Solved Surface 3, connected to Wi-Fi, but no connection.

[Wikid Numb]

Good afternoon all.

So I just picked up a Surface 3 and was all giddy while getting it set up. Well, that giddyness quickly went away.

From the moment I started setting it up, I realized that while I was connected to the internet via Wi-Fi, I did not actually have an internet connection.

I've spent the past 5 hours looking up different fixes on this site and others, and none of them seem to work. I did realize that when I turn the Surface on from sleep mode, I have active internet for all of maybe 5 seconds.

Some of the common basic questions I've seen and I'll answer.

Yes, other devices work fine on my home Wi-Fi
No, my Surface does not work on other Wi-Fi connections
Yes, I've turned off Internet Protocol Version 6
Yes, I've disabled and reenabled the adapter.

 

[jnjroach]

Do a factory reset or return for a new one....

 

[Wikid Numb]

That was the answer I was afraid of, lol.

Here's hoping the reset works.

 

[Plantje]

What does it say when you run the troubleshooter?
Is the network seen as private or public?
Are you connecting to your main router or to an access point or repeater?

 

[Wikid Numb]

The network is seen as Private connected through my main router.

Troubleshooting couldn't identify the problem.

 

[kundas1]

sometimes it works if you uninstall the wifi from "device manager" and then perform a search and let it install itself and then try to re-connect to your router... also make sure your router has its firmware updated

 

[Wikid Numb]

sometimes it works if you uninstall the wifi from "device manager" and then perform a search and let it install itself and then try to re-connect to your router... also make sure your router has its firmware updated

Alright, completely new to everything Windows 10. Where would I find the option to uninstall it?

 

[Wikid Numb]

Nevermind, found it. Still didn't work

 

[kundas1]

can you elaborate more on what the error is showing?

 

[Wikid Numb]

Sadly there is no "error" that's displayed.

My Surface is connected to my router, as per the normal. However, when I try to access Edge, the Microsoft Store, or Chrome (used a USB stick to install it) there is just no internet connection actually there.

On Edge and Chrome I get a could not connect to the website message. On the store I get "The server stumbled, we all have bad days".

I've done a full factory reset, which did not fix the issue as I hoped. I spoke with Microsoft who pretty much had me go through everything I did yesterday all over again. I just have no idea what else to do...

I'm still waiting for the online store I bought it from to get back to me about a replacement, but I get the feeling that is going to be an uphill battle.

 

[Wikid Numb]

If anyone else happens to pick up a Surface 3 and experiences the same headache I did, here is how I fixed the issue.

You will need access to another internet access point, a USB stick, and some time.

1. You will need to do a full factory reset of your tablet.
2. On your alternate device (PC or otherwise) you will want to go to the following link and manually download the system update and firmware files.

Install Microsoft Surface and Windows updates | Surface firmware | Windows Update

3. Copy these files to your flash drive, and make sure you download and copy them all.
4. Once your tablet has been completely reset, bypass the initial wi-fi setup and go straight to the desktop.
5. Copy the files from your flash drive to the desktop.
6. Click and run "Surface Firmware Tool.msi" this will take just moments to update.
7. Click and run "Surface3_WiFi_Win10_161250_0.msi" (This was done on a Windows 10 Tablet, so I do not know if Windows 8 has the same issue).
7a. This will require a restart or two as it is manually installing the system updates for your wifi
8. Once completed, you will need to set up your wifi, go into your settings, and search for updates.

BAM, there ya go. All fixed. This process took me about 6 hours from start to finish.

 

[kundas1]

glad to hear you got it sorted out, but all you had to do is download the updated drivers to a USB and install them from there, I'm sure it would have fixed your problem without the factory reset... I was going to suggest plugging in a USB WiFi and do the updates using that, but it totally slipped my mind! but at least you got it working using your method, hope your tablet works better from here on out! LOL