Difficulties in connecting to a wireless network in Windows 2000

[azuredave04]

Hello. I recently tried installing Windows 2000 Professional on my HP Pavilion zv6000. When I installed all driver packages suggested by a third- party website, I still saw a missing PCI device displayed (photo 1).Photo 1

 When I double-clicked the question mark, it showed like this (photo 2). Can somebody tell me what is missing here?

Photo 2

 Also I can not see a wireless network wizard here in Windows 2000. How can I get this computer to connect to the Internet using wireless connection? This is my first time using this OS.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Your screenshot shows the Broadcom wifi card as installed and working fine.

I think it is a problem with W2K and the wifi security settings.

I doubt that unless you have installed W2K SP4 and the final update rollup, that there is no support for WPA security.

So the first thing to do would be to update to W2K SP4, and then install the update rollup.

Microsoft Update Catalog

I see the wireless icon on the bottom right corner of the taskbar.

I think you open that and connect from there.

It's been too long since I have played around with W2K.

This W2K Broadcom wifi driver is from 2007.

This package contains drivers for the supported Broadcom Wireless LAN adapters installed in the supported notebook models running the supported operating systems. This driver supports 802.11i/WPA2 for a/b/g and certain b/g WLAN cards. For other cards, it provides Wi-Fi protected access (WPA) support. This driver also supports Cisco Compatible Extensions Program V4.0 features (software supplicant required) and provides support for "125 High Speed Mode" for notebooks with Broadcom 802.11g and 802.11a/b/g cards that support "125M High Speed Mode."

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp37501-38000/sp37951.exe

It may be newer than the one you installed, so I recommend you update the wifi driver as well.

In order to find the driver you need for the PCI device, you have to look up the hardware ID for it, so you can figure out what driver it needs.

This is easy to do in Windows XP SP2 and newer operating systems, but on W2K, you need to do this in order to get the hardware ID for a device...

1. Click: Start, click Run, type cmd.exe, and then press ENTER.
2. Type: set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1, and then press ENTER.
3. Type: start devmgmt.msc, and then press ENTER. In the Device Manager, the properties for a device should now provide a Details tab that contains additional information about the device.

If you can't find the driver you need, please post the hardware ID for the PCI Device, and I will see what I can do to help.

[azuredave04]

Hello Paul,

Thank you for your response. My copy of Windows 2000 already had Service Pack 4 installed so it doesn't take too much time to install other things. To what you sent me, do I have to install everything listed on that page or just the two update rollups?

By the way, can you please give me all the latest drivers for my laptop available for Windows 2000 as well as Windows XP so that I can fully update my laptop? My laptop is a Pavilion zv6130us running an Athlon 64. Thank you in advance.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

You would just need to install the 31.2 MB Update Rollup.

Unfortunately, the only driver I can give you was the one for the wifi card.

This is the only other source for drivers you will be able to find that I know of.

Download HP Pavilion zv6130us drivers for Windows XP/2000, BIOS and firmware (helpjet.net)

Let me know if you need any help finding the driver for that PCI device after you get the hardware ID for it.

[azuredave04]

Hello Paul, my computer is acting so weird right now. I have installed the Update Rollup and update the wifi driver, but it still displayed two local area connections only, but when I tried to enabling the Details tab, it does nothing. When I type set DEVMGR_SHOW_DETAILS=1, another C:\Document and Settings\User command appears, when I type start devmgmt.msc and double click on the missing device, the Driver Details is somewhat unclickable. So do you think is my Windows 2000 has problems or the commands is wrong? Hope to hear from you again.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

According to this link, that command should have worked.

Identifying hardware & drivers on a Windows 2000 / Win2k machine - Windows XP Home and Professional ...

Regarding the wireless...

If my memory serves me right (it has been well over 10 years since I have looked at a PC with W2K on it), there is no windows wireless utility like there is in XP and newer operating systems.

The utility is supposed to be installed as part of the W2K wireless driver for the specific model wifi adapter.

In other words, the driver I posted should have also provided a utility to connect the wifi adapter to your wireless network.

how to setup wifi on windows 2000? - Super User

[azuredave04]

Hello,

It seems that I have no luck whatsoever, I tried reinstalling W2K Professional with SP4 as well as the drivers and the update rollup again. But it still does nothing, the only information that I could get from the missing PCI device is the location at PCI slot 3 (PCI bus 3, device 4, function 4). Do you have any idea what it is going to be? By the way, can you show me how to get to the wireless card utility cause I don't know where it is? Thanks a lot!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Unfortunately, I would have no idea what that device could be.

Normally on newer notebooks, it is the Realtek SD card reader, but yours has the Texas Instruments SD card reader, so that can't be it.

As far as the wireless program...I would have no idea where to find it.

Is it located in the programs list under Broadcom or something like that?

It has just been way too long since I have used W2K, and I don't have any notebooks left that are running it to check.

I just remember that there was a wireless software utility that was installed with the driver to use to connect to the internet and without that, there is no way to connect the wireless network adapter to a network.

[azuredave04]

Hello, 

About the wireless network utility, I know where I have to take a look at, it's only the missing PCI device left. So I think I will need to find more about it (maybe the little infrared device on the front I believe?). I will reinstall it later and use the software restore disc to find out. Thank you so much for helping me, hope to see from you soon. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.