I've set a small range for myself: 192.168.9.30 - 192.168.9.50, with the router being 192.168.9.1. Can't use the default since that would be the same as my DSL modem (AT&T, SpeedStream 5100). And all DSL lines are set up with DSL filters. WIreless signal strength always shows as excellent; hardly ever dropping below 80%, Here's a rundown of what I have tried so far (may actually have forgotten some steps):
swapped out adapters (I had bought 2) and cables,
rebooted (and even reset) router several times,
uninstall/reinstall adapter several times,
multiple ipconfig /release/renew; flush DNS Cache, delete Routing Table, reset TCP/IP and winsock,
change settings to Static IP,
changed adapter speed/duplex settings,
disabled firewall and AV software,
tried direct connection to DSL modem (with same results)
There was no problem whenever I reconnected to the onboard NIC (NVIDIA 10/100). The new network was recognized and I had full access right away...
The only reason for me to get a Gigabit card was to get the best possible transfer speeds for backups or restores from the NAS (which is also Gigabit), to be able to restore from the remote NAS, since most of the backup software doesn't work for restores over wireless.
Any suggestions for hardware that might actually work for me?
Sorry - haven't been on for a couple days as I had to do a bit of cleanup and reinstall from a previous image. Somehow I managed to mess up something in the process of trying to get this thing to work. Not sure what, but the machine wouldn't start up.
Given that I've tried just about everything to get the adapter to work, and given that I have also read some comments mentioning that it does not work in Win 7 x64 with 4GB RAM (which is exactly what I have). I'll take it back for a refund.
Any suggestions for hardware that might actually work for me? Thanks again for all your help!