Vista Machine - Won't Connect To Wireless Network

So my wife's computer is running Vista. And apparently there's an issue with Vista and wireless networks.

I spent two days struggling with this one. The only action I could get was an IP address, but no internet. I would get a message about "Local only".

So I did all the obvious things...like reinstalling drivers, disabling/enabling devices, uninstalling devices, reinstalling devices etc.

Here's the deal:

For some reason beyond my wildest imagination Vista turns your wireless adapter off after a certain period of inactivity.

Go to Device Manager, right click on your WiFi adapter and select properties. From there, click along the tabs (who knows if it's universal) until you see something referring to "Power Management".

Uncheck "Allow Windows To Turn This Device Off".

Morons.

Ok, if you want to turn it off...be a smart enough operating system to turn it the hell back on when you sense activity.

Maddening.

Let's Skip Over Everything

Yeah.

We moved into our new home, and believe me doing so throws your entire schedule off kilter.

So...needless to say I didn't have time to document everything. I needed to get the computer up and running.

This this is amazing. It's the fastest machine I've ever built and it runs everything perfectly.

So...end of project.

Now I need to concentrate on the next 8 weeks of waiting for my first child to arrive!