Activating Wireless Zero Configuration Service San Antonio TX

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Originally published at Internet.com

This article is adapted from PracticallyNetworked.com.

An IT manager writes:

The company I work for has locations throughout the U.S. My boss and his laptop computer routinely visit each. Unfortunately, two of our satellite offices are not linked to our corporate network. When my boss drops in on those locations, he needs to reconfigure his notebook before he can access their network - usually meaning that I need to walk him through the procedure over the phone, costing him a considerable amount of time offline.

A few months ago, you fielded a question from a reader who was experiencing a similar problem, telling him to use the Automatic Configuration for Multiple Networks feature built into Windows XP. In the article, you mentioned this technique could also be used to automatically configure wireless LAN clients. However, for it to work, you must be using a WLAN adapter that supports the Wireless Zero Configuration service, which is controlled via the Wireless Networks tab in the Network Connections properties box - except my boss's Win XP Professional laptop does not have the Wireless Networks tab you mentioned. And to be perfectly honest, before your article, I'd never even heard of the Wireless Zero Configuration service.

So my question is this: Exactly what is the Wireless Zero Configuration service, and why is it that I can't seem to find the Wireless Networks tab on any of the computers here? Is it something I need to purchase or a patch I need to download? If so, where do I find it?

Pick Up the Tab

I'm glad you found my original tip on Windows XP's Automatic Configuration for Multiple Networks helpful. I guess I should have taken into account that not everyone has the Wireless Zero Configuration (WZC) service installed and running.

I wouldn't feel bad about not being familiar with this particular service; as a matter of fact, it wasn't until an associate of mine purchased a new Sony Vaio laptop with an 802.11b/g WiFi card that I discovered WZC. It was while I was configuring his wireless connection that I first noticed the Wireless Networks tab.

To begin, Wireless Zero Configuration is not a third-party application, but a service built into the operating system. The WZC service is designed to dynamically select the wireless network to which to attempt connection, based on your preferences or on default settings. This includes automatically selecting and connecting to a preferred WLAN when one becomes available.

The WZC service is not installed by default during a Windows XP installation. However, new notebooks that are equipped with wireless network adapters typically have WZC preinstalled, which is probably why you can't find it on any of your existing systems.

In order to use the service, you need a compatible wireless network adapter. This is because the adapter and its Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) driver must support NDIS Object Identifiers (OIDs), which are used to query and set device and driver behavior. The wireless adapter scans for available wireless networks and passes the network names (also known as Service Set Identifiers or SSIDs) to the Wireless Zero Configuration service. Your wireless manufacturer's Web site should be able to tell you if your network adapter is compatible.

If, as in your situation, the Wireless Networks tab is missing from the Wireless Network Connection Properties window, you'll need to install the WZC service. This takes just a few minutes.

Before we get started, though, you need to make sure Windows Explorer is configured to display hidden files. If it isn't, open Windows Explorer, click Tools, and select Folder Options. Go to the View tab and check the "Show hidden files and folders" option, then uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)." Click OK when finished.

Now, to install the Wireless Zero Configuration service on your system, just follow these steps: 1. Click the Start button, and then click Control Panel. 2. If you're in Category View, then click the Network and Internet Connections icon, then the Network Connections icon. If you're in Classic View, double-click the Network Connections icon. 3. In the Network Connections window, under LAN or High Speed Internet, select the Local Area Connection icon. On the menu bar, click File and select Properties, or just right-click on the Local Area Connection icon and select Properties from the context menu). 4. In the Local Area Connection Properties window, on the General tab, click the Install button. 5. In the Select Network Component Type window, under "Click the type of network component you want to install," click to select the Service icon, then click the Add button. 6. In the Select Network Service window, click the Have Disk button, then the Browse button. 7. In the Locate File window, browse to the C:\Windows\Inf folder (this is a hidden folder). Click to select NETWZC.INF, then click the Open button. 8. In the Install From Disk window, click the OK button. 9. In the Select Network Service window, in the Network Service box, select Microsoft as the manufacturer, then click to select Wireless Zero Configuration. 10. Click the OK button.

At this point you'll need to reboot your PC. With that completed, you should find that the Wireless Zero Configuration service has been successfully installed on your system and you should now have access to the Wireless Networks tab on the Wireless Network Connection icon's Properties page.

Note: If you don't see the Wireless Networks tab when you go back to the Properties page, the most likely reason is that the WZC service did not start. To initialize it, open Administrative Tools in Control Panel and select Services. Scroll down to Wireless Zero Configuration, right-click on it, and select Start. The service is now enabled, and the Wireless Networks tab will be visible in Network Properties.

The final thing for you to do now is to go back to the article that discussed how to configure the Automatic Configuration for Multiple Networks, then finish setting up your boss's laptop computer. I hope this