Desperation: Windows 7 /WIFI help - The settings saved on this computer....

[kona12]

I recently changed the SSID and password on my router. Ever since then my laptop returns the following error when trying to connect to the router: "The settings saved on this computer for the network do not match the requirements of the network."

I have googled/ researched this till I am blue in the face with out any luck, so am turning to you in desperation. Google shows that many people have this problem and fix it by simply removing the network and reconnecting it. This does not work for me. Sometimes it will connect but after a while, or after my laptop goes to sleep, the SSID has a little red x that pops up next to it with the error above. It is like some setting deep in my computer surfaces after a while and causes problems. My work tech support has swapped the wireless hardware, updated the drivers, cleaned out the registry and even flashed and reinstalled the OS. After some of these steps, I have been able to connect to the router, but eventually the problem keeps returning.

The router seems fine. It is new and I have a multitude of other devices connected to it including another windows 7 laptop.

Anyone have any suggestions??

[The Tortoise]

Change the router settings back to what they were?

[Snow Dog]

I've run into older computers/network adapters not supporting newer security or network protocols. It can be something as stupid as password length or the SSID length or the characters in it. Usually it never connects but who knows.

[RShea]

Have you tried the WPS button and forgo trying to enter the password?

What brand and model number router? Check to see if the firmware is the latest. Also could be something with the type of encryption selected (WPA2-PSK, etc.)

Also could just be something with the wifi network card chipset in the system- what brand chipset is that? Intel, Broadcom, and a few others are the most popular.

[geoffers]

Sounds to me very much like Snow Dog/RShea's suggestion re encryption, though I don't know why it should work some of the time

I had much the same experience when upgrading to Win10 from Win7 which took me an age to fathom out.

My problem was using an old router which supported WPA/TKIP encryption: but in their wisdom (since Win8) MS have added the more secure WPA2/AES but removed the WPA encryption!!!

So try as I could to connect using the WPA option in Win10, all I got was the red exclamation and "settings don't match etc" as it was actually using WPA2

I eventually solved my problem by setting the router to WEP and Win10 connects fine using this (less secure) mode.

It could therefore be that your router and PC are now using different security, though this wasn't an issue for me in Win7

There are wifi setting commands you can issue at the command prompt using "netsh wlan" if you're that way inclined - I did a load of googling to find out how to use this

I posted a summary of my problem here> http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...f-f073db9cce15

[kona12]

Thanks all, it turned out to be a combo of several of your replys so thanks to all of you!. In short, for some reason the laptop had the session saved as WPA encryption even though the router was using WPA2. I could clear out the setting onthe laptop but eventually it would revert back to WPA again. To solve it, I switched my router to WPA and everything is working (I had to clear all settings and reboot both router and laptop after clearing settings). Also, there is a "problem" with my Intel WiFi chip-set where there power saver options were shutting it off and causing a disconnect with the router. I followed instructions on Intel's site to fix that too. Thanks again for your suggestions!

[geoffers]

Great that you got it sorted, but just remember that if/when you upgrade to Win10 you will only be able to use WPA2 so don't forget to change your router settings again!