Smart questions
Smart answers
Smart people
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS

Member Login

Come Join Us!

Are you a
Computer / IT professional?
Join Tek-Tips now!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!

Join Tek-Tips
*Tek-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

LINK TO THIS FORUM!

Add Stickiness To Your Site By Linking To This Professionally Managed Technical Forum.
Just copy and paste the
code below into your site.

Partner With Us!

"Best Of Breed" Forums Add Stickiness To Your Site
Partner Button
(Download This Button Today!)

Feedback

"...An excellent site which has quite possibly prevented me from having a mental/nervous breakdown..."

Geography

Where in the world do Tek-Tips members come from?
MikeLewis (Programmer)
27 Mar 08 4:48
Not sure if this is the best forum for my question. Apologies if not.

I have a laptop (IBM Thinkpad) running XP Pro SP2, with a built-in wireless adapter. It works fine when I am in my office, where it lets me connect to the wireless router.

My problem is that, when I am travelling, the machine seems to be constantly looking for wireless connections, and is forever popping up a message saying that a connection is available. This is very irritating.

It is a particular problem when I am on the train. Every time we pass through a station or past a group of buildings, it pops up that message.

As well as being distracting, I suspect that the constant polling for a wireless network is draining the battery (am I right about that?)

So my question is: Is there any way to temporarily disable the wireless adapter? I don't want to do without permanently, as I do use the wireless network in the office. I'd just like a simple way of toggling it on and off.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk

Helpful Member!  HughLerwill (Programmer)
27 Mar 08 6:14
1. There may be a key on your keyboard (with a little blue radio mast on it if it's a Dell) which will toggle WiFi on and off. Or ...

2. Create a Desktop Shortcut with Target C:\Windows\System32\ncpa.cpl . Double click the Shortcut and rightclick/ disable the Wireless Connection in the Network Connections window.
MikeLewis (Programmer)
27 Mar 08 13:31
HughLerwill,

That's exactly what I was looking for. My laptop doesn't have a button like the one you mentioned, but creating the desktop shortcut was the work of a moment. I can now toggle the setting in just a couple of clicks.

Many thanks. Deserves a star.

Mike

__________________________________
Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)

My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Tek-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Tek-Tips and talk with other members!

Close Box

Join Tek-Tips® Today!

Join your peers on the Internet's largest technical computer professional community.
It's easy to join and it's free.

Here's Why Members Love Tek-Tips Forums:

Register now while it's still free!

Already a member? Close this window and log in.

Join Us             Close