Laptop computer wi-fi issue
 

I haven't used my laptop in a few days but it stays plugged in and in sleep mode . Yesterday I took it out of sleep mode and tried to surf but it wouldn't connect to wi-fi �� . I tried rebooting but didn't help . I powered it down and left it unplugged overnight. Fired it up this morning and same issue , when trying to connect it spins for a bit and say's connection failed .

I ran Windows Network Diagnostics and there was one problem found : problem with wireless adapter or access point . All TV's in the house use Roku wireless devices and they work . My wife's phone and mine are both working via wi-fi so there doesn't appear to be an issue with the internet or our wi-fi router. Signal strength looks solid . Any suggestions on what is wrong or what else I can try ?

I will add I have an adapter plugged into the outlet near the router that sends a wi-fi signal through the house wiring to provide a signal to my detached garage . That is currently not working , I have unplugged to reboot but no worky �� . Coincidence ? Not sure . Help please �� and talk to me as the 63 year old that I am ��

Does your WiFi network appear in a list over available networks? Click on it and chose "connect".

Also, many people inadvertently shut down WiFi as button is often hidden on the laptop. Sometimes it is a button with LED, sometime it is simple switch on the side.

I have let the computer try to connect automatically and manually . Same results it just says did not connect . To my knowledge there is no override button on the older Toshiba . Thanks for trying 😊

Good call, lots of laptops have buttons or switches (often small and practically hidden) to disable the adapter.

What version of Windows?

If you try to connect, does your laptop "see" any SSIDs (wireless networks)?

If you pull up wifi do you get a list that probably includes your network, your neighbors networks, etc...? If you do get a list, then your adapter should be enabled. If you don't get a list at all, then something is probably disabled.

If you do get a list and your adapter is enabled, then you could try "forgetting" the network and then connecting again and re-entering the password for your wifi network.

At my former office, we sometimes had to turn off every device connected to the network in the building, and restart the modem, and the router, then fir up the computers one at a time. That was the only cure for occasional issues.

Does your phone "see" the wifi network? If the computer is not seeing the network, it might be the router.

If you're on Windows 10, do you get a list like this?

https://www.windowscentral.com/sites...windows-10.jpg

Yes when I click on available networks there is a list from my neighbors and ours which is at the top of the list . When I dive into wi-fi specifics I see all the SSID numbers and all the other jargon , but it also says " not connected " . I will try and delete and reapply with the password and see what happens . Thanks

Mine did that - it wouldn't work until I connected via cable and got the latest Win 10 update.

Yes, delete and re-apply the password. If that does not fix it, reboot your router and try again.

The issue might be outside of your laptop. The router might "hang" and still advertise SSID but not be able to accept connections.

Weird, interesting and good info. Maybe that's what he's running into.

Yes

So in " settings " there is a network reset option , I did the reset and the computer shut down/restarted as part of the procedure . Went to my WiFi list and picked mine . It then asked for network password and I typed that in . Went to connect and got " can't connect to this network " message .

When viewing hardware and connection properties I see there are IPv4 and IPv6 addresses but under conectivity it says disconnected . I will next try rebooting the WiFi router . My wife tried connecting her laptop with the same results .

My laptop originally came with Windows 7 , when Windows was offering the free upgrade I did so am currently running version 10 . And yes both our phones see a wifi network .......... I assume it's ours but don't know for sure . But the TV's are working and they stream via wi-fi Roku devices . I am rural so all the wi-fi near me is neighbors and they are all locked out .

I just checked our phones , both are seeing/using our wi-fi network .

Definitely router issue then.

While I agree with this conclusion why are our cell phones and TV's working ?

Do you want a short or long answer?

Short answer: because they already have a working connection established.

Long answer: routers using certain combination of firmware/hardware have a bug that will keep alive current connections but not be able to do a handshake with new devices. Happens often to QCA9558 devices on 2.4GHz.

Just reboot the router. And try to use 5GHz if possible.

I rebooted the router and no difference on my laptop . However my wife's automatically started Windows updates . I assume that can't happen without a network connection . I went back into settings on mine and can't see anything wrong other than can't connect and not connected messages . At this point I am stumped . Our phones and TV's working fine after router reboot but they were working before .

Connect via wire and see if there is an update to fix the last update.

My wife's laptop apparently was trying to load an update that must have been in storage/memory because her's won't connect either . I will have to look around to see if I have a cable to do a hardwire .

It is possible that W10 decided that update is of such high importance that it is viable to cut off Internet before it is applied. For example, if there is 0-day vulnerability that needs to be patched. So apply the update and reboot.

Can you turn on the hotspot feature on your cellphone and use it to test that the laptop can make a wifi connection??

Go over to a local Starbucks, or McDonald's and see if you can connect to their WiFi. If you can, it is not your laptop.

I just tried that but my laptop stated it could not connect .

In Win 10 you can go to the Windows Settings, Network and Internet, look towards the bottom and you will see Network Troubleshooter. Try that. It can sometimes rest the card and fix issues.

Makes me think that the item vbelowv may indicate that you're running into the item ^above^.

IF... your computer has an ethernet port, get a cable and go hard wired to the router. I had a router puke out on me the other day. Wifi showed up as available but I couldn't connect wirelessly or by ethernet. Are you SURE your phone are connected? When I tried connecting my phone it wouldn't connect either. You could be running off of mobile data.

I am sure our phones are connected to our wi-fi . I have double checked . And my wife has been streaming TV all day and that is wi-fi via the router . I will try a hard wire if I can find a cable and will try local McDonald's or Starbucks .

I experienced that the latest Win10 update actually disabled my HP laptop driver several days ago.
The WiFi button wouldn't change from orange to white

The previous time that happened was after uninstalling Wacom software.
(which I found out now sends user data to google).
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/wacom-tablet-sending-data-google-analytics#xenforo-comments-3571582

-HP doesn't even offer an OEM WiFi button driver on their website. Only 3rd party websites have it.

-HP Assistant software is a slow download and hefty install. Menu after menu. No help there.

-I tried repairing the driver with CCLeaner program repair but that didn't work either.

-I tried switching all the "wifi on" tabs through Win10 Settings which were either greyed out or did nothing as well.
Another odd and complicated menu system.

-The computer found and identified my router address/name but still refused to connect to it for some reason.
Network troubleshooter and repair didn't work.

-Switching to the "See available networks" on the lower right bar gave the options of:
"Turn on manually" (which already didn't work),
"Turn on in one hour" (which also didn't work) (And why the extended time option? Wasn't "In one minute" available?),
and finally "Turn on in one day" (which is what finally worked despite waiting hours and restarts etc etc)

-Terrible system for such a simple function.....both on the part of HP and Microsoft.

I've been looking at new laptops and many do not even have an Ethernet port to hardwire into.

Try this

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-wi-fi-connection-issues-in-windows-9424a1f7-6a3b-65a6-4d78-7f07eee84d2c


Run network commands

Try running these network commands to manually reset the TCP/IP stack, release and renew the IP address, and flush and reset the DNS client resolver cache:

In the search box on the taskbar, type Command prompt. The Command Prompt button will appear. To the right of it, select Run as administrator > Yes.

At the command prompt, run the following commands in the listed order, and then check to see if that fixes your connection problem:

Type netsh winsock reset and select Enter.

Type netsh int ip reset and select Enter.

Type ipconfig /release and select Enter.

Type ipconfig /renew and select Enter.

Type ipconfig /flushdns and select Enter.

Uninstall the network adapter driver and restart

If the previous steps didn’t work, try to uninstall the network adapter driver, and then restart your computer. Windows will automatically install the latest driver. Consider this approach if your network connection stopped working properly after a recent update.

Before uninstalling, make sure you have drivers available as a backup. Visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. If your PC can't connect to the internet, you'll need to download a driver on a different PC and save it to a USB flash drive so you can install the driver on your PC. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device Manager from the list of results.

Expand Network adapters, and locate the network adapter for your device.

Select the network adapter, and then select Uninstall device > the Delete the driver software for this device check box > Uninstall.

After uninstalling the driver, select the Start button > Power > Restart.

After your PC restarts, Windows will automatically look for and install the network adapter driver. Check to see if that fixes your connection problem. If Windows doesn't automatically install a driver, try to install the backup driver you saved before uninstalling.

Check if your network adapter is compatible with the latest Windows Update

If you lost your network connection immediately after upgrading or updating Windows 10, it's possible that the current driver for your network adapter was designed for a previous version of Windows. To check, try temporarily uninstalling the recent Windows Update:

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View update history > Uninstall updates.

Select the most recent update, then select Uninstall.

If uninstalling the most recent update restores your network connection, check to see if an updated driver is available:

In the search box on the taskbar, type Device Manager, and then select Device Manager from the list of results.

Expand Network adapters, and locate the network adapter for your device.

Select the network adapter, select Update driver > Search automatically for updated driver software, and then follow the instructions.

After installing the updated driver, select the Start button > Power > Restart if you're asked to restart, and see if that fixes the connection issue.

If Windows can’t find a new driver for your network adapter, visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

Do one of the following:

If you couldn’t download and install a newer network adapter driver, hide the update that’s causing you to lose your network connection. To learn how to hide updates, see Hide Windows Updates or driver updates.

If you could successfully install updated drivers for your network adapter, then reinstall the latest updates. To do this, select the Start button, then select Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.

Use network reset

Using network reset should be the last step you try. Consider using it if the steps above don’t help to get you connected.

This can help solve connection problems you might have after upgrading from a previous version of Windows to Windows 10. It can also help to fix the problem where you can connect to the internet, but can't connect to shared network drives. Network reset removes any network adapters you have installed and the settings for them. After your PC restarts, any network adapters are reinstalled, and the settings for them are set to the defaults.

Note: To use network reset, your PC must be running Windows 10 Version 1607 or later. To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About.

Select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Status > Network reset.
Open Network & Internet Status settings

On the Network reset screen, select Reset now > Yes to confirm.

Wait for your PC to restart, and see if that fixes the problem.

Notes:

After using network reset, you might need to reinstall and set up other networking software you might be using, such as VPN client software or virtual switches from Hyper‑V (if you're using that or other network virtualization software).

Network reset might set each one of your known network connections to a public network profile. In a public network profile, your PC is not discoverable to other PCs and devices on the network, which can help make your PC more secure. However, if your PC is part of a homegroup or used for file or printer sharing, you’ll need to make your PC discoverable again by setting it to use a private network profile. To do this, select the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi . On the Wi-Fi screen, select Manage known networks > the network connection you want to change > Properties. Under Network profile, select Private.

Pmax thanks for taking the time to post but my head exploded reading it 🙁 . I will try a few more basic things , it that doesn't work I will buy another laptop .

Update: Yesterday part of my trying to figure out/fix the issue I did a " network reset " with no results . For the heck of it I did another network reset 10 minutes ago and voila ;) it worked ! I am typing this update on my laptop . What caused the issue is still a mystery but for now it is working . Thanks to all that chimed in with suggestions SmileWavy

Excellent. Glad you didn't buy another laptop.

Been that way for a few years now. My Dell Inspiron has no ethernet port. I keep two machines around with ethernet just in case I have some weird issue and need to download something to a thumb drive to reinstall on a system that won't connect.

BTW, first thing I typically do when I have connection issues is to remove the network from my system. Then I power cycle the router and do a restart on the computer at the same time. Once the router is back up and the computer is running, if the network appears, I reconnect by entering the network password. Seems to work for me.

But HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Dell... not so much... And Microsoft is going "well sh.t... that didn't work" :)

Aren't there USB>>Ethernet adapters available? I'd probably keep one of those around "just in case."

Follow up update: I did not know but my wife did a network reset on her laptop yesterday and hers didn't work either . But this morning her laptop connected with no issues . Maybe the reset needed time to do it's thing ? I imagine Microsoft/Gates are very busy ...... . . . you know with the whole Covid vaccine/microchip install 😁 .All kidding aside I am glad we are both up and running again .

While you’re at it, take a few minutes and log into your router.

Unless you’ve changed your router settings, they’re likely still the default with very low security.

Once logged in, look for an update to the firmware of the router, let that run and it may help prevent any other buggy issues.

Hmm, this begs the question, if you both performed an action yesterday that was ineffective, but then you performed that action again today and it was effective, was the fix due to the action being effective the second time or due to another factor that cleared up or was resolved over night of which you are unaware.

Unfortunately, I have to think that it was the ghost in the machine and we'll likely never know what the real root cause and repair was.

Just be careful when you do a firmware update and make sure it cycles by itself. Updating firmware seems to be the easiest way to brick a router.