Rob,
I checked the laptop this evening and it is SP3. I read about the KB and even tried to DL and reinstall it, but it reported the the SP was newer than the update..
I reset the router (forgot the PW
) and was able to connect from the backyard. I then tried to update the FW on the router with no luck. Since this issue seems to happen at various locations, I gave upon the upgrade. I did setup WPA again and tried to log in again. From what I can tell. The area around the table in the backyard is at the end of the router's range. The signal floats between very good and poor. Mostly in the good and poor range. When everything aligned just right, I would be able to connect. My iPhone was having issues as well.
I will take his laptop home with me in the next two days and se how things react on my wifi. He will be going to Santa Fe in a couple of weeks and he will see what happens. I even talked him into trying to find out where the actual AP's are in the hotel he will be staying at, so he can try and get close to one and see if things work.
He is retiring when Windows 7 comes out, so I have a feeling that this problem may never fully be solved - unless his new one does the same thing!
I am starting to think that it's partly do to the antenna in his laptop and at his house, the range of the wifi router. I can see how the laptop can find the router with a week signal, but have issues actually talking with the router.
Regarding MS zero config. The laptop was setup this way in the past. I switched over once in Aspen and when I reinstalled the SW last night.
Thanks!