Internet Connection Options On Windows 7?

[hech54]

My wife and I are both long-time XP Pro users. I used Vista for 3 weeks last month while in America.
I'm no computer genius but certainly no idiot.....here's the scoop.

My wife's new work laptop needs to connect to it's own internet connection(installed and provided by her company)...it connects via a LAN cable(?) to a router then to the wall outlet.
The only problem is that the laptop finds our unsecured(yea I know...dumb) wireless home connection FIRST and connects via that instead.
Where in Windows 7 can we make the switch....and make it permanent?

Her old XP Pro work laptop used something called VPN Secure Client to use the LAN cable(?) connection, and that software is now missing from the new laptop. We are not sure if it still needs that or not.
This laptop is secured to hell and back, requiring both an chipped I.D. card inserted into the laptop AND one of thoseTamagotchi-like, ever-revolving password type things to even fire up the computer.

Anyway....any ideas?
THANK YOU

[aedipuss]

there is usually a button or switch on the laptop to turn off the wireless. here's a list of some of them.
http://forums.speedguide.net/showthread.php?214308-How-to-turn-on-off-Wireless-in-vari...-Laptop-Models

[ranchhand]

Just a thought.... if you locked down your wireless connection with password and encryption, would your wife's laptop automatically switch to her connection because it couldn't access yours? My wife uses a VPN tunnel connection provided by her company from home, but she accesses through our standard home wireless internet connection, then she boots the VPN through her company website with password. Works a treat. They used to use a separate router and our cable which was a pain, but they finally wised up and got smart.

[hech54]

Hers is an HP EliteBook.
Her connection is supposed to be complete wired....no wireless connection at all. It just keeps reaching for the wireless option constantly just like her old Dell work notebook did.

[aedipuss]

turn it off. either by button(hp - usually above the keyboard), control panel, or device manger.

[hech54]

Just found the button via an online PDF file on HP's website....Woo Hoo.

[Jeremiah58]

Where in Windows 7 can we make the switch....and make it permanent?

Go to:
Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings > and right click on Wireless Network Connection and choose ""Disable".

or to disable automatic connection:
Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center > Manage Wireless Networks > and right click on the connection, choose "Properties"and diselect "Connect Automatically".

There are other methods to completely disable wireless networking.
For example, you can disable a wireless card:
Right click "Computer"and choose "Manage", click on Device Manager > Network adapters, find wireless network adapter, right click and choose "Disable".

[hech54]

Thank You jeremiah - I'll pass it on to my wife.