Windows XP displays nearby networks
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure that you do not randomly connect to this ad hoc network. For example, you can ensure that XP never connects to an ad hoc network. To do this:
1. Click the wireless icon in the System Tray.
2. Click " Change advanced settings "
3. Select the Wireless Networks tab
4. Click " Advanced "
5. On the screen that appears (shows nearby configuration networks), select " Access point (infrastructure) networks only "
6. Click Close and OK until the dialog boxes do not appear.
Note : If a wireless icon is not displayed in the System Tray, you can go to Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Network Connections . Then double-click the wireless connection icon to appear " Change advanced settings " link. Another link on some systems may be from Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet Connections -> Network Connections , then double-click the wireless connection icon.
This screen will make your computer never connect to ad hoc networks
When you are on the ' Advanced ' screen you should also make sure that " Automatically connect to non-preferred networks " box is not checked. If this box is checked (checked), your computer will connect to any nearby wireless network without warning you, which can pose a serious security risk.
It is also a good idea if you are on the Wireless Networks tab to observe all wireless networks listed in the preferred network area (showing nearby configuration networks). If you see a network that is unsure, delete them. This way your computer will not try to connect to them anymore.
Delete any unknown network from the list of preferred networks
You should also configure preferred networks so you don't connect to them automatically. The question here is why to do so? Because that job says that your home network uses the default name transferred.
So in the preferred network area, select Properties then click the Connection tab, uncheck the checkbox near " Connect when this network is within range " and click OK until the dialog boxes are closed.
Make sure your computer does not make any automatic connection to the wireless network
Keep it safe in Windows Vista
Microsoft has put a lot of effort into building Windows Vista to make sure they are more secure than Windows XP, but when you have problems with wireless networks, you may be more at risk in Windows XP. That's because in Windows Vista, it doesn't easily distinguish an ad hoc network from a regular Wi-Fi network like in Windows XP. However, when you know the trick, you can do it easily.
In Windows Vista, you connect to a wireless network by first clicking on the network icon in System Tray, then selecting " Connect or disconnect ". The " Connect to a Network " screen is displayed with a list of nearby wireless networks. You will see whether the name of each network is encrypted or not; To get more details about any network, hover over it as shown below. However, these details do not indicate if this network is a real hot spot.
Before connecting to a wireless network, just by distinguishing an ad hoc network and the base node network, look at the network icon on the ' Connect to a Network ' screen. The symbol of a Wi-Fi network is a computer, while the symbol of an ad hoc network is many computers, that's it, and there's no other way to distinguish the difference between these two networks.
The only way to distinguish between an ad hoc and regular wireless hot spots is to look at the network icon on the screen
This is a special case: If you right-click a list of networks, one of them has a menu item selection and the others don't. Only networks that you have previously visited and saved in your network list will have the Properties menu selected. If you select Properties , select the Connection tab and look at the next type of network you will see as a good ad hoc network or a regular hot spot.
If you have never connected to any network (or you are connected but you do not save it), there will be no Properties menu option. So you cannot use this method to distinguish between ad hoc networks and regular Wi-Fi networks.