"Connect Automatically" box is checked for all the networks in range

Hi Anne,

Thanks for your contact. September update of Windows 10 did the same thing to me (so annoying). I’ll help you so you NEVER have to re-boot again by creating a simple BATCH file containing code to re-connect your wi-fi without having to re-boot your machine and we will place this batch file program on your desktop and all you have to do is ‘double-click’ it to re-connect instead of re-booting.

I assume that you have no other wi-fi problem such as wi-fi disconnection after your machine comes out of ‘sleep’ mode. This wi-fi ‘sleep’ problem has been the biggest complaint of Windows users since it came out with a zillion solutions that only work depending on your manufacturer (Dell, Lenovo, Surface Pro, Toshiba etc etc). So lets not go down that road unless your wi-fi problem is actually losing connection after your machine goes comes out of sleep mode. However, I’ll also give you a couple of these zillion solutions to help keep you connected. There are 30 simple steps so its best to print this out and follow a hard-copy.

BATCH PROGRAM

Open ‘Notepad’ to create a batch file and place wi-fi re connection code inside it and then we will save it on the DESKTOP so you can ‘double-click’ anytime you want (we will also get Windows to run it when your not logged-on to make sure your always connected).

1. Open ‘Notepad’ (click on Start and type Notepad).
2. Click on the Notepad app that appears to open it (when open you’ll see programs name on its Window at top-left).
3. Type the following code:

@ECHO OFF

netsh wlan set autoconfig

netsh wlan connect name="TALKTALK-D24433"

Obviously my Internet Service Provider is TALKTALK (I have changed the ISP’s number for security reasons obviously for this post). Other’s ISP may be VERIZON or BT or SPRINT etc BUT MAKE SURE YOU PLACE THE EXACT NAME OF YOUR WI-FI ADAPTOR IN-BETWEEN THE SPEECH MARKS (click on START and type wifi and then cick on CHANGE WIFI SETTINGS and look at the name of your ISP on your wi-fi adaptor which should be in CAPITALS).

4. Thats the code done. Now we are gonna give this little code a name and then save it on your DESKTOP for quick ‘Double-click’ connection.
5. Click on ‘File’ and choose ‘Save As’.
6. Click on ‘Desktop’ in the Directory Window that appears.
7. Then at the bottom of this Window at the ‘Filename’ section give your code file the following name:

this code as:

Wifi.Bat

or

ReconnectMy FriggingMachineWindows.Bat [ ...only joking but you can if you want to]

8. Make sure the file extension is ’.Bat’ at the end of the filename.
9. Now have a quick peek at your Desktop to see if this batch file is there (click on the very right end of your Taskbar at the bottom of the screen and you’ll see a very thin upright rectangle - this saves you minimizing programs/web pages you have open when you want to re-connect).

Now we will get Windows to set up an automatic Tasks to run this re-connection code whenever you ‘Double-click’ it or get it to run it automatically whether your are logged on or not.

10. Click on start and type ‘Sched’ (you’ll see Microsoft’s ‘Task Scheduler’ program listed).
11. Click on the Task Scheduler app that appears.

Under the ‘Actions’ window on the right, we need to choose ‘CREATE TASK and NOT ‘CREATE BASIC TASK’.

12. Click on ‘CREATE TASK’ and the task creation Window appears.

12A. Next to ‘Name’ bar type in a name for your task (call it anything like ‘Wifi-Reconnect’).

12B. Click on ‘RUN WHETHER USER IS LOGGED ON OR NOT’.

12C. Click on ‘RUN WITH HIGHEST PRIVILEGES’.

12D. Under the bottom ‘Configure for’ section click on Down-Arrow and Choose ‘WINDOWS 10’.

13. Now look at the other ‘Tabs’ at the top of this Task Scheduler program and you’ll see TRIGGER and others (we will be using all of them).
14. Click on ‘TRIGGER’ tab.
15. Click on ‘NEW’ at the bottom to create a new task (MAY TAKE A COUPLE OF SECONDS TO WINDOWS TO OPEN THE TRIGGER WINDOW).
16. At the top of the TRIGGER Window you’ll see ‘Begin the task’ and a Drop-Down menu next to it called ’On a Schedule’. This is the section to choose WHEN AND HOW you want the re-connect code to run. Click on the Drop-Down Arrow and you will see several OPTIONS that you can choose. Each of these OPTIONS must be chosen individually so you will have to repeat this section. I recommend the following:

16A. Click on the Drop-Down option ‘At Logon’ and then click tick ‘Enabled’ at the bottom and then OK to create this task.

16B. Click on ‘NEW’ again and then repeat above and choose ‘On Start-up’ and tick the ‘Enable’ at the bottom.

16C. Repeat for ‘On idle’ and ‘On Workstation Unlock’.

The Task is now created. Now we have to link this Task with your .Bat code by telling Scheduler to run this program saved on the Desktop at the TRIGGER options you created above (i.e. on logon, at start-up etc ect).

17. Look at the ‘Tabs’ on the top of Window and you’ll see ‘Action’.
18. Click on ‘Action’.
19. Click on ‘NEW’.
20. Under ‘Action’ it should already be set to ‘Start a program’. If it is not click on Drop-Down Arrow and choose ‘Start a program’.

Now we’ll choose the .Bat file.

21. Click on ‘Browse’ next to the ‘Program/script’ bar.
22. Click on ‘Desktop’ on the directory Pane on the left.
23. Find your ‘Wifi.bat’ file or your ‘ReconnectMyFriggingMachineWindows.Bat’ file.
24. You’ll be returned to Task Scheduler and you can now see your files path location filled in the ‘Program/script’ bar.
25. Click OK.

Nearly finished. Now look again at the top row of ‘Tab’. Click on ‘Conditions’.

26. Click on ‘Start the task only if computer is idle for’ and set at at '1 minute'.  Choose whether you want it to start on battery or AC power only (I don't bother with these options).
27. At the bottom where it says ‘Start only if the following connection is available’ , click on the Drop-Down menu and choose your wi-fi network.

Final step.

Now we will tell Task Scheduler to run our batch file code on our manual command as well (so when your wi-fi drops out just ‘Double-click’ it and you will be re-connected).

28. Look at top row of ‘Tabs’ and choose the final tab ‘Settings’.
29. Click on ‘Allow task to be run on demand’.
30. Forget everything else on this Window.

Now Click OK at bottom to create your new wifi reconnect file. Whenever your wifi drops-out then go to your Desktop and ‘Double’Click’. You can ‘Double-Click’ this again and again until you reconnect but give Windows time to reconnect at each ‘Double-Click’.

This post is simply to save you time and frustration of re-booting and also automates Windows to reconnect every time your machine is IDLE and every time you UNLOCK your machine and also at START-UP.

However, there are a zillion other things that will block wi-fi connection such as having Hyper-V running on the Surface Pro machine, an out of date BLUETOOTH driver, an out of date WIFI DRIVER, your wifi adapter set to switch ROUTER OFF when your machine goes to sleep etc etc etc.

CHANGE WIFI CHANNEL

You are also concerned that your neighbor's wifi signal is interfering with yours. To cure this change your wifi Channel to a different one to your neighbor's. Follow these steps:

If you have a Desktop as well as laptop and your Desktop is physically connected to your Router (Ethernet cable) then load Google and type your ROUTERS IP address to connect to it.

1. Load Google and type 192.168.1.0 OR 192.168.1.1
2. Enter your ROUTER USERNAME and PASSWORD.
3. Every ISP’s and Router menu screens are different so find ‘CHANNEL’ and change it to a HIGHER number such as 11 (your neighbors will probably be using 1 or whatever).
4. SAVE this config change and LOG-OUT.
5. If you do not have a Desktop then your Laptop wifi has to be working first and then follow the above steps.

Hope this helps and many regards.