[LINK] Close encounters of a Vista type

[Adam Todd]

Howard, you know, I think the fastest way to do it in such case would be to 
have your own laptop with WiFi (smile) running an open private SSID and 
then just have the new lappy connect and do an ARP listing :)

A Lappy with Linux and WiFi is such a saving grace :)

Out of curiosity, as I never intend to see VISTA myself, doesn't it have 
the network icon in the TaskBar or ToolBox and when you click on it, click 
STATUS then SUPPORT tab and then DETAILS?

That's XP anyway.  Never had that in Win2K :)


At 07:16 AM 19/02/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote:
>I had the misfortune to have a close encounter with retail Vista 
>yesterday, and it was not pleasant.
>
>It was on a student's Dell desktop (exact Vista version not known) and all 
>I needed was the MAC address of the wireless card so that I could lock it 
>into the wireless access point of the dorm.
>
>This is normally a task that comprises either of:
>
>Look underneath the lappy for a label with the MAC address, but why don't 
>manufacturers do this as standard; Dell don't even put the wired 
>connection MAC address on the base
>
>Under XP, fire it up and look at the properties of the wireless connection 
>- simple
>
>Not so with Vista.
>
>Firstly, find out where they have put it all in their "re-organised" 
>menus.  Having eventually found it by picking the least likely option I 
>then get the standard nag box - hey, M$, this lappy only has one account 
>on it, and therefore its the administrator account.
>
>OK, there's a very promising "Properties" option complete with a drop down 
>selection list of about 30 properties to look out.  Go through every 
>single one and nothing looks anything like a MAC address.
>
>Resort to Plan B.  Turn off the MAC based access control on the WAP, let 
>the lappy connect and then find the MAC address from the WAP.
>
>What a bloody PITA.  If this is the way M$ want to create the "WoW" 
>experience, then they sure haven't wowed me...
>
>
>--
>Howard.
>LANNet Computing Associates - Your Linux people <http://lannetlinux.com>
>When you want a computer system that works, just choose Linux;
>When you want a computer system that works, just, choose Microsoft.
>--
>Flatter government, not fatter government; abolish the Australian states.
>
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