Save Your Encryption Key
The encryption passphrase/key must be entered into each computer you want on the network. So when you get new computers, or if Windows forgets it, you’ll need to know the key. Thus, make sure you save the key in a safe spot. You can write or print it on a small piece of paper and tape it under the wireless router. You might also save it in a text file and copy it to each of your computers, in your My Documents (or just Documents in Vista) folder. Therefore if you have a complex passphrase, as suggested, you can just copy and paste it into the prompt when connecting to the network. This is especially a life saver when you are first configuring the computers with a complex key. Instead of manually typing it in for each computer, save it to a flash drive and take it around to each computer, so you can copy and paste it. If you don’t have a flash drive, you could connect all the computers up before securing the router, distribute the key using file sharing, and then enable encryption.