Wireless network connectivity issue

[Kerry D]

This problem started about a month ago and I'm just now finding time to fixing it.

So one morning after we had a power outage on the farm my parents ask me if the network was working (it was) and if I can come take a look at their computer. The chipset cooler had fan issues on the computer (not surprising, the motherboard is old and it is Asus with known chipset cooler problems) but with the work they do I don't think that chipset should never heat up so I turn off the warning indicator as the fan does spool up after a minute, it was running too slow at boot though. However I notice that the network adapter is no longer connecting and after some experimentation I find that the card will only "find" the network if we go online via dial-up, but at that point it does actively talk to the network, requests password and connect but as soon as the dial-up connection is broken so is the wireless connection. I should mention that in the mean time the chipset cooler has been replaced and the wireless card has been swapped out to see if that would make a difference.

Has anyone any suggestions? I keep thinking that it's likely a software issue but it could be a motherboard problem. I have considered putting the boot disk into one of the computers in my house and seeing if it will work right, but I've been too lazy up until this point.

[DCCV44.2223]

Boot disk such as a Linux live CD is an excellent idea, another couple of quick/WAG fixes would be reseting the TCP/IP stack:

How to reset Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)

And/or run some of the LSP/Winsock repair tools that are available, e.g.,:

LSP-Fix - a free program to repair damaged Winsock 2 stacks

Anything logged on the eventviewer (My computer > right click > manage) by chance?

[bonchiq]

Same Answer as above.

type "ping loopback" on the Command Prompt or terminal to check if the adapter is still in good shape as well,.,.

[sswilson]

First thing is to go into internet options/connections and ensure that dial-up isn't set to your primary (I suggest actually selecting "never connect via dial-up for testing purposes). Those settings will often default to dial-up if it can't find a connection, and then doesn't revert back.