I have a Dell M1710 that is currently connected to the internet through my
wireless network.  I am having a problem seeing the other computers on my
network because my local area connection is saying my network cable is
unplugged.  My wireless network connection is saying connected via Intel
PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network and the local area connection, which is
disconnected, is a Broadcom NeteXtreme 57xx Gigabit Controller.  Is that the
problem?  If so, how do I fix it?

Hi
The wired connection should not cause a problem.
However for a peace of mind you can temporarily disable it in the Device
manager
Otherwise it seems that you might have a signal but No real Wireless
connection.
May be this can Help.
My New Wireless does not work - http://www.ezlan.net/wireless.html
Wireless, Basic Configuration - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Config.html
Wireless Security - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Security.htm
Jack (MVP-Networking).
..
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Network Issue wrote:

That is not the problem. The reason you are seeing the "network cable
unplugged" is because your ethernet cable is...unplugged. Which you
want it to be since you are connecting wirelessly.

Here is my standard cut/paste on difficulties in file/printer sharing:

This is most commonly caused by a misconfigured firewall. Run the
Network Setup Wizard on all computers, making sure to enable File &
Printer Sharing, and reboot. The only "gotcha" is that this will turn
on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you aren't running a third-party
firewall or have an antivirus with "Internet Worm Protection" (like
Norton 2005/06) which acts as a firewall, then you're fine. If you have
third-party firewall software, configure it to allow the Local Area
Network traffic as trusted. I usually do this with my firewalls with an
IP range. Ex. would be 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would
substitute your correct subnet.

If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:

a. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
accounts/passwords on all computers.

b. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
Simple File Sharing enabled.

Simple File Sharing means that Guest (network) is enabled. This means
that anyone without a user account on the target system can use its
resources. This is a security hole but only you can decide if it
matters in your situation.

Then create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
Shared Documents folder.

If that doesn't work for you, here is an excellent network
troubleshooter by MVP Hans-Georg Michna. Take the time to go through it
and it will usually pinpoint the problem area(s) -
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm

Malke

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