Zep - I have 3 devices in my network list: 1) 1394 net adapter 2)intel 82566mm gigabit network connection (this one I was able to get an updated driver - but on my network connections, it still shows as local area connection - "network cable unplugged,fire..." and I'm not able to click that and get the rest of the sentence. if I click it it just gives me the name of the adapter. 3) intel wireless wifi link 4965AGN The first and third ones say they are connected and firewalled. I believe that this last wireless 4965AGN is the one that has problems and gets repaired. I could be wrong about that. The LAN one I think has always been unconnected/unplugged. I don't know what that's for or if I need it. Is that my wired internet connection? Thanks. Lynn. PS - if I go through network devices and select update drivers, it only offered updated drivers for the intel 82566mm gigabit network connection. Is there any point in googling for updated driver if this route indicate no new drives exist?

All is now working. Here is what I did: I removed the ethernet cable connecting the Cradlepoint router to the second (Netgear) router, and connected it directly to the computer. I really believe that the cable from the Netgear router to the computer is faulty, so I will buy another one. I use the Netgear to give the wireless signal a wider range than the Cradlepoint provides. Zep, I checked the TCP/IP properties, and it was not checked to Obtain DNS server address automatically. Instead, it had the ip address of the Cradlepoint router entered. I changed it, following your instructions, and kept losing the connection, so I put the setting back as it was. I think there is a reason I had it that way. I am using Open DNS on the router, and I think the instructions were to set it up that way. At any rate it is now working, so I'll leave well enough alone. Oh, yes, the wireless is working also. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

If the rooms are only 5 meters from the main building, it should be fairly simple to put a wireless router in the main building and use wireless network cards in the temporary building. Just make sure you change the default password and SSID on the wireless router and also set it up to be encrypted. WPA is better than WEP. The wireless router should have clear instructions on how to set it up, and the network cards should have instructions on installation and configuration, as well. The wireless protocols are standards, so you don't need everything to be the same brand, but that might make it easier in the long run. The process for those of us who were born in the 50s is the same as for people born in other decades.

First of all, thanks for your comments, I appreciate the outside viewpoint! Carla35- She brings home a stack of work every evening and weekend, and even if she doesn't do it, it serves to block any spontaneous activity or plan that I might propose. But if a friend, relative, or co-worker calls she will spend hours on the phone with them, and if they are in a crisis (real or imagined) she will spend tons of time with them, explaning they "need her support". Yes, I'm groused about it, and yes, we've talked about it, and it always ends with "after this crisis is over, we will have lots of time together". And maybe there will be a couple of quiet weeks between crisis, but usually not, because the work and friend/relative/coworker crisis are usually overlapping. Her friends are mostly of low moral character, or just hangers-on who use her time and money, and most of her relatives have "behavioral problems", so I don't want to spend time with them. And frankly, I've grown tired of trying to fit our married life into the tiny free spaces in her schedule. I get tired of following her around like a lost puppy in order to actually hold a conversation. popi and scarlett2001- You could be right that DW is bored with me, I'm not Mr. Excitement, but I am Mr. Dependable. I do about 90% of the housework, take care of the pets, take care of most of the financial matters, make sure her stuff is in her briefcase as she screams out the door in the morning, and support her 100% in these endless crisis she's involved in. And I have a full time high-level job of my own to go to everyday. It's kind of funny and kind of sad, it seems like I'm simply experiencing what most career women with inattentive husbands go through. ;-) We married late in life, so I knew we'd have our own friends and interests, but (I thought) we would both be giving up some "personal space" for "common ground" and companionability. I must have thought wrong! I've gained a huge load of work and grief for a small dose of companionship. And I think I'm just running out of energy to cope with the endless "crisis mode" we seem to be in. As the years pile up, it gets harder to believe that she can't manage her schedule well enough to live a semi-normal home life with her husband. So- rivkadr- thanks for the suggestion on meetup.com, looks interesting! I think I'm just gonna have to start taking care of my social needs on my own, and not worry about the grief that DW gives me for it. As I mentioned, there are some reasons for not making a major status change at this time, but at least I can have some fun while I see how things shake out. Thanks again!