyes]

UPDATE: When I checked things over this morning, Devices and Printers tells me the wireless lan (802.11, I think) now has the latest driver. So that's no longer the problem. But when I click on the computer icon in Devices and Drivers and then click on the wireless lan in the dropdown box, it says this device doesn't work, error 10 whatever that is. Hope it doesn't mean I bought a turkey.
....................................................................................

A friend offered to save me a good bit of $ by letting me piggyback on his wireless. He lives just across the alley from me and his reputable employer, who keeps an open system for some unfathomable reason, is just across the street from him. I know he has a powerful signal. So I bought a highly touted external usb signal booster with 2 antennas and plugged it in, thinking I was ready to go.

When pigs fly. Thankfully the Signal King booster requires no external power source and it appeared on my hard drive the instant I plugged it in. Then the trouble started - the two mini-installation disks don't work, and further research showed they don't offer a driver anyway. After searching for a suitable driver for my Win7 OS what seemed like forever, I finally found an updated one and downloaded it. Ran the Win wizard and did everything possible, including an attempt at manual discovery, but do you think Windows has YET recognized and absorbed it to usefulness? Again - all together now - when pigs fly.

By the time I finally threw in the towel last night, my eyes were crossed from exhaustion and stress. I even got desperate enough to try dropping a copy of the driver onto the wireless lan icon, which of course didn't work. I don't want to return the booster because according to supposedly independent reviews on Amazon, it's fantastic when installed properly, which everyone seems to have trouble doing. Also, by the time I did return it and got something else to try, which also might present problems, my present internet account would have rolled over into the next billing month, and I'm trying to beat that deadline. The phone company doesn't prorate.

If anyone can tell me how to make Win7 (32-bit) swallow that driver deep enough for the signal booster to accept it, I'd be eternally grateful. Don't know what else to say. There's one computer guy in this remote little town where I retired, and frankly, I think he knows less than I. I can't help anyone in this group with computer questions, because believe me I'm nowhere near that level of expertise. If you want to know how to train horses or dogs or decorate on a dime, I'm your contact. Otherwise, don't take my tech advice about anything. Best I can do is to promise to make a donation to your favorite charity - as soon as I get out from under the phone company's thumb.

Here's the link to the Amazon page where I bought it:

http://www.amazon.com/Signal-Wireless-Adaptor-Antenna-150Mbps/dp/B007M7RP6Q/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_1

Just in case that inspires anyone.

[gvstn]

1. Is this the driver you tried?

http://www.argtek.com/style/frame/templates1/download.asp?lang=2&customer_id=1718&name_id=59309&rid=2840&content_set=color_1

One thing you could try is to type wu into the Start/Search box and hit enter to start Win update. Then let it check for updates and when it is done looking hit the link for "optional" updates. See if it lists a driver for that device and tick the box to let it install.

[gvstn]

2. And verify that the device is recognized but that the driver is not installed.

Type device manager into the Search box and hit enter. See if the device is listed but there is a yellow exclamation point or question mark beside it, indicating it is recognized but needs a driver.

[IrishAyes]

5. I did that in Device Manager too

And the booster looks okay there now that the driver's installed.

Here's the text of the DU mail I was going to send you to keep my final embarrassment a little more private, until I decided to confess in public:
.......................................................................................................................................
Your halo's still on straight.

But there's egg all over my face. Seems my usual appearance. Oh, I do indeed have wireless now, but it's through the phone company. Thought I'd unplugged all their stuff and yet I remained connected to the router.

The driver download link was very helpful and actually installed. Trouble is, when I open Devices and Printers in Windows, the network adapter is still incommunicado. Or rather Windows is, because the computer icon's the one with the yellow triangle. Running the troubleshooters numerous times convinced me the sole remaining problem lies with Windows' ability to communicate to the signal booster. Obviously it knows of its existence or the booster icon wouldn't show up in Devices and Printers, where the computer icon hangs onto its little yellow triangle like a drowning person.

All this has been very trying for me, partly because I addressed it as a distraction from certain other life challenges. Smart, huh? Seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I've lost the damned packing slip and couldn't send the signal booster back if I tried, but I'm still going to give it a horrible review. It's listed as compatible with Win7 but I have to wonder. And those two worthless 'installation' discs aren't even fit for frisbees. I should've listened to all the people who complained instead of the ones who bragged about picking up signals over a mile away.

Here's the weirdest thing of all, though. When I THOUGHT Windows and the signal booster were finally well acquainted and I moved my computer over to the window to give the booster a real workout with the phone company modem absolutely disconnected, I kept checking for new internet connections every time I moved the booster (not the computer) just a little different. During all this I picked up a variety of signals, all weak but one new one unsecured, and that changed every time I moved the signal booster. With the computer remaining stationery. If the only working signal was from the one inside the computer, why did the almost-available connections change every time and only when I moved the external booster? Beats me.

But I still intend to shed myself of the phone company one way or the other, if I have to start schlepping down to the library where they do offer free wi-fi even though on their wired computers you can't have email. Go figure. It's only 3 blocks away, the walk's not too bad in decent weather. I'd just hate having to keep their hours and also needing to leave my dogs indoors because of the nasty neighbor who loves to call in noise complaints on anybody's dogs that let out one little peep. Three times I caught him leaning over the fence and waving his arms and yelling at my chows to stir them up so he could run inside and call in a noise complaint. You can imagine what a town hall meeting we had that month! But I still have to be able to verify that my dogs are innocent of his complaints. Well, at least during the winter the pom-mini beagle and the JRT I have now will want to be indoors more, I guess. Maybe by next spring my troubles will be over.

Thanks again. It must try your patience to deal with the tech goofs. When I used to give horseback riding lessons, I swear some of those people would've wound up seated backwards if I didn't grab hold of them. And I was getting paid!

[IrishAyes]

6. Well, I just went back and checked Device Manager yet again

And now the wireless DOES have a yellow question mark, even though elsewhere it still claims to have a driver installed and working perfectly.

Oh well - at least today I had no time or energy for bank robbing or other worse stuff today.

[gvstn]

7. Hmm

I'm not really sure what is going on there.

If you right click the device with the yellow question mark and select Properties does it give you any error information under the general tab or does it say it is working properly? BTW does the device name correlate to your new WAN adapter/antennae?

Under the drivers tab does it give a driver version (which if it does that tells you that you have a driver installed)?

I'd say leave well enough alone but it would drive me crazy to have a yellow mark.

[IrishAyes]

3. I'll try. Meanwhile, here's my update:

UPDATE: When I checked things over this morning, Devices and Printers tells me the wireless lan (802.11, I think) now has the latest driver. So that's no longer the problem. But when I click on the computer icon in Devices and Drivers and then click on the wireless lan in the dropdown box, it says this device doesn't work, error 10 whatever that is. Hope it doesn't mean I bought a turkey.

[IrishAyes]

4. Face it, you're a hero!

As of now, I'm definitely entirely wireless at last, wireless at last!

I did all you said, then disconnected the phone company's equipment, restarted the computer, and hooray! A signal! (btw, I've already installed a VPN from Chrome, because that's my favorite browser)

Funny thing is, the signal I picked up only shows 2 bars, but I think it's an open signal from a guy who lives over a mile from me - judging from the network name - and it still works fine if a bit slow. But of course I'm ghosting at this moment and don't intend to continue. When I sign on again, I'll input the proper network name where I have permission to coast awhile. But I couldn't wait another second to come tell you thanks from the bottom of my heart.

If you had any karmic debt, I'm sure it's all cleared up and paid forward! I'll do my best to pay it forward by helping others any way I can. My karmic debt could never be entirely wiped out no matter what, but I'll try, I'll try. The next teabilly that hassles me will wonder whatever happened to the old girl, she used to be so much fun to fight with.

[IrishAyes]

8. Your help was critical, and I believe that's the driver I downloaded

Had hell trying to make the software accept it and then for Windows to communicate properly. But as of Tuesday evening, all's relatively settled down. Good thing too because I was going batty and wrote a furious review of the Signal King device which the seller demanded a retraction. I told her hell no. She said I was in violation of policy and I told her essentially to go sun herself on a hot rock. By now she's more than familiar with the drawbacks of the product, and when she continues to praise and sell it for golden, she's just as much to blame as the manufacturer.

It was only this evening that the connection's been stable at all, and it remains slow as mud. I know my hosting friend's not on dial up because this entire town got wired for high speed internet a couple years ago. But piggybacking on his wireless signal via this alleged signal booster slows down transmission to the old dial up speed. I could take a nap during page changes and have to keep the networks connections page handy because it drops connections right and left too. Then I just have to kick it in the ribs again and wait for things to reload.. and wait... and wait...

I appreciate my friend's generosity but intend to abandon him the very second finances allow. Meanwhile, tell me: do you think the dipole radio booster antenna I bought would help with the computer problem at all since wi-fi is radio waves after all. If so, how?

[gvstn]

9. I don't have single wireless computer connection.

I was just trying to help install the driver since that is usually fairly easy in Win7.

I'm sure after a week of working on the problem you know much more about wireless than I do. My guess is a dipole antenna booster wouldn't join the mix.

I was hoping your connection would work well. I have a library less than a 1/4 mile away and was curious if I could piggy back on their wireless during their operating hours. Probably not practical but for $20, I was thinking it was worth a try.

I hope someone else can jump in with some technical suggestions. Good Luck!

[IrishAyes]

10. Yer right, Win7 driver installation generally is easy as pie.

One reason I so love Win7. That's another reason I'm convinced all the trouble's with that fiendish Speed King and the liars who promote it. Although I'm careful, and especially on the net, you might say I sometimes drive Windows hard. And yet in 5 years or so this computer has never once crashed, nor has it threatened to do so.