[tripletaker]

I have a 15" 1.67 Ghz PowerBook and use it at college. This is how it works: Turn on computer. Turn on Airport. Add the wireless name and WEP password (if you do it once, it will always show up next time). Open a browser. Enter your username and password to login.

After upgrading to Leopard, the wireless network name is no longer there and I have to manually click on "Join Other Network" and put in the network name and password every time I open my computer.

When I open up Network Preferences, in the Advanced tab it shows the wireless name in the Preferred Networks but the wireless name still won't automatically show up and I have to manually input it.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is there a fix for it?

[Cold Warrior]

Delete it from the preferred networks, log out, log back in, and then click the airport icon in your menu bar. See if the network shows up (give it a few seconds while airport scans for it). If so, select it and see if it will now allow you to access the network and give you the checkbox to save your password in Keychain.

I also edited your thread title to make it a bit more descriptive.

[tripletaker]

It didn't work. It doesn't automatically show up after logging in and out.

[Cold Warrior]

ok. There are still some things we can try.

Create a new user, and try to do it while logged in as that new user.

Also: what kind of Leopard upgrade did you do? Upgrade, Archive-Install, or Erase-Install?

[tripletaker]

I did an upgrade.

I just tried it with the Guest Account that comes with Leopard but it had the same problem. The network name worked manually but after turning airport off and on, it disappeared.

[Cold Warrior]

Why do you turn airport off and on? What if you leave it on & connected, then put your Mac to sleep, then wake it back up? Will it reconnect then on its own?

[tripletaker]

No, after sleeping, the network name is gone again and I have to manually input in the wireless network name and password every time. Tomorrow, when I'm at school, I'll try to create a new account and try it again.

[Cold Warrior]

My other recommendation, based on it solving a variety of ankle-biting issues, is archive-install — especially so since you did an upgrade. An archive-install is quick and, if the block is checked, preserves your user account and network settings (although in your case, you may want to forgo those).

[tripletaker]

I created a new account but the same thing happens. I guess I have no choice but try to attempt to reinstall Leopard. When I originally upgraded to Leopard, it wouldn't let me do a archive and install. Everytime I tried, the installer would quit in the middle of the process, so I just upgraded normally.

Anyone else have any other solutions before I reinstall in a few days?

[ghporter]

It does sound like there's something odd going on, but I'd need a lot more info to nail it down. For example, are you only having this problem with the school network? What sort of security are they using? Can you connect to any other wireless network automatically? Are you absolutely certain that your AirPort keychain entry is the right password? Did the school change anything over the break?

When I upgraded my iMac, (archive and install), my settings stayed available and I connected immediately and automatically. I don't think it's got anything to do with the kind of upgrade either, because the same files get copied and at most you should have had to enter your password once in any case. Gotta be something else going on.

[tripletaker]

The problem is only with the school network. Every other network connects normally. The school uses WEP 40/128-bit hex.

The school didn't change anything over the break, because the password still works manually. Also, I wasn't gone over the break, I was still here using the wireless services. It's just when I upgraded to Leopard that it won't automatically connect.

[ghporter]

Dump the keychain entry for your school's network and see if your manual entry sticks. This sounds vaguely familiar...

[tripletaker]

I just tried it and it didn't work.

[snackhound]

I had a similar problem with a new Macbook a bouple of weeks back, the problem was only on WEP protected networks. The original original thread is here;

http://forums.macnn.com/92/networkin...-remember-wep/

For some reason you need to set the account from System Pref as it wont remember if you select from the airport menu

deleted the keychain from my account, restarted the MB, opened network settings clicked on the advanced tab and filled in the network name and password fields, ticked remember password box and the MB connected to my network.

[angelmb]

A friend of me has an issue with Leopard, I don't certainly know if it is related to Airport… here is how it goes… after installing 10.5 the Macs can't find the PCs over the LAN… he also says Airport is behaving weird asking for WEP and SSID passwords after a sleep-wake up but for what I have read here and there that's either a bug or some kind of expected behavior due to how Wi-Fi works, but my guess is that since he is complaining about it, that didn't happened under Tiger…

Any workaround?, to move files between PCs and Macs sitting over the same desk via a USB keychain is getting silly…

[tripletaker]

It looks like moving System Preferences to the Applications folder worked. It was previously in /Applications/Utilities. I appreciate the time and effort everyone's put into helping me. Thanks!

edit: It worked that one time and now it disappeared again. I'll try snackhound's method now.
edit2: That didn't work either.

[tripletaker]

To give an update, I think it's working now. 7 out of 10 times the network appears automatically but once in a while I'll still have to toggle the Airport on and off to get it back.

I think what worked was moving System Preferences to the main /Application folder.

[angelmb]

but what if you already have System Preferences where it belongs? (Apps folder that is…)

[tripletaker]

I guess you can try what others have mentioned so far. Delete your wireless entry in the keychain and restart. Then try opening System Preferences > Networks and manually add it in and see if it sticks.

Try it on a new account and see if it's a specific account or a system wide thing.

And as a last resort, reinstall Leopard as archive/install.

[angelmb]

Shall try that, thanks.

[tripletaker]

Funny story. I got a new computer for reasons completely unrelated to the topic and guess what?

I have the same problem with my school network not joining automatically. I've contacted the IT department at school so hopefully they can figure it out.

[Brian Bruce]

Just to make thinks more interesting. I have an iMac, new MacBook and an iBook wirelessly connected to my AIrport Extreme. All are in the same room approximately 8 - 10 feet from the router. As well, all are latest version of Leopard. My iMac has never lost its connection to the airport extreme nor has the iBook. They work amazingly well. HOWEVER, my MacBook frequently loses its wireless connection, the airport utility cannot find the airport base station, etc....you get the picture. Spoke with Apple, and it would seem this is a known problem. They had me reset the airport extreme, my network modem, re-do and rename my network - the usual manual based troubleshooting stuff. And about an hour later......no connection. And funny thing is, if I do nothing, sometimes the connection returns all by itself a few hours later and stays connected the amount of time it takes me to get to something important that I am working on and SURPRISE.....no network. The person on the phone mentioned to me that updated 10.5.2 should fix the problem. Has any heard this?