I had the same issue. The wireless adapter is off when you first switch the netbook on, and also every time the battery is taken out and put back. Press the FN key and F11 together to activate the wireless.

now, i have an original wind 160gb with sentellic

i actually find the sentellic pad quicker, more responsive and easier to use.

with regards fan

1. the msi wind u100 is the only netbook that can be overclocked in bios that virtually shuts down the fan when at 2.4ghz

2. all fans need to be cleaned from time to time whether desktop or laptop due to dust skin fluff build up

3. return netbook to msi if fan problem they collect via dhl and return via dhl within 3 weeks at there netherlands repair factory at no costs to owner via warranty

4 or just take apart and put some grease in and replace with new screws

the msi has 4 big advantages over most netbook manufacturers

1. bios overclocking to 2.4ghz atom cpu
2. 2 year msi warranty
3. regular updates bios included
4. great online support

the wind can also run macos snow leopard included, windows7 a breeze and all linux alternatives and more.

plus the graphics chipset is underclocked but can be overclocked easily too. match that with overclocked processor and your flying with the wind.

The wind as the name suggests blows all competitors out of water for price end off.

1) Cover is prone to fingerprints and scratches. I will never buy a shiny computer ever again (ever).

2) They did a bait and switch with the touch pad. The original was a synaptics touch pad with the typical up/down scrolling zone at the side. However, all the laptops they sold after launch had a horrible touchpad (I forget who makes it) with a retarded touch-to-scroll zone that is nearly unusable.

3) The fan, while silent for months after you buy it, slowly starts to produce a grinding sound which can get better or worse depending on what angle you have the laptop. If you don't mind voiding your warranty, it is very easy to fix with some machine oil. But most people are too squeamish to disassemble their laptops and I imagine it plagues a lot of people.

These are all extremely common problem, affecting a large portion (perhaps the majority) of wind owners. It makes you wonder what kind of crap the other netbook makers are trying to get away with if the wind is still number one.