Wireless networking adds a whole new set of potential snags to your network troubleshooting chores because of problems such as interference, compatibility, and device ranges. Here's a list of a few troubleshooting items that you should check to solve any wireless connectivity problems you're having:

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Windows Vista configures a wireless network with an automatic connection, so you get on the network as soon as Vista detects it. (This is assuming that you activated the Start This Connection Automatically check box when you made the initial connection.) If you have multiple wireless networks, Windows Vista maintains a priority list, and a network higher in that list connects before a network lower in that list. (A network higher in the list is said to be a more preferred network.)

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By default, when you connect to a wireless network and then elect to save the network (by activating the Save This Network check box after the connection has been made), Windows Vista makes the wireless connection available to all users of the computer.

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Part of Internet Explorer's AutoComplete feature involves the web addresses that you type into the Address bar. When you start typing a URL in the Address bar, Internet Explorer displays a list of addresses that match what you've typed. If you see the one you want, use the arrow keys to select it and then press Enter to surf to it.

That's mighty convenient, but not very private since other people who have access to your PC can also see those addresses. So a good privacy tweak is to clear the Address bar list so that no URLs appear as you type.

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Windows Vista sees your wireless network because the access point (AP) broadcasts the network's service set identifier (SSID). However, when you connect to a wireless network, Vista offers a Save Network check box. If you leave that check box activated, Vista remembers the wireless network, and will connect to it automatically the next time it comes within range. Therefore, after all of your computers have accessed the wireless network at least once, you no longer need to broadcast the network's SSID.

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Lots of the Windows Vista tweaks that I'm going to talk about here require an elevated Command Prompt session. The easiest way to get yourself an elevated command line is to click Start, type command, press Ctrl+Shift+Enter (or right-click Command Prompt in the search results and then click Run as Administrator), and then enter your UAC credentials.

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