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software conflict?

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by elderlaw

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I have a Lenovo T420S running on Windows 7 64bit OS. Recently the some, but not all, of the Thinkvantage tools have stopped working. Most notably is the wireless radio controls. The system messages state that I must update both Windows and Lenovo software but it appears that the Lenovo software is preventing the
Windows update from downloading 2 critical security updates for MS Net Framework. Lenovo/IBM and MS are pointing fingers at each other. Any suggestions as to how to fix this so that I can access wi-fi? Thanks.

9 replies

by databaseben

it framework didn't install, then its likely incompatible with your system.

just hide that framework update and forget about it -like the rest of have.

by elderlaw

databaseben, Thanks for your response. I can certainly hide the framework update but how do I enable my wi-fi? The software issue prevents me from doing so. My IT guy suggested re-installing Win 7 but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

by databaseben

i wouldn't re-instlall the o.s. because it is functioning ok. even if you re-install the o.s., some updates will still not install because they are simply incompatible. on the other hand, if the problem was resolved with a new installation of the o.s., it would be a matter of time before the issue arose again if a obscure microsoft update caused your malfunction. so re-installing the o.s. is futile, imho.

you mentioned something about wi fi radio controls. not sure if you need this. basically, you should be able to connect the browser directly to the internet via the wi fi network connection without any additional fancy software. such software can actually be spyware or simply bloatware.

in regards to the hardware device, you should un-install the wi-fi which is the wireless network / broadband 802.??? or since your using win7, try executing a previous version of the driver, which is an option on the device properties page. or you can simply download / install a new driver from the computers home site.

then reboot.

afterwards, install the wi-fi router via its manufurer cd.

if the wi fi subsystem still doesn't function, then it might actually be due to hardware malfunction, which is not all that uncommon. the question will then be is the hardware fault inside your unit or with the wi fi router..

fortunately, you have an it guy so the methods i mentioned above will be familiar to him, that is if they are not clear to you.

personally, i gave up on wi fi a long time ago and use network cables now.

unfortunately, there are too many variables involved with ensuring a reliable secured connection or lack of it. i mean between the low quality hardware in our laptops to the low quality hardware like the external routers, it can all become a time consuming headache.

lastly, if you have reason to believe that hardware failure is the issue, you can either send the unit in for repair or buy a usb wireless adaptor for your unit. personally, i would go with the usb adaptor.

by elderlaw

Thank you! I really appreciate your taking the time to provide this information. I am going to share this with my IT guy and I will discuss all of your suggestions with him to see what will work best for me. Thanks again.

by gdburton9

If the wifi hardware that you have needs support software that is causing the problem, then one solution may be to replace the wifi hardware.
Although I am not too "au fait" with Levono hardware, there is a pretty good chance that inside you will find the wifi circuit on a separate mini PCI card.
So you could buy a replacement card which does not need the problem software.
MOST wifi hardware does not need specific software other than the drivers, which for windows is rarely a problem.

by retheesh.r18

You can restore your PC from a restore point. there is a chance to work.

by r_widell

While I doubt that this will answer your question, it may help explain what is happening to those that can answer .

I ran across something similar last week at a local bar/restaraunt with a wi-fi hotspot. A fellow was sitting at the bar with his friends and trying to get the ThinkPad he had just received from his company to connect to the local hotspot. His previous machine had separate switches to enable the wi-fi and Bluetooth radios, this one had no such switches.

I took a look and saw a weird symbol as an alternate function on the F5 key, so I pressed Fn+F5 and a window popped open (Lenovo software) to select which radio to power on. I chose to power up the wi-fi and leave the BT powered down. I then went to the Networking portion of the Control Panel only to discover that the normal "View Available Wireless Networks" function was missing. Instead, I needed to run another custom Lenovo app to perform that function. I wouldn't be at all surprised in those Lenovo apps were written for a specific .NET framework.

If that is how your ThinkPad worked before the updates, you may have to roll back some of your recent updates to get the machine working again.

If not, I apologise for the extraneous noise.

ron

by elderlaw

You guys are so awesome. I appreciate all the suggestions (I'm an elder law attorney so no such thing as extraneous noise in my practice:) I tried the restore point initially but no go. Ron's other suggestion sounds interesting as my situation is similar except that the WiFi radio was definitely turned on. I am passing all of these suggestions on to my IT guy so we can discuss what makes sense to try next. Thanks again to all!

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