Wireless problem with Windows 7

[#1]

Hello I am a non tech Newbie so please be gentle with me.
In the middle of August my wireless connection stopped working on my Acer desktop PC and Toshiba Satellite laptop both of which have Windows 7 installed. My Dell Inspiron laptop with Vista continues to work fine and stays connected to the Wireless connection.
Both the Windows 7 computers work fine with the ethernet cable but with Wireless I keep getting a message saying It cannot connect to PlusNet and the network gateway is not available. I am tearing my hair out to find the solution which seems to be a microsoft problem.
Has anyone encountered this problem. I have tried all the usual things of moving the router and resetting it.
Thanks for any help.
jim:red All caps in title changed as per Forum Rule

[#2]

Try deleting the wireless connection details on each PC, and then allow them to find the connection again and re-enter the details.

[#3]

Thank you for your advice.
I did as you said and it worked on the both computers for 2 minutes and then disconnected again. Message says cannot connect to hidden gateway when in fact the network is not hidden. Then it just says it cannot connect to Plusnet. This is so frustrating as it only occurs on devices with Windows 7.

[#4]

Hi Susanh,
Welcome to the forums.  This sounds like a very strange issue - I have seen a similar problem, but he other way around - Win7 is OK but Vista is a pain in the bum!
This sounds like a wifi connectivity / DHCP issue.  Can you try to answer the following questions please.  If you don't understand them or know how, please ask for further guidance.
1. which router are you using?
2. If the PN supplied TG582n what version of software does it have?
3. Is Broadcast SSID / Network name set to yes?
4. What channel is the wifi using?
5. What are the settings for allow new devices and security mode
6. Can you post the whole of the output from running the following DOS command - ipconfig /all
Have you tried to see if there are later drivers for the wifi hardware in the PCs?
This might take a couple of attempts to resolve, so be prepared to do a bit of digging.
Kevin

[#5]

Hi susanh
I had what sounds like a similar problem when I joined Plusnet, but with 2 Toshiba laptops, one of which is on Windows 7 & the other on Vista.
Like you, I'm not much of a techie so I called technical support for help.  They talked me through some changes to the wireless settings, which seemed to work although I was uncomfortable about having to do this, so I reverted back to the router supplied by my previous ISP and reset the laptop wireless settings to 'Auto'; this has worked for me for nearly 6 months!

[#6]

Thanks to both of you.
Well I have fixed the laptop in a rather unorthodox manner. I took it into a local computer shop and he merely connected it to his WiFi and hey presto internet access was gained. I kept connected for 5 minutes and held my breath when I got home but I connected to Plusnet Wireless easily and the connection seems secure and stable. I do not understand why this happened but when I connected to his WiFi in the shop something happened which has enabled me to connect to Plusnet. It is one of life's mysteries. I have to tackle the desk top but my neighbour suggests taking it to his house and connecting to his WiFi.
I shall do this on my return from a short break but at least I will be able to connnect via my laptop.
If this fails I shall try your suggested fixes.