Thanks, I will give some of that a try. My laptop is running with the original Windows 7 version it shipped with (can't remember exactly which flavor off the top of my head).
A lot of those troubleshooting steps don't apply here (resetting my router, changing WiFi channels, changing encryption) because I've either already tried them or they've been static for over a year before this issue started happening. It's odd to me that even when it does this - my connection isn't working and I have to disconnect/reconnect - it still shows me connected in the toolbar and usually with 5 bars.
I really wish Sony would either update the drivers they provide to something more current *or* allow us end-users to update newer drivers from the manufacturers website. Regardless, I'll check back in after I take a few more of those troublehshooting steps.
Cheers!