Major Problems with Sprint/Sierra 298U & Vista

kat97rina · EVDO Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

I am having serious problems with my Sierra device/software and I am hoping that someone out there can help me.

I just bought a new Dell desktop with Vista installed and got the computer up and running about 2 weeks ago. The only internet options where I live are mobile broadband or satellite internet, so I decided to use Sprint's mobile broadband and ordered the Sierra 598U device.

The first time I inserted it into the USB, it worked great, just like the instructions said - it automatically detected and installed all of the Sprint SmartView software that is pre-loaded on the Sierra, and the internet worked perfectly for about two weeks.

Then, all of a sudden, when I opened the Sprint SmartView software a day or two ago, it said "No Device Detected" even though all the lights on it are working and it appears to be functioning fine. I tried removing and reinserting the Sierra a few times, restarting the computer, etc. but nothing worked. It no longer shows up in "My Computer" as a disk drive, even when I tried inserting it in several different USB slots.

I called Sprint Techical Support and they said there are some conflicts between the SmartView software and Vista Service Pack 2. They recommended I uninstall SmartView, which I did. They also said I might need to uninstall SP2. Before doing this, I did some research - because my computer is so new, I can't see/find any option to remove SP2, because I never actually added it (it just came pre-loaded on the computer, I assume). Also, from looking on these message boards and other online communities, I see I am not alone in this issue.

Last night, I tried the following things, and still nothing is working:

First, I followed some instructions on another post here about doing a clean un-install of the original SmartView software - I located the lingering Program File (x86) and deleted it, then restarted the computer.

Then, I installed the latest version of Sierra's software that I had saved earlier in the day from my work computer onto a flash drive (since I have no internet at home now, and can't download anything directly). I had read on another Sprint post that Sierra's "Watcher" software is a more precise match to the 598U, and so I had hoped that I would be able to just use that insteead. I tried installing Watcher and inserting the Sierra 598U - still, it said "No Device Detected". So, I did a clean uninstall of Watcher, then reinstalled it, then restarted my computer, and then tried inserting the Sierra - still "No Device Detected"

Then, I removed Watcher completely, restarted the computer, and installed the newest Sprint SmartView version that I downloaded onto the flash drive from sprint.com/downloads yesterday. After it installed SmartView, it asked me to restart the computer, which I did. When it restarted and I inserted the 598U, it STILL is saying "No Device Detected"

I am at a complete loss for what to do. Can anyone please provide some guidance?

verizonrocks · EVDO Junkie Joined: 12 Dec 2008 Posts: 177

I would try the following turn off any virus protection you got then reinstall the sprint smartview, if that does not work try setting up a dun connection you only the dialing #777 no username or password, if that still doesnt work you might want to consider a cradlepoint router from 3gstore.

kat97rina · EVDO Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2009 Posts: 2

Thanks for the quick reply

I am pretty sure all of the virus stuff is turned off. The Dell came with MacAfee installed but I haven't activated it (even though it keeps bugging me about it) and I didn't have time since I got the computer/internet to download any independent software.

How would I go about setting up a dun connection, especially if the computer is (for some unknown reason) not even recognizing that I have the device plugged in?