Question about replacing a light switch that controls room light?

Ok, here's the background:



Room #1: Light switch never controlled the ceiling fan, replaced all outlets and switch (not to fix just to remodel), no change of course.



Room #2: Light switch DID control ceiling fan, after replacing all, it did not work. I learned that if I broke the jumper on the near receptacle to the door and everything should work, which it now does.



Here's the thing, in the second room the receptacle that I broke the jumper on only had three wires (black, red, and white). When I looked at the other room both receptacles near the door have TWO commons. Wondering why the wiring is different. Is there anything quick and easy I can do to get that switch to control the light? It's been inoperative since I got the house. Why would two adjoining bedrooms be wired different. Both rooms have had those ceiling lights all along. I just am weary at doing anything given the different setups (extra common) on that room's receptacles. It seems that the three wire outlet is the only one that is switchable, is this correct?
Question about replacing a light switch that controls room light?
Room #1 - You're going to have to look carefully at the wiring to figure out what's going on. If there are only two wires coming from the ceiling fan down to the switch, and power comes in to the switch box (commonly done) then your options are limited. You'll have to: switch both the light and the fan with the same switch and use the pull cords to get individual control, or you'll have to eliminate the switch and install a wireless handheld controller.

Hmmm... just occurred to me that you could use X10 in a case like this, too.



However, IF there are three wires coming into the switch box then all you have to do is install a dual switch in the box and rewire the fan/light to take advantage of the new switch.



Room #2: I'd have to have my hands on it to work out a wiring diagram and figure it out. Sounds like the receptacle was split-wired to start with and you didn't catch that when you installed a new one.
Question about replacing a light switch that controls room light?
Need more info on your switch box. Are there more then one switch or is there a switch for the light and the outlet? The outlet with the black red and white sounds like a switched outlet. The other outlet seems like its just looping through from other outlets. But the electricians may have ran out of the 3 wire romex and used the 2 wire to go back to a switch box. Don't you wish you had x-ray vision to see what the hell is going on. Put up some more info .