I am using a Macbook Pro running Window XP through Apple Boot Camp, connected to the internet through an ADSL D-link wireless router. When I initially set up the laptop it connected to the internet through Internet Explorer on Windows via the wireless network, and the same was possible on the Mac side using Safari. However, recently when I use Windows the laptop reports that it cannot find a wireless network in range. Windows reports the wireless adapter is working correctly. In contrast, on the Mac side the wireless network operates fine and the internet connects without any issues. I have connected to the internet via an Ethernet cable when I am in Windows and this also works fine. I followed your previous advice in terms of setting up the IP address and these are all set to automatic. No settings have been changed since purchasing the laptop.

My previous advice regarding configuring the IP addresses as such is only relevant when the computer can actually see the network, but cannot do anything over the network. Since your computer cannot see the network, this indicates a much more basic connectivity problem which needs to be resolved. Before proceeding, make sure the IP address settings have all been set back to automatic, so that when the wireless connection is recognised we are able to use the connection. As the wireless connection works properly on the Mac side of the computer, this indicates the wireless ADSL router and wireless adapter in the computer are working correctly. Therefore, we can assume the hardware is fine, and the problem is related to some configuration abnormality on the computer. As a first step, make sure the wireless adapter is enabled. Go to the “Start” menu > “Control Panel” and open the “Network Connections” control panel (you may need to first click the “Network and Internet Connections” category). Ensure the status of the wireless connection is not disabled (be aware, the connection may say “Disconnected” which is fine, since the wireless is not connected ? just make sure it is not “Disabled”). Assuming the wireless connection is enabled, there could be something wrong with the wireless adapter drivers on the computer. I have seen driver issues occasionally arise on computers running Boot Camp, as sometimes the drivers are not correctly recognised by Windows. So, you may wish to try reinstalling the Boot Camp drivers on the computer. Insert your Mac OS CD into the drive while booted into Windows XP and proceed through the installation wizard to “Repair” the installation of Boot Camp on your computer.

Should repairing the Boot Camp installation not resolve the issue, we should next look at the wireless router as being a potential cause of the issue. It is possible some configuration setting has changed (for reasons unknown) resulting in your Windows laptop no longer being able to see the network. The best way to determine whether this is the cause is to use another wireless laptop (which has never been connected to your network before) to check whether that laptop can see and connect to the network. Therefore, try to find another laptop which you could use for this purpose (perhaps a friend’s laptop which you can borrow for an hour). If the other laptop can see your network, the problem seems to be squarely with Windows on your MacBook. In this case, it will be difficult for me to fix this problem without sitting in front of the computer. Therefore, I suggest you take the computer back to your place of purchase and see whether they can resolve the problem. By contrast, if the problem occurs on the other laptop it seems the issue is related to your wireless router. In this case, I will need to step you through some reconfiguration of the router. Should this be the case, then please contact me again for further advice.