Yesterday I purchased a new laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed.  I have spent many hours trying to set up my new system, including a long telephone call to the PC manufacturers 'phone support to no avail, and could not get past the WiFi setup and consequently could not even register Windows.  Finally, I discovered that there was no shared key option in the properties dialog, even though there is provision for WEP encryption and a field in which to enter a key???  I've waded through the various topics on this issue but have not found a solution, only admonitions not to use WEP.   I understand that WEP is weak encryption compared to WPA, and eventually I will upgrade my other hardware, but that doesn't solve TODAY's problem.  This is NOT a laptop hardware issue as I can connect if I set my access point to "open", but no security is certainly worse than weak security (and unacceptable to me). 

If there is no solution, I must return my new computer to the store since the new laptop is but one of many devices on my network and a laptop without WiFi is useless to me.  Please help!

WEP can run in two modes: shared and open.  Despite the names, shared is actually less secure than open.  Because of this, our telemetry shows that that only 0.1% (and declining) of Windows 7 users connect to these highly-insecure shared WEP networks.

In order to simplify Windows, make it easier for people to pick more secure defaults, and to enable us to focus on improving the wireless networking that the other 99.9% of our customers use, we removed shared WEP from Windows 8.

WEP can run in two modes: shared and open.  Despite the names, shared is actually less secure than open.  Because of this, our telemetry shows that that only 0.1% (and declining) of Windows 7 users connect to these highly-insecure shared WEP networks.

In order to simplify Windows, make it easier for people to pick more secure defaults, and to enable us to focus on improving the wireless networking that the other 99.9% of our customers use, we removed shared WEP from Windows 8.

Windows 8 continues to support open WEP. We recommend that you configure your AP to use open WEP, as it's more secure and more broadly-supported.

• Proposed as answer by Andre.ZieglerMicrosoft community contributor, Editor Wednesday, May 22, 2013 5:19 AM
• Marked as answer by Leo HuangMicrosoft contingent staff, Moderator Thursday, May 30, 2013 8:52 AM
• Edited by Jeffrey Tippet [MSFT]Microsoft employee Tuesday, September 17, 2013 7:14 PM

Yeah only 0.1% of Windows 7 users.  How many users of other windows versions are still using WEP. Don't say 99.9% of your users when you mean windows 7 users.  That is really an insult to the rest of us.

Just got my new Windows 8 laptop and tried for several hours to connect it to my WEP secured router, oops I can't do that.

Very unhappy that now I have to redo my network or take this computer back.  Microsoft really knows how to take care of customers.

Yeah only 0.1% of Windows 7 users.  How many users of other windows versions are still using WEP. Don't say 99.9% of your users when you mean windows 7 users.  That is really an insult to the rest of us.

Just got my new Windows 8 laptop and tried for several hours to connect it to my WEP secured router, oops I can't do that.

Very unhappy that now I have to redo my network or take this computer back.  Microsoft really knows how to take care of customers.

• Proposed as answer by Calabresi W Sunday, July 14, 2013 10:10 PM

This is a warranty problem for the manufacturer, WEP is a standard and compliance is not optional for a retail device. One more reason not to use a windows 8 tablet especially. Can always use a cable for a laptop.

Needs to be fixed for 8.1 please.....

I have the same issues!!!!

Just spent 1500.00 on Windows Surface Tablet and accessories and found Android will connect to WEP with 128 encryption at my work but Microsoft will not offer a connection!!! Guess I need to add a Linksys/Cisco wireless USB!!! What a piece of crap!!!!! Eight WAPs here and I CANNOT Connect to any of them!!!!! Had to purchase the Surface Ethernet card!!!!  

How about offering an UPGRADE/DOWNGRADE/PATCH for the Wireless Connection!!!!! Allow ME to Choose!!!! Been using Windows products since Windows 3.1 and every time you add a "Wizard" things get a little worse!!! That is why I still have 20 PC's running XP here!!!!

Doy C. Sneckenberger

Vice President Hagerstown Block Company

DoySneck@aol.com

Any router less than 5 years old will happily handle WPA, any router less than 7 years old will happily handle 'open' WEP.

Anybody still using WEP should be ashamed of themselves. It is highly insecure.

You should be directing your anger either at yourselves for not knowing how to configure your router/for having an especially old router, or at your network admins for not being able to do their jobs properly.

As a solfware consultant, that's a fairly ridiculous thing to say.

We have hundreds of clients that i visit who i now have this problem with and it seems pretty outrageous to get them all to re-configure their Wi-Fi because i now can't connect to it.

By your recommendation, i should send an email to all of my clients and tell them their IT departments are not doing their jobs. (it's a wonder you still have one)

Agreed.  All of these people complaining about no WEP shared support in Win 8 should stop their whining and update their security on their router or have their Network Group investigate multiple WLANs if there is a need to keep WEP for business reasons.

In fact - if you have an 802.11N or AC router and are using WEP you will not see the N or AC speeds. You'd need to run WPA2 AES to realize true N or AC speeds from the router to the device. Also, you'd need 40MHz wide channels to get 300-450Mb on N or up to 1G on AC.

Its pointless to spend over $50 on a router if you're too lazy to upgrade your security beyond WEP.  For those who are super lazy you can even run the CD included with many routers and it will auto-magically setup security for you.

Since you're a solfware consultant I'm sure you know some hardware consultants who'd love to make money on proposing upgrading the networks of your hundreds of clients.

Its called progression... and job security.

If you're running WEP at hundreds of clients' sites you might as well tell all of your clients to run with no security and just disable the SSID from being broadcast - then there's no issues.

what a load of company speak....

we have several members who have older laptops and wep is the only available protocol. Do I ask them to all go out and buy new laptops so I can get on the network?

Bad decision for customer; good decision for MS. Just like most companies decisions.....

Another day, another problem with Microsoft software, another useless technician, another affirmation that customers are stats to Microsoft, another lie that "they did it because of poor utilization".  They actually did it because it's the least secure standard, but not all of us have access to routers, i.e., tenants so Microsoft was reckless in removing support for this; its not like Windows 7 had automatic support for it either, you had to manually create and configure the connection for it to work.  This move from Microsoft to remove it is wanton disregard, Microsoft never fails to make themselves look like scum.