What's new

wifi no longer sees networks

fonsecaj

New Member
I'm pretty sure I'm just dealing with a hardware failure here, but I figured I'd throw this out there in case anyone has seen this and has a solution.

All of a sudden my 3 week old i7 no longer sees any wireless networks at all. Not just mine, but also the 3-4 of my neighbors I always see broadcasting.

The device manager says the adapter is working normally. Disable/enabling has no impact, nor does rebooting the device or shutting it down and starting it back up. I also tried switching the frequency selector from auto to both 2.4 and 5ghz with no difference.

I had a Win10 dual boot and booting into that OS had the same issue: wlan adapter active but no networks visible. I checked the bios to see if the device might be switched off (although then I'd expect device mgr to not show it as working) but there didn't seem to be an option for that.

I'm in the process of resetting as both a last ditch attempt to see if it'll work again and to get it ready to exchange tomorrow, but was wondering if anyone else has seen this happen.

Thanks
 

olimjj

Active Member
Try this :Go into device manager and this time uninstall the network adapter. Shut Down completely and then Reboot. If this ia still a problem then try reverting to a previous restore install point.
 
Last edited:
OP
F

fonsecaj

New Member
Actually it just finished a full reset from recovery and it's as if the thing doesn't have a wlan adapter at all. It doesn't even ask about joining a wireless network and skips to creating a local account in the initial setup. I guess the thing died a little bit.

Too bad... I was past the getting it set up perfectly stage and have come to rely on it. Luckily it's still within the Bestbuy extended return period and the local one has i7s in stock.
 

malberttoo

Well-Known Member
Actually it just finished a full reset from recovery and it's as if the thing doesn't have a wlan adapter at all. It doesn't even ask about joining a wireless network and skips to creating a local account in the initial setup. I guess the thing died a little bit.

Too bad... I was past the getting it set up perfectly stage and have come to rely on it. Luckily it's still within the Bestbuy extended return period and the local one has i7s in stock.

If you have an Ethernet adapter, make sure you have at least signed into OneDrive before you wipe your machine and return it. At least then your settings and apps will transfer to the new SP3.

My very first, brand new SP3 that I received from pre-ordering, arrived with a non-functional WiFi card. It really sucked... but it happens.
 

olimjj

Active Member
If you do have an Ethernet adapter try a Window's Update before you decide to wipe and return it.
 
OP
F

fonsecaj

New Member
Thank you for the tip. This is actually the 5th one of these I've had since I decided to get an SP3 back in December. Others have had issues with wifi, display, and overheating. This one I've had for 3 trouble-free weeks and I thought I finally had a perfect one.

I had actually bagged it after the last one and got my money back but then had a hard time going back to my Macbook Pro after getting used to the SP3. It felt very restricting, if that makes any sense. So then I went and bought this one. They got me hooked, but I'm wishing they were a bit better on the QC front.
 

olimjj

Active Member
Thank you for the tip. This is actually the 5th one of these I've had since I decided to get an SP3 back in December. Others have had issues with wifi, display, and overheating. This one I've had for 3 trouble-free weeks and I thought I finally had a perfect one.

I had actually bagged it after the last one and got my money back but then had a hard time going back to my Macbook Pro after getting used to the SP3. It felt very restricting, if that makes any sense. So then I went and bought this one. They got me hooked, but I'm wishing they were a bit better on the QC front.
You are one unlucky dude. I wouldn't be picking any IPO's in the near future:eek:
 

olimjj

Active Member
Thank you for the tip. This is actually the 5th one of these I've had since I decided to get an SP3 back in December. Others have had issues with wifi, display, and overheating. This one I've had for 3 trouble-free weeks and I thought I finally had a perfect one.

I had actually bagged it after the last one and got my money back but then had a hard time going back to my Macbook Pro after getting used to the SP3. It felt very restricting, if that makes any sense. So then I went and bought this one. They got me hooked, but I'm wishing they were a bit better on the QC front.

I wonder if you can ever be taken back after hooking up with so many SP3's:):rolleyes:
 

coderandrew

New Member
I happen to have the same problem with the SP3 I purchased yesterday (Second Hand). It's like the NIC is completely dead.

I do have a dock and have not yet tried Windows Update, however with the normal tools available (System Image, Refresh, Reinstall) have not solved the issue, I am thinking it is hardware related.
 
Top