WLAN Config (unsolved)

 I've had trouble with my WLAN for quite some time (over a year, actually) but today I tried it again and I solved this problem. Or so I thought!

Initially my WLAN configuration once stopped working and couldn't be restored in my XP environment. So I moved to using a cable that was layed through the apartment. Very ugly. I don't understand either how this happened. It just stopped working - there really wasn't anything special that I installed (although my PC and IT knowledge tells me that there had to be a reason for this sudden problem). [...]
(show me)(don't show me)

The USB dongle uses its own software, so it needs Windows to not handle the WLAN config. If not deactivated (as stated here: "Bei Windows XP müssen Sie die systemeigene Konfiguration für drahtlose Netzwerke ausschalten.") the user is confronted - when trying to open the software - with an error message much like this: "Bitte deaktivieren Sie zuerst die systemeigene Konfiguration fuer drahtlose Netzwerke ...". But it was troublesome to deactivate it if Windows doesn't even show the wireless network connection in the Network Connections folder (where it should be found) so I deactivated it manually, by accessing the Windows Services (Run > "services.msc") and stopping and disabling the 'Wireless Zero Configuration'. This made it possible to open the ZyXel software that came along with the USB dongle.

But still I couldn't see any WLAN networks if I searched them within the software. Also I couldn't access the router via the browser (by entering the IP) - although a simple on/off-reset of the router took care of that. I found a guy on a messageboard who seemed to have the same problem and solved it himself without understanding it but I don't understand his notes on it:

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724flash · 16.08.2005, 00:33
In den Treibern war die Region auf USA gestellt...

Was das mit meinem Problem zu tun hat? Ich weiss es nicht, aber nach der Umstellung auf Europe lief alles wie geschmiert.

Hier kann zugemacht werden ;)
>> Q: Forum Chip.de

Where can you set the region settings of a driver?! Anyway, ignoring this matter of incomprehension I tried to install the newest driver from the website of the manufacturer like he did (as it actually is a good idea) - and of course I didn't know that it was better in this case (for this particular software) to uninstall the old one first but actually this made things one step worse again: I couldn't open the software anymore. Also at the 2nd time the installer didn't let me change where to install the program so now I had two folders. That is why I uninstalled both drivers/versions of the software and installed the new one again. But to no avail. When I tried to update the driver (hoping that some spiritual magical driver could be summoned from nirvana) I got the error message "The device cannot start (Code 10).".

And now I quit. There's only so much I can take. More and more error messages and install problems - and the wireless connection never showed up in the Network Connections folder. I'm beginning to assume that the dongle itself is damaged somehow. Although partially functional. I'll probably try my luck again next year but that's it for now. I'll rather mentally prepare myself for the upcoming E3 press conferences now ...

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