Unable to install Sweex USB WLAN adapter

[Jerrythafast]

Hello everyone,

A few months ago I decided to remove Sweex's optional WLAN Utility that came with their USB Wireless LAN adapter LW143. After that, the adapter doesn't function anymore on that computer, though it works on others.

When plugging it into the PC (it doesn't matter which USB port I choose) Windows pops up its Found New Hardware Wizard. As described in the on-cd manual of the adapter (it happens this is a different, more detailed manual than the printed version and the ones on sweex.com), I choose to install from a specific location: "Search removable media". Now windows displays a funny (...oh, well) animation of a piece of paper moving from one folder to another. Nothing weird until now.

And then this, which is obviously not normal as my monitor proves the files are there: jerrythafast.byethost18.com/omgwtflol.bmp
(if the above link doesn't work: go to my root folder and click it from there)


I'm running Windows XP SP2 Dutch (and for no known reason I set the theme to the Windows 95/2k theme). The pic may look weird as I used MSPaint's 256 color bitmap feature, which sucks (just didn't feel like making antoher jpg ;p).

If you need any more information to help me solve this problem, just tell me.

Thanks in advance for any help,
Jerry


EDIT: oh, great... give me 4 posts please. Or I'll just edit this post by then ;p just copypaste the URLs for now ;p
EDIT2: thank god I even got 5 posts now!!!! (is that really that special? no of course not ) fixed URLs!

[notsobig]

Hmm that's weird. Have you tried downloading LW143 driver from sweex site and install from that? Remove stick from USB port and install driver via "install" option in the right click context menu of "WlanUIG.inf", then stick the thing back in. Could you please test that and comeback with a result? Good luck.

[Jerrythafast]

Okay, I'll test that right now. Expect me editing this post soon

EDIT: I downloaded the driver files and tried to right-click install them (took out the adapter as you said) but I got an error message saying "The installation failed" (De installatie is mislukt). I love Microsofts detailed error messages.

[notsobig]

Bah, that's a bad news because I've used all my cards already Hmm, so what was it like when you first installed this adapter when you got it? Did it go smoothly without seeing any errors? What happens if you install utility first by running setup proggy in "utility" folder?

Oh btw, about those numbers you see after adapters name, they are normal like that as far as I know. I don't know why they increment everytime you reinstall driver though. Might be caused by some left over entries in the registry... but not sure.

[Steve]

Plug the device in. Go to device manager. Right click the device and uninstall its driver. Now run the installer, see what happens.

If that doesn't work, try right clicking on the device in the device manager, selecting update driver, and pointing it to C:\windows\inf for driver install.

[Jerrythafast]

Hmm, so what was it like when you first installed this adapter when you got it? Did it go smoothly without seeing any errors?

Yes, not a single error. I just put it in, clicked Cancel on the Found New Hardware Wizard, used the CD-program to install the LW143 driver (the CD comes with LW141 (PC card) and LW142 (PCI card) drivers too) and, as I thought that it was of any use, I didn't unselect the tickbox 'Install WLAN Utility' in the diver setup. Then, the adapter functioned right away (though it took me some time to have it communicate with my other PC (ICS server) which uses a Sweex USB adapter too)

Oh btw, about those numbers you see after adapters name, they are normal like that as far as I know. I don't know why they increment everytime you reinstall driver though. Might be caused by some left over entries in the registry... but not sure.

Someone told me this could be because Windows creates seperate 'devices' in the device manager if you plug it into another USB slot. It happens that on this PC (the one where I wisely didn't uninstall the WLAN Utility from (yet?) ) there shows up a #2 in device manager too already, and I'm quite sure I did connect it to a different USB slot at once. Morever, the 'counter' stucked at 5 on the other PC (the one where I'm having this problem with right now) and it has exactly 5 USB slots.


@Steve: After uninstalling the device, do I have to:
-take it out and then use the Install context menu option
-take it out and then use the CD setup
-leave it in and use the Install context menu
-leave it in and use the CD setup
-leave it in but pull the whole USB connector out of my PC in pure anger

[notsobig]

So if I understand correctly you've only uninstalled utility but not the driver itself? If that's the case then maybe you should remove the driver first before attempting to reinstall it again. Doesn't it listed in add/remove program in control panel? Just to make sure remove everything sweex related. Then reinstall the driver. But try Steve's method first anway. I think what he meant was no.4 - leave it in and use the CD setup. It's not number 5 that's for sure

[Jerrythafast]

Kay, I'll do that right now. To be sure, I'll uninstall copies of it that appear with Show_nonpresent_devices (if any) too. Then I'll just leave it in there and install the driver following the manual strictly (just to be sure it *should* work).

Expect me back soon


Kay, I uninstalled the driver in device manager and clicked the utility setup in the cd's autorun and, surprise, it asked me if i'd really like to uninstall the drivers. I checked c:\windows\inf and c:\windows\system32\drivers and the program was right: the wlanuig.inf/pnf/sys were still there. So I had it uninstall them and had to reboot, and after that I tried to run the setup again: it worked as it should, except for one thing: Windows still says the adapter's driver is not installed. I tried all of the following:

-have that one driver wizard of Windows check the folder where I put the newest driver files;
-ticked the "check removable media" box instead and tried again;
-had it check the c:\windows\inf folder.

All of them resulted in the following: a list of possible drivers: one was c:\windows\inf\wlanuig.inf, the second c:\windows\inf\oem25.inf (and when I opinted the wizard to the newest driver files folder it also listed that_folder\wlanuig.inf)
-after clicking the first or the second, the "windows could not find the specified file" error showed up again;
-after clicking the third, there was a popup box saying "the file already exists, overwrite?" where clicking "yes" resulted in the wcnftsf error again, and clicking "no" would of course cancel the installation.


And I'm now suspecting that the Wizard itself is malfunctioning, as I got a little pissy at the mouse stucking all the time, so I got my USB mouse from this computer and, although it's fully working (all of its 10 buttons, and its software too), Windows keeps popping up the Found New Hardware wizard. Maybe there is a link bedween these two problems.

[notsobig]

Hmm, so looks like the uninstaller at least functions as it should which is good news. Try using other mouse(preferably ps2 one)if you can, and repeat the procedure described above to see if that makes any difference this time, sticking mouse does sound a little weird to me too. Btw do you have any other usb peripherals connected to your pc at the moment other than this wonky mouse? If you have, remove them all for the time being untill you sort this problem out first.

[Jerrythafast]

The 'stucky' mouse, which is a ps/2 ball mouse, just gets... well... stuck sometimes... like the ball doesn't roll but just slides over the surface instead. That's why I took the USB mouse from this computer to that one, it just moves the pointer around easier as it's a very sensitive wireless lasermouse (which works perfectly on both PCs btw, but only on that PC windows keeps on asking me to install drivers for it with the Found New Hardware wizard)...


So, the only USB device plugged into the PC usually is the Sweex WLAN adapter. I used to have a wireless USB keyboard plugged in too, but that was before I bought this computer, now I use the keyboard on this one. That keyboard works fine on the other PC too (possibly because, if it really is malfunctioning now, the hardware wizard worked correctly when I installed the keyboard).

I'm off for dinner now but after that I'll try to see if Windows responds normally to USB devices I've never plugged into that PC before like an ultra-slim digital camera (which I hardly ever use ) following the manuals strictly, of course. If I fail to normally install that camera and its software, and esspecially if I get stuck with another Wcnftsf error (I don't even take the time to type it all over again ;P), I think it's not a problem with the adapter drivers, but with something somehow related to the wizard.

EDIT: heh omg I got 5 posts now I can fix the URLs in my first post =D

[notsobig]

Yeah that sounds good idea. Have a nice dinner first and try installing other usb equippments you have later to see if they install ok. And maybe slowly prepare yourself for a tedious OS reinstall procedure, I'm sorry to say this but I have a bad feeling that it can't be avoided to fix this problem to be honest. But you seem to have a very patient personality so I'm sure you will fix your problem at last! Many congrats on your 5th post btw

[Jerrythafast]

Here I am, with results! Thanks for the congrats btw ;p

I'll be less detailed this time: camera works just fine.

So i'm not going to reinstall the whole OS just yet I don't even have a Windows XP CD as it was pre-installed, but there is a restore option in the dual boot menu, which I assume resets Windows. It's not the same as the Restore program thingy inside Windows, to make that clear. But first just see if we can fix this problem with less dramatic side effects ;p the mouse problem is probably just bad luck, maybe I just did something wrong when installing it first, I never tried to uninstall it and then reinstall it following the manual, as I don't use it always.

Oh well, we'll see ;p Do you have any more suggestions that could fix the WLAN adapter problem?

[notsobig]

Oh I see, so other USB stuffs are working, hmm.....then how about getting alternative wireless adapter? You can get something like Edimax for very cheap price these days. I have 2 of those and they work flawlessly on my systems. They use Ralink chipset so you don't necessarily have to use Edimax software at all, you just have to download new driver from ralink website periodically and use them instead. They are very easy to setup too.

[Jerrythafast]

...That is a solution

Though I'm nust giving up that easily :/ This thing doesn't work anymore while it used to work... and that must have a cause, and thus, as solution.

When searching the registry to see what's in there about the "Sweex WiFi LAN 140 Nitro XM" I find it many times, most of the time in combination with (sometimes something that refers to) "WLAN-verbinding" which is the name I gave to its connection. Could this prevent Windows from re-installing the device? Maybe this may make Windows 'think' it's still installed...

[notsobig]

Yeah, maybe it's good idea to delete suspicious keys in the registry but make sure you make backup of those entries before taking further actions incase something went wrong.(Or maybe you should create system restore point before doing such things) BTW, have you tried creating a new account with administrator rights and install driver from there? I will search Japanese websites for you hoping to find some usuful informations there. But don't expect too much

Edit: Jelly, above link to your BMP doesn't seem to work anymore?

[notsobig]

Oh, I have just struck with another idea. It's little time consuming though......if you have enough free space for another xp install somewhere then install xp only(which doesn't take that long)and install software like Total Uninstall to monitor which files and registry entries are created while you're installing sweex driver. Once you've found out what's been installed you can go back to your current XP and delete things that are created/added. I think it's safer than deleting keys with random guess? What do you think? Do you think you can try this? BTW Total Uninstall seems fully functional for 30 days so there's more than enough time for you to accomplish the task I guess. And you can delete new xp install once the job is done. Anyway this is their website if you're interested.

http://www.martau.com/tu.php