I am just about to be given a Hp Pavillion by my mate who has told me he can never connect to the internet. I have had a look and it seems that the laptop doesnt know it has wireless. Now i have tried new drivers and that still doesnt fix the problem.. I will be installing Win 7 when i get it and i will try the win 7 drivers then but if that is un successful. I am thinking of getting one of these http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-008-BE&tool=3&groupid=46&catid=1451&subcat= I am assuming that with this i will be able to get online and it will bypass the built in wireless, Is this correct?
Laptop doesnt know it has wireless!
- Thread starter Biz.Kid09
- Start date
Does the laptop have a switch/button somewhere to physically turn the wireless off?
IIRC some models have a little switch hidden somewhere that will turn it off so it's not even seen in device manager (likewise there may be an option in the bios to turn it off), there is also the chance that if it's a mini card hidden behind an access panel it's not inserted properly (so it's worth checking those out).
If all else fails and it's got a PCMCIA slot, then yup that card should do the job, as should a usb adaptor
IIRC some models have a little switch hidden somewhere that will turn it off so it's not even seen in device manager (likewise there may be an option in the bios to turn it off), there is also the chance that if it's a mini card hidden behind an access panel it's not inserted properly (so it's worth checking those out).
If all else fails and it's got a PCMCIA slot, then yup that card should do the job, as should a usb adaptor
PCMCIA tends to be a bit more elegant and robust as it doesnt protrude so much from the laptop itself. Personally I have never had any problems with PCMCIA but a lot of problems with usb-dongle stylee efforts.
Also, check that there isnt an option in the bios to disable the onboard wifi.
Also, check that there isnt an option in the bios to disable the onboard wifi.
Why not replace the wireless mini pci card?If it has one that is
Or borrow one from another pc to check the laptop pci slot is working
Lots neater than a pcmia and loads safer than a protruding usb stck
Just my 2p worth
Or borrow one from another pc to check the laptop pci slot is working
Lots neater than a pcmia and loads safer than a protruding usb stck
Just my 2p worth
Ok i now have the laptop, I have had a look in Device Manager and under Network Adaptors there is Broadcom 802.11a/b/g WLAN now that is the wireless i think but how do i get it to work? It does not show up under Network Connections if that helps.
does it have any sort of exclamation mark next to it in device manager?
A google suggests there is definitely a switch somewhere for the wireless on HP Pavilions, so I would certainly start by checking that is on, if it is try updating, or removing the existing driver then installing the driver again.
There may also be specific software installed to manage the wireless card by HP, so have a look for anything that might do that (IIRC it's called something like HP Wireless manager), I also found one guy who seems to have fixed it by booting into safe mode (presumably with networking), then booting normally.
A google suggests there is definitely a switch somewhere for the wireless on HP Pavilions, so I would certainly start by checking that is on, if it is try updating, or removing the existing driver then installing the driver again.
There may also be specific software installed to manage the wireless card by HP, so have a look for anything that might do that (IIRC it's called something like HP Wireless manager), I also found one guy who seems to have fixed it by booting into safe mode (presumably with networking), then booting normally.
It is working!!! I copied all my mates stuff off to my external hdd then went on to his Wifes and tried the wireless on her user and bam it works lol :/, I will be installing win 7 so will i need to get the drivers first? or does windows get them for me?
Ok, Thanks mate. Can i upgrade from windows xp to windows 7 or do i need to do clean install?
The laptop seems to keep losing the wireless then popping back up again so either software problem or module. Can i use any module or does it have to be HP?
The laptop seems to keep losing the wireless then popping back up again so either software problem or module. Can i use any module or does it have to be HP?
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