Laptops All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies- P58: Okay, I’ll admit it: I’ve got a strange biography. I’ve been a writer all my life. My first semi-pro job was sports editor of my high school newspaper. (Go Commodores!) After college I was a political reporter for daily newspapers in Ohio and New York (I covered four national nominating conventions and two Presidential campaigns) and a correspondent for The Associated Press. And then, in 1983, I gave in to my inner geek and became the first Executive Editor of PC Magazine, back in the days when most people asked, “What is a PC?”. | 544 Setting up a Wireless NetWork in Windows Manually adding a computer running Windows Vista To do the work of configuration of your laptop yourself you ll need the details of any security measures put into effect in the setup of the router. 1. Turn on the laptop and start Windows Vista. 2. Click Start Connect To. You see a display of any wireless networks detected by your laptop. See Figure 3-5. If you hover your onscreen pointer on or near one of the names you can learn some of the details of the network including the strength of the signal and whether the system is protected by password security. 3. Click the network you want to use. 4. Click Connect. If the network requires validation enter the network security key or passphrase. 5. Click OK. If you have successfully made the connection you get a confirmation message. You can also check for yourself click Start Network. You should see icons for the computer you just added as well as for other computers and devices that are part of the network. Figure 3-5 The Connect to a network screen of Windows Vista shows any wireless systems within the reach of your laptop s built-in antenna. Setting up a Wireless NetWork in Windows 545 Windows XP wireless wizardry The Wireless Network Setup Wizard for Windows XP arrived with Service Pack 2 of that operating system. If you re running XP and haven t installed Microsoft s improved version Stop whatever you re doing I guess that would be reading this book and go forth and update. There are no good reasons not to install major updates like Service Packs for your Windows operating system except 1 if you do not have a legal license for the version you are running or 2 you do not have enough space on the hard drive in your laptop. In the first instance . . . well I m not going to endorse innocent or willful piracy bite the bullet and buy a real copy of Windows you ll sleep better at night and your system will run smoother and with less risk of security breaches with all updates .
