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My Windows XP SP3 laptop will not detect any wireless networks while at the same time my HTC mobile phone will.

The wireless NIC is an Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG

Windows says the device is working properly, and the Advanced tab of the NIC properties says Wireless is On. The Wireless Zero Configuration service is running.

I've been able to detect wireless networks before on this laptop.

Will a 3rd party wireless manager resolve this? If so, do you recommend anything?

Update: driver version is currently 9.0.4.13. There is an update to 9.0.4.39 which I will try.

Update: the updated driver version has not resolved it. Right-click > Repair-ing the wireless connection does not resolve it either.

Solution: wireless hardware had been turned off. Pressing Fn+F4 on the keyboard turned it back on. This key has a wireless icon on it, which I had not seen before.

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You just made up that term in your subject didn't you?

You mean WZC - the Windows Zero Configurator. It's built in wireless client software.

There isn't any generic one I know of other than that one.

You should try specifically the wireless client software for your network card. And make sure that the WZC service isn't running.. so services list it as stopped and so you can't view wireless networks with WZC. So they're not clashing. You're not meant to use both, apparently they can clash. And software i've tried turns WZC off automatically. It's not a question of "replacing it", it doesn't get replaced.

If neither work then you should consider that maybe the wireless client - card in this case -has a problem.

Also there are different standards that use different frequencies, specifically the standards are called 802.11 b/g/n so check which your router is sending out (b/g/n), some can send out more than one. And check which your card receives.

a link found via google, is within downloadcenter.intel.com Intel® PROSet/Wireless Basic Enterprise Software for Windows XP 32-​Bit* Drivers and management software for Microsoft Windows XP 32-bit OS*. OS: Windows XP*

they can call it what they want, but use a generic technical term. So that's the wireless client software for your card.. hopefully

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wireless client software / wireless manager. I can find drivers for the wireless card on intel.com, but not any wireless client manager... – Steve Dec 4 '11 at 17:07
there is no such thing as that term you used, so stop using it. Why are you hammering an invented term into your head when a term already exists. you're not helping yourself or others. The amount of terminology is bad enough as it is, we don't need people inventing terms and trying to spread them. Wireless Client Software is what it is. – barlop Dec 4 '11 at 21:35
I have found something that might be what you are looking for, or worth trying if you haven't. The Wireless Client Software. (let intel call it what they want in their marketing, but that's what it is WIRELESS CLIENT SOFTWARE) – barlop Dec 4 '11 at 21:36
@steve And spare a thought for people that might be new to wireless networking and have to read your post with the term you made up, and would've thought it might be different to wireless client software. As if it's not bad enough for them already – barlop Dec 4 '11 at 21:42
Thanks. The Intel® PROSet/Wireless Basic Enterprise Software for Windows XP 32-Bit was what I needed. This software gave a warning: "hardware radio switch: off". There is no physical switch for wireless on the laptop, but there was a blue function key for wireless, on the same key as F4. Fn+F4 turned wireless back on. – Steve Dec 5 '11 at 3:35
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