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Personal Tech

Solutions: Strengthen signal from your wireless router to PC

By JOHN TORRO
Published November 13, 2006

I have had a recent disconnect problem with my Verizon DSL wireless. It happens repeatedly during each session. When I click the wireless icon for the repair menu, sometimes my connection is temporarily restored, but often this message appears: "Problem occurred because the network did not assign a network address to the computer." If I do nothing, the connection may be mysteriously restored. Could the router need to be replaced? I contacted a Verizon representative, but the problem persists. Do you have any ideas? I'm running XP on a clean Toshiba laptop.

It sounds like you're not getting a strong enough signal between the wireless router and your PC. There are many things that can interfere with this signal: wireless phones, microwave ovens and walls, to name a few. Sometimes installing an additional piece of equipment referred to as a "range expander" or repeater will help boost the signal into hard-to-reach areas of your home. If your wireless phone is of the 2.4 GHz band type, try changing to the newer 5 GHz phones this helped solve my wireless disconnect problems. For more wireless troubleshooting tips, check http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/8931-0-0-225-121.html.

I tried your solution from a previous column about being unable to copy and paste, and under "run SFC/scannow" I got an error box saying it could not be found. I have Internet Explorer 7. All the top-line items are changed. What do I do now?

Make sure you put a space between SFC and /scannow (SFC is the command, /scannow is the parameter). You can find more information about what SFC can do at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310747.

Can you tell me if e-mails sent by people on the Internet are public domain and can be forwarded, or if they are only for the people they are intended? One of our directors in our complex where I live has sent e-mails to several owners speaking badly about another director. I would say it amounts to slander. People have forwarded this e-mail, and eventually the second director was made aware of it. The director who originated the e-mail is saying that no one had the right to forward his e-mails to anyone, as it was intended only for the people he sent it to. Is this right?

I am not a lawyer, but I suppose there would be no difference between forwarding an e-mail and showing someone a letter you received by the Post Office. Now, the content of what is said in the e-mail is a whole other story. You can be held legally responsible for what you say in e-mails and even what you write within various blogs. You should always be very careful what you express in these forms, and remember, on the Internet you are never anonymous.

Send questions to personaltech@sptimes.com or Personal Tech, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. Questions are answered only in the column.

[Last modified November 13, 2006, 05:33:33]