How to get WINDOWS to manage wireless

I just had wireless crash on V's lappy......and it wouldn't recover.....windows refused to manage it and the laptop refused to let anything else manage it.
It kept telling me to find Windows Zero (damn you XP!!!!)
After days of trying to get Windows Zero config to manage wireless , I finally tracked down the following instructions :-

To start the Wireless Zero Configuration service, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type c:windows\system32\services.msc /s, and then click OK.
2. Double-click Wireless Zero Configuration.
3. In the Startup type list, click Automatic, and then click Apply.
4. In the Service status area, click Start, and then click OK.