Hello Mason,
Wi-Fi and XP, becoming more of an issue these days.
To help us research and dig into our memories could you please let us know :-
Type of computer - desktop or laptop - brand/manufacturer - model type - as much detail as you can.
Do you run XP Home, XP Professional, XP 64 bit. What is the latest Service Pack installed, SP2 or SP3.
All of the details of the wireless router - the same as for your computer. Did the hardware have an install CD. Have a look through any and all booklets for details - 802.11n type Wi-Fi or another variety. Wish really hard that the hardware is Realtek. Realtek is the most popular and bundled with some OEM installs of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and Windows 10 as far as I can see.
I went through these setup processes on an old PC or two about 4 months ago and it came down to the "address" of the Wi-Fi signal. Have a look on the bottom of the router or in the booklet (if it came with a booklet) for any WEP numbers or anything that looks like an alpha-numeric string, Say, 809735E42F for example (I just made that one up, it is not a real WEP code). Your XP and device driver is probably looking for a code like that.
Actually, as much detail about your setup, hardware and router hardware, anything you might think is helpful.
With XP and Wi-Fi the problem usually, and I say usually with caution, is the software driver for the device.
Some new Wi-Fi device drivers are not compatible with XP or the manufacturer of the device ignores any version of Windows older than, say, Windows 7.
But, never fear, if there is an answer we will do our best to find it.
Cheers,
Mark. (Aunty Jack).