[MistiErin]

I PURPOSELY WAITED UNTIL WINDOWS 7 WAS BORN TO BUY A NEW COMPUTER. WAS I IN FOR A SHOCK? YOU BET! I'VE BEEN CONNECTED WITH A WIRELESS ADAPTER ON WINDOWS XP FOR 3 YEARS, NO PROBLEM. NOW I FIND OUT MICROSOFT DOESN'T HAVE ANY DRIVERS FOR THE WIRELESS ADAPTER, THEREFORE YOU CANNOT RUN WINDOWS 7 WITH A WIRELESS ADAPTER.

WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD ANYONE CREATE AN OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT DRIVERS FOR THE ACCESSORIES? IT'S BEYOND MY COMPREHENSION.

IF SOMEONE OUT THERE CAN SHED LIGHT ON THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE, BY ALL MEANS, LET ME KNOW.

I JUST PURCHASED A ROUTER THAT I DIDN'T NEED BECAUSE THE SALESPERSON SAID I WOULDN'T NEED DRIVERS WITH THE ROUTER. THEN I PAID THE SAME STORE $89.00 TO SEND A TECH OUT TO FIX THE DRIVER PROBLEM, NO DEAL, HE EVEN SAID IT CAN'T BE DONE.

ON TOP OF THE MONEY FOR THE NEW COMPUTER, I AM PROMPTLY GOING BROKE WITH THIS ENTIRE ORDEAL.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE ME.

[Daniela]

Ginny, you are looking at the issue from the wrong way and perspective. Whenever a new OS is being created, that OS will be able to work with just about any peripheral (which means, devices plugged in from the outside), as the OS before - and then some. But, because a newer OS has to work with newer peripherals, those peripherals also need newer drivers. Microsoft is not responsible for offering drivers for any and all peripherals available - that would thousands of different ones, gobbling up space that is mostly wasted for any individual user, when all they need is a few of them for the particular printer or adapter they are using.
It is therefore the responsibility of the manufacturers of those peripherals to offer updated drivers for updated operating systems. If one of their products is deemed too old, they will not spend the money or effort to create new drivers for them, and consequently, you can't use that product anymore and have to buy a new one to do the job.

The same holds true as to software. Not all programs will work in a new Operating System for different reasons. And, again, companies will offer updates for the new OS, others will not and either discontinue a certain program or offer a new version that may or may not cost you more.

When Microsoft upgraded from Windows 98 to Windows XP the same scenario played out then, requiring updates, upgrades or new products.


So, you will now have to look around for a wireless adapter (it can be a USB type or one to be build in) that is compatible with Windows 7. You can either go to your favorite Electronic Store or else check online for good offers at places such as Newegg, for example. If you are not sure if the product is the right one, talk to sales people at your local stores or customer support at online places. Most drivers created for Vista will also work fine in Windows 7, by the way.

So, I wish you good luck, hoping that you will be able to get it all to work again.