Wi-Fi technology is very widely used in the life of a modern person, since it allows you to easily and quickly solve the problem of connecting to the Internet without using ordinary wires. This is especially true in the case of using laptops, with which you can access the Internet in any convenient place thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi adapter.

That is why the situation when Wi Fi does not work on a laptop leads to significant inconveniences and even some problems. There are many reasons why Wi-Fi may not work on a laptop. It is simply unrealistic to solve the most serious of them on your own without the help of specialists, but there are quite a few that can be easily eliminated on your own. Let's consider them.

Is there a problem with your laptop or router?

A fairly common problem that a laptop has stopped connecting to a WiFi network is not a problem with the laptop itself, but with the settings of the router, which distributes the network. Thus, the laptop can be configured correctly, but Wi-Fi still does not turn on precisely because it has nothing to connect to.

To exclude the possibility that the problem is related to this, you should try to connect to the network from any other device that is equipped with a Wi-Fi adapter - from another laptop, smartphone, tablet, and the like.

If Wi-Fi does not work from another gadget, then the problem lies in the Wi-Fi router that distributes the Internet. If the connection is successful, the problem is in the laptop and before solving it, you first need to determine why Wi-Fi stopped working.

Hardware enable adapter

Based on such a diagnosis, you can accurately determine that this problem arose precisely through the fault of the laptop. When Wi-Fi does not work on it, you can try using several methods.

The first one is to check if the wireless adapter on the laptop is enabled. Almost all modern models have LED indicators for the WiFi module and there are special key combinations for its hardware activation.

A normally lit indicator indicates that the module is turned on. If the indicator does not glow at all or shines red, then the wi-fi is not working precisely because of the wireless network adapter. It must be turned on.

Most often, such indicators are located directly on the keyboard, side or front panel of the device case. Sometimes they are located on the monitor case or near the touchpad.

To enable the module of such a network, press the Fn key combination and one of the system F1-F12 keys. The exact combination depends on the laptop manufacturer. Usually, the corresponding antenna icon is located on the desired key. If it is not there, then to turn on the Wi-Fi, you should try to press the standard combination for a particular model:
Fn + F3 for Acer;
Fn + F2 for Asus, Dell or Gigabyte;
Fn + F5 on Fujitsu devices;
Fn + F12 on HP laptops.

After pressing the corresponding keys, we check if the indicator of the wireless module's operation is on or if it has stopped glowing red. After that, you should try again to connect to the network. If that doesn't help, go to the next step.

Software inclusion

When the wifi has stopped working and its hardware activation does not give positive results, it is also necessary to turn it on in software, which is carried out directly from the operating system under which the laptop is running.

To programmatically enable WiFi that has stopped working on Windows 7, 8 or 10, you need to perform the following sequence of steps:

1. On the notification panel, which is located near the clock, the icon for the status of network connections is selected;

2. From the list that opens, select the item "Network and Sharing Center" or "Network settings" depending on the version of the operating system;

3. The next step is "Changing adapter parameters".

Among the list of all existing connections, you should pay attention to the color of the "Wireless network connection" icon. If your WiFi is not working and the wireless adapter is disabled, the connection icon will not be highlighted. In this case, right-click on its icon, select the "Enable" item from the context menu that opens. In this case, the color of the connection icon should change.

In this case, the wireless network adapter turns on, it remains to find the desired one in the list of available wireless networks and connect to it.

If, after such actions, Wi-Fi, which stopped working, continues to be inactive, you need to move on to the next method for solving the problem.

Installing and Updating the Driver

Quite often, the Wi-Fi wireless connection does not turn on due to the lack of a driver or in the case when it is very outdated. To determine if the driver is installed, you need to select Properties from the context menu of the My Computer icon located on the desktop or in the Start menu. Next, in the window that opens, from the menu on the left, select the "Device Manager" command.

In the new window that opens with a list of connected devices, you need to find the name of the laptop's wireless network adapter. Usually its name is "Wireless Network Adapter" or "Wireless Network Adapter", along with which the manufacturer of the device must be listed: Realtek, Atheros, Qualcomm or something else.

After finding the desired item and clicking on it with the right mouse button, select "Properties" from the context menu. In the window that will open at the same time, the item "Devices is working normally" should be present. But even if there is a mark about the normal operation of the device, this is far from a guarantee that the correct version of the driver is installed and Wi-Fi is turned on correctly. To check it, in the window with the properties of the wireless device, go to the "Driver" tab and pay attention to the "Development date" and "Supplier" items.

In the event that the supplier is Microsoft or the development date of the program is several years behind the current one, go to the official website of the laptop manufacturer and download the latest official version of the driver.

The same should be done if there is no wireless adapter among the list of installed devices.

If the wireless module is present in the list of devices, but it is marked with a yellow exclamation mark, this means that the device is disabled, as a result of which the network stopped working. In this case, after opening the device properties window, you need to click the "Activate" button.

Another reason why Wi-Fi stopped working on a laptop may be that the power saving mode is activated, which prevents the wireless connection from working. To disable it, you need to do the following:
1. Open the Control Panel;
2. Select the "Power supply" icon;

3. In the window that opens, select the "High performance" or "Balanced" mode.

External signal barriers

It's also worth noting that a broken wireless network can also be the result of more than just laptop problems. The signal of a wireless connection is affected by some external factors, which can weaken it. Ceiling, walls, floor, and similar obstructions significantly degrade the signal quality of the access point and laptop.

As you know, the signal quality on a personal computer is displayed in the form of several marks - the more there are, the better the signal is. If the wireless connection level is displayed as 1 or 2 marks, then you do not need to try to use WiFi - in this case, it will not work normally.

In this case, you need to move the router closer to your workplace, move the workplace closer to the Wi-Fi router, or buy a new, more powerful router.

Other causes of Wi-Fi problems

The causes of problems with the functioning of the wireless network adapter described above are the most common and you can fix them on your own.

It is worth noting that all these are software solutions to the problem, which can be solved by installing, reinstalling or updating the device driver, as well as performing some operations with the OS.

But often the problem with the operation of the wireless module lies in hardware errors. What are these mistakes? These are problems that are directly related to the board itself, most often - its physical damage.

To fix such problems, you will need to disassemble the laptop. It is worth noting that such actions can only be performed if you have certain skills in this area. If such skills are absent, it is better to entrust the work to professionals.

One of the most common physical damage is an unconnected antenna wire to a contactless communication module. This problem occurs with laptops that have been repaired or if their owner has independently cleaned the cooling system from dust. In such cases, the antenna is sometimes simply forgotten, as a result of which the adapter will not be able to establish a connection even near the signal source itself. To eliminate such a problem, you just need to connect its antenna to the Wi-Fi module.

Sometimes the reason why Wi-Fi stops working is the usual overheating of the network card. This is most often the result of the laptop sitting on some kind of soft surface. The thing is that at the bottom of the device there are holes through which cold air gets inside, cooling all computer boards. By blocking these holes, the system will overheat, which can lead to the failure of certain components.

Another common cause of device overheating is dust, which can prevent cold air from entering the cooling system.

That is why, in order not to face such problems, it is recommended to clean the laptop from dust at least once every one year: in this case, it will be possible to avoid repairing the laptop as a result of overheating of its components.

In the most advanced cases, the wireless adapter may even burn out. In this case, only replacing it with a new one will help. You can determine such a problem using the device manager, in which the module will simply cease to be displayed. When you try to install a driver for a wireless network, a message appears stating that the corresponding device is not installed in the system.

If all else fails

If none of the tips above helped, you can use a simple yet often effective solution: restart both your computer and your wireless router. Please note that after a reboot, the router turns on for up to 5-10 minutes before it starts distributing the network. Be patient. Also, despite the opinion of many skeptics, sometimes the troubleshooting function of the Windows operating system helps to solve problems with the wireless network.

Thus, most of the existing solutions to the problems associated with the fact that Wi-Fi stopped working on a laptop were listed above. Almost all of these methods and recommendations can be used by anyone who has encountered a similar problem, since this does not require any special skills.
If all else fails, and the wireless network does not start working, there is only one way out - to go for help to a high-quality service center, where they can solve any problems with the laptop.

If the article did not help to solve your problem and Wi-Fi still does not work, write in the comments, I will try to help.

Transmission of data without the use of cables literally not so long ago seemed like something out of the realm of fantasy, but today a wireless WiFi network at home, at work or in the nearest cafe no longer surprises anyone. But even with such a connection, there may be some problems. Connection error is a fairly common occurrence. Let's consider the most common problems and the simplest methods for their elimination.

Wireless network connection: no connection. What is the reason?

As for the most common causes, they can be divided into two main types: hardware problems (non-working hardware) and software errors.

In the first case, as is already clear, you need to carry out a complete diagnosis of the equipment, and then make a decision on its repair or replacement (this applies to network cards, and routers, and mobile devices, and external or internal Wi-Fi modules). In the second case, there are several situations where there is no wireless network connection (no connection). Among the main ones are the following:

• disabled module or;
• incorrectly entered password;
• router problems;
• incorrect connection settings;
• missing, incorrectly installed or outdated network device drivers;
• lack of an established network;
• exposure to viruses.

For obvious reasons, problems with viruses will not be considered, since any user must take care of protecting their system on their own. We will partially touch upon the absence of a network, if for some reason it was installed in the system, but then disappeared (this, unfortunately, also happens). Finally, we will not dwell on the fact that the user may have forgotten or incorrectly entered the password for the WiFi network, and problems on the part of providers. These situations in our case are not so significant.

Wireless network connection: no connection. What to do in the simplest case?

Let's start with the simplest situation. Let's say a wireless network connection is lost at some point. Perhaps the reason is a short-term software glitch. What do most users usually do in such cases? They just reboot the system (after all, everything worked before).

If this does not help, and the signal loss time is known at least approximately, one of the solutions to the problem that a connection error pops up when trying to connect to an existing network may be a normal system rollback to the previous state through the appropriate section of the "Control Panel". But, as practice shows, the problem is usually much deeper.

Diagnostics of connection by means of the system

If for some reason the wireless Wi-Fi network connection is lost, you can find out the reason using Windows tools. If you open the menu by right-clicking on the network icon in the system tray, you can use the troubleshooting tool.

The system will independently carry out the analysis, after which it will give the appropriate result. Please note that this tool does not fix anything, it only helps you identify the root of the problem.

Checking the activity of the Wi-Fi module

Many experts say that one of the most common reasons for the lack of communication is the carelessness or negligence of users.

For the most part, this applies to laptop owners who do not have a special switch for activating the built-in Wi-Fi module, and turning it on or off is done by using a combination of a key with a special Fn button. It is clear that even when typing using the so-called hot keys, you could easily and completely accidentally disconnect the adapter. Therefore, first you need to make sure that it is in active mode.

Reset router settings

Sometimes the reason that there is no wireless network connection (no connection) can be a short-term failure of the router. Most often, this situation is observed with inexpensive TP-Link series routers.

And in this case, it is recommended to use the simplest reset technique. You can do two things: either completely turn off the power for about 10 seconds, or press the special reset button on the back of the device and hold it for 30 seconds.

Identifying network settings

Now, if not defined, let's look at the basic network settings. To view them, you should enter the section for managing networks and sharing from the "Control Panel" or from the menu by clicking on the network connection icon and use the section for changing parameters

Here you need to find the TCP / IPv4 protocol (if not using IPv6) and click the properties button. As a rule, most providers provide services for automatic determination of parameters, which should be fixed in the settings. It should be noted that the use of a proxy server for local addresses must be deactivated (unless otherwise provided). Otherwise, you just need to enter all the parameter values ​​in accordance with the settings provided by the provider upon connection.

Correction of connection parameters on the router

If, after that, the connection problem remains, perhaps it lies in the settings of the router itself.

Just in case, you should enter the router settings menu through any web browser by entering the appropriate address (192.168.0.1 or 1.1), then in the wireless connection section (usually Wireless) make sure that it is active (Enabled).

Troubleshooting driver problems

Another network problem can be that the system has missing, incorrectly installed, or outdated network card drivers. You can make sure that the device is not working in the "Device Manager", which is called even from the "Control Panel", even from the computer administration section, even from the "Run" menu using the devmgmt.msc command.

A non-working device will be marked with a yellow marker. This is a direct indication that something is wrong with the driver. But it also happens that it is not displayed among the problem devices. This is only due to the fact that the system installs the most suitable driver for it, considering it the optimal one.

In any case, it will have to be reinstalled or updated. This can be done directly from several menus. It is recommended that you first completely remove the old driver, and only then install the new one, but do not choose from what the system will offer, but find the latest software for this device on the Internet in advance.

In order not to do such things, it is better to install yourself a program like Driver Booster, which will find and install the latest drivers for absolutely all devices. It is clear that to do this with a laptop, you will have to go to the same cafe where there is a connection, and there you use the WiFi password to enter the network (there is no connection at home). The update process will take a maximum of 10-15 minutes, after which a reboot will follow.

Factory reset from command line

If the network is still detected, you can still try to perform the following actions. We call the command line with admin rights (cmd in the Run console), after which we write the proxycfg -d command, and after pressing the enter key, two more - net stop wuauserv and net start wuauserv (after each - also “Enter”). Such simple actions can also help.

If the network is not detected at all ...

Finally, the last problem, when it is absent It is possible that due to some reasons, among which the influence of viruses is not excluded, the previously created network was simply deleted.

In this case, you need to go to the Shared Networks Management section and make sure that the wireless network is displayed in the list of available connections. If there is none, you will have to create it anew by selecting the appropriate item. It will take a minimum of time.

If there is a network, but all the above-described solutions to the problem do not help, you can try to simply delete it entirely and then re-create and make the appropriate settings for the TCP / IP protocol.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it remains to add that these are only the main, most common problems and methods for solving them, which any user can use to eliminate failures. Here, we did not specifically consider various kinds of commands that allow you to fully test IP connections or assigned MAC addresses, ping, etc., since they may seem rather complicated for ordinary users to understand. In other cases, even the simplest means will help. However, this does not in any way apply when equipment fails. No programmatic methods will help here, no matter how you try.

Oddly enough, but this is one of the most popular questions that comes to me in letters. Moreover, people often do not specify and simply write: "What should I do if I have lost Wi-Fi on my laptop or computer?" And here at once I have many questions, and I cannot give an answer.

Two images appear in the bearded head:

• An icon or a WiFi icon disappears or disappears permanently - and it is not visible either in the tray or in network connections;
• It's just that there are connections, but why not the Internet. Or you can't even connect to the router at all.
• The Internet is gone and there is no connection with the outside world - if it happened abruptly, then first look - "is the router breathing." Restart it, and then call the provider's technical support.

Let's deal with the second problem. If your wifi constantly disappears, falls off on any version of Windows, then this is most likely a problem in the router. I had this on my old D-Link. The first thing to do is reboot your router. If the Internet and wifi appears again, then it just hangs slightly.

If you, like me, disappear several times a day, then it's time to change the Internet center to a new one. Or reduce the number of devices connected via Wi-Fi. The point is that the module. which distributes the Internet through the air, overheats and automatically hangs or turns off. We will deal with the first problem in more detail.

Enabling the module

Very often on laptops, the module turns itself off. Then you can enable it by pressing the key combination: Fn + (F2, F3, F5, F12). As you know, the laptop runs on a rechargeable battery, which gradually runs out. Therefore, he himself turns off the module so as not to waste additional electricity. If the buttons did not help, then move on to the next chapter.

Instructions

1. So comrades! We go to the network devices, for this we simultaneously press two magic keys "Windows" + "R".

1. We register the magic spell "ncpa.cpl".

1. And so, here we see only one network connection via cable. If you still have a wireless connection and it is gray, then it is simply turned off. Right click on it and turn it on. If it is not there, then move on.
2. Most likely a problem with the driver. We need to check it out. To do this, again press the magic key combination and enter another magic spell "devmgmt.msc".

1. Now we open "Network adapters". As you can see, there is not a single device with the words "Wi-Fi", "Wireless", "802.11". If we go to "Other devices", then we can observe "Unknown device", which most likely can be our Wi-Fi adapter.

And now we need to remember why the problem arose. Perhaps you installed some third-party program before that simply took down the adapter driver. A virus could also have done this, so I advise you to check the entire laptop using an antivirus program.

If you previously disassembled it or took it for repair, then this may mean that the internal adapter was damaged or simply forgot to connect the antennas to it. They look like two wires connected to the board.

Installing drivers

And so, we have several options to install licensed software for your hardware:

• Find a disk with all the drivers for your laptop. On new models, manufacturers make a separate disk partition right on the laptop - just open "My Computer" and see if there is a "Drivers" section.

• Connect to the router via wire. The network cable is located in the box under the device. Next, the drivers should be downloaded automatically. But if this did not happen - go to the device manager, right-click on the same "Unknown device" and then select "Update driver".
• Download the driver from the official website.

This is what I’ll talk about in this chapter. It is best to download the software from the website of your laptop manufacturer. I will show using my laptop as an example.

1. Just search for "Official site * The company that made your laptop *". I have this ASUS. You can enter the full name of the model and try to immediately find the page of your "beech".

1. Once you get to the site, your task is to find your laptop. To do this, you can use the search or find the product itself. Also, often the section with the driver is located in the "Support" section.

1. We select the section with "Drivers".

1. We indicate the type of product and model.

If you are confused about the site, you can download the drivers from here - https://drp.su/ru/foradmin. There, a large pile of "firewood" is downloaded at once. Also, during installation, be very careful, as it may additionally install unnecessary additional software that will load the system.

When there is no reception of the Wifi network, and for this reason there is no access to it, this is logical. But, when there is a wireless network, and WiFi button disappeared in Windows 10 or 8, for example, after an update, this fact makes even experienced users nervous.

Let's consider the probable causes of the failure and find options for returning the button to access the Internet.

In Windows 10 and 8, diagnostics will have to deal with such points as:

• network adapter;
• BIOS system;
• access restriction functions;
• availability of drivers;
• power supply stability;
• automatic hibernation mode.

Each reason can lead to the disappearance of the Wi-Fi button in the taskbar on a laptop or computer, but with the right actions, you can quickly restore everything!

How to get the Wi-Fi button back in Windows 10 and 8.1

To deal with the cause of the "breakdown", you will have to consistently check each version and look at the final result. Anything will definitely help!

The network adapter is the direct route to Wi-Fi!

Laptop owners need to make sure that the network adapter is turned on. How to do it?

Activate WiFi from the keyboard.

To do this, use a combination of two keys: "Fn" and the one where the antenna (or plane) broadcasting waves is drawn. It could be F2, F10, F12 and even "PrtScr".
So, the wireless module is up and running, but there is silence on the screen.

Keys responsible for wi-fi

First of all, we check in the settings is your wireless Wi-Fi module working properly?.

For this, the following path is optimal:

1. In the address bar of any folder, type “ Control Panel "and press Enter;
2. Go through " Network and Internet "in" Sharing and Networks Control Center».
3. Select " Change adapter settings»;
4. Evaluate the status of the icon " Wireless network "- enabled / disabled";
5. We run network diagnostics. To do this, also in the Network Control Center, select the function " Troubleshooting". The launched program will comprehensively check the performance of the network adapter and, if any errors are found, it will try to fix them.

There is also a faster way if there is a network connection symbol with a red x-error cross on the taskbar. Then you need to do everything the same, but go to the "Control Center" by clicking the right mouse button on the "no Internet" symbol. In the same way, you can run the "Diagnostics".

In a good scenario, everything will return to normal automatically.

Checking network adapter drivers?

1. For Windows 10, click Windows 10 Search, Device Manager, and in Windows 8, simply select "Options" from the side pop-up menu. Further it is the same: "Device Manager".
2. In the manager expand the tab "Network adapters" and view its contents. For Wi-Fi to work, you need a wireless device - it will contain the word “Wireless” in its name. If "Wireless" is not present, but there is some "Unknown device", then with a high degree of probability this is the missing equipment.

It's up to the drivers. In the first case, update, in the second, install. To do this, on the website of the laptop manufacturer or the creator of the PC adapter, find a driver for the desired OS (Windows 10 or 8), download and install. It is better not to use third-party programs.

Some users are helped by an easier installation path:

1. On drive C, search for wireless LAN.
2. Find the Setup files there.
3. Both run.

Still not resolved the problem? We go to understand further.

Enabling Wi-Fi via BIOS.

To access the BIOS, you need to reboot the computer and activate the system with a button in the first 3-5 seconds after starting, which will be informed by the inscription on the screen.

It looks like this: BIOS Setup, Press DEL to enter setup... In this case, you need to press Del. In other variants it can be Esc, Ins, F10, F2, F1.

In the BIOS, in the Configuration block, the option for the built-in Wi-Fi must be enabled. That is, opposite the inscription WireLess LAN support (or OnBoard Wireless LAN) there should be a value "Enabled".

What to disable to get Wi-Fi working?

Yes, just turn it off, since many modes and functions automatically block the operation of the wireless system and disable the Wi-Fi connection button.

Verification will require:

1. Airplane mode... It needs to be disabled. In the tray - by clicking on the "airplane" icon. In "Parameters" in "Wireless networks" - by moving the slider.
2. "Traffic monitoring" activated with third-party programs. The installation of the utilities is likely to fail, so it is better to completely remove this update.
3. "Automatic hibernation"... Since when the Wi-Fi module comes out of sleep mode, the module sometimes continues to "sleep" until the device is rebooted, it is better to check this function. Check path: "Control Panel" - "System and Security" - "Power Supply" - "Setting the Power Scheme" - "Advanced Settings" - "Sleep" - "Hibernation". Set the value to "Never".
4. Very rarely, but the reason for the disappearance of the Wi-Fi icon can be unstable power supply... The problem is solved by choosing "maximum performance".

Still have a problem? Then the last way: rollback Windows from the last restore point.

VIDEO REVIEW

If the button does not appear even after rolling back, then you already need to look for a wizard to thoroughly check the insides of your laptop. After all, one of the problems no WiFi button- breakdown of the network card. And here you can’t do without a service!

Hello dear friends. As you probably already understood from the title, today I decided to touch on a very serious and painful topic, and try to figure out what to do when Wi-Fi does not work on a laptop or netbook and how to connect a laptop to a Wi-Fi router. By the way, it can be not only a laptop or a netbook, it can also be an ordinary stationary computer with a Wi-Fi receiver. There have been a lot of similar questions lately, mainly to the article.

Now we will try to figure out step by step what and why problems may appear when connecting a laptop to a wireless Wi-Fi network. We will also try to find a solution to this very popular and unpleasant problem with connecting to Wi-Fi, or rather a failed connection.

Most often, problems arise when the Wi-Fi module itself on a laptop cannot be turned on. And when Wi-Fi is turned on, the laptop finds all available networks, but writes when trying to connect. It is necessary to check whether the drivers are installed on the Wi-Fi adapter, whether Wi-Fi is enabled on the laptop, etc. Now we are going to do this.

I noticed that most often problems with connecting to Wi-Fi are found in Windows 7. It is on this OS that the network without access to the Internet error very often appears, I wrote how to solve this problem in the article, the link to which is above. In fact, as practice shows, there can be a lot of reasons for this problem. And if there are many reasons, then there are many ways in which you can force a laptop to connect to a Wi-Fi router.

But it is not always the laptop, netbook, etc. that are to blame. There may be a problem in the access point, that is, in the Wi-Fi router. And the first thing we need to do when there is a problem with connecting to Wi-Fi is to determine what is the reason, in a laptop, or in a Wi-Fi router. Now I will consider the problem with connecting to my own router. Because if you are unable to establish a connection with someone else's Wi-Fi, then all claims to a neighbor, it is most likely that he has problems :).

Who is to blame, laptop or Wi-Fi router?

As I wrote above, you first need to find the culprit. Before making any settings on a laptop or a Wi-Fi router, you need to understand what the problem is, which is why it is impossible to connect the laptop to Wi-Fi. You can just set it up so that you have to do it and set everything up again. The best way to determine which device is hiding the problem is to try to connect another device to the router, for example, another laptop, tablet, or phone. And a laptop that has problems connecting to Wi-Fi, you need to try connecting to a different wireless network.

I think that you understood my idea. If other devices are connected to your router (best with a similar operating system) will connect without problems, then the problem is in the laptop. Read this article further, now we will try to solve it.

Well, if problems when connecting to your network arise on other devices, and the “problem” laptop connects to other networks without problems, then the problem is in setting up the Wi-Fi router. See the article on, it might come in handy.

I will show on the example of a laptop that runs on Windows 7. This is by far the most popular operating system.

I advise you to immediately pay attention to the icon that displays the status of the Internet connection. It's in the notification bar.

If your internet connection status looks like this:

First, you need to check if the drivers are installed on Wi-Fi and if the Wi-Fi adapter is enabled.

Right click on "My computer" and select "Properties". On the left select "Device Manager".

In a new window open the tab "Network adapters" and see if there is a device like Wireless Network Adapter (you may call it differently)... If you have such a device, then right-click on it and select “Properties”. Another window will open, make sure it says "The device is working properly."

If everything is about the same as mine above in the screenshot, then everything is fine, the driver is installed. And if there is no Wireless Network Adapter device and you have unidentified devices, go to the website of your laptop manufacturer, download and install the driver for the Wireless Network Adapter for your model.

- Learn more about installing and updating the driver for your wireless adapter.

We figured out the drivers.

Check if Wi-Fi is enabled on the laptop

If the driver is installed, but the Wi-Fi module is disabled, then the connection status will be the same:

Usually the wireless adapter on the laptop is turned on, but it doesn't hurt to check. Wi-Fi on laptops (netbooks) is usually turned on and off by a keyboard shortcut. On my ASUS K56cm, these are the keys FN + F2... But although when I press these keys, I get a message that the wireless adapters are enabled / disabled, but nothing happens. Look for the key on your laptop. FN and the key with a picture of a wireless network... Press them at the same time.

Some laptops may have a dedicated switch on the case that can be used to enable or disable Wi-Fi. For example on Toshiba Satellite L300 it looks like this:

Turn on or off the Wi-Fi wireless adapter in Windows 7

But the best way to check if the wireless adapter is working or not is to go to the Network Control Center and see.

So on the notification panel, right-click on the Internet connection status icon and select "Network and Sharing Center".

Then select on the left.

Among the connections we are looking for "Wireless network connection"... If everything is fine and the Wi-Fi adapter is turned on, then it should look like this:

If the adapter is disabled then it will look like the screenshot below. Right click on it and select “Enable”.

Using the methods described above, we must make sure that the status of the Internet connection on the notification panel is like this:

This status means "No connection - There are connections available"- this means that the Wi-Fi adapter is turned on and there are available wireless networks for connection.

If the connection status is like this:

This means that Wi-Fi is on, but the laptop simply does not see the networks available for connection.

Error "Windows could not connect to ..."

We figured out the problem when the wireless network module is disabled or does not work at all. Now let's consider the case when the laptop finds available Wi-Fi networks, but when trying to connect to Wi-Fi it writes: "Windows could not connect to ...", where instead of dots the name of the network to which you want to connect.

If you have a network connection status such as in the screenshot above (through one, network with a yellow icon), then click on it, and you will see a list of networks available for connection.

Select the required network, click on it, then click the "Connect" button.

If the set is password protected, then Windows will ask you for the password. Write down the password for the network and click "OK".

And if everything is fine, then your laptop should connect to the Internet wirelessly. And the status of the Internet connection should look like this:

But exactly at the moment of connection, the error “Windows could not connect to ...” very often appears. It looks like this:

Sorry friends, there is no definite solution to this problem. But I can download that very often the problem with such an error appears due to the settings of the Wi-Fi router. Maybe through the type of security and encryption that is installed on the Wi-Fi router, read more about this in the article. There may also be a problem with the distribution of IP addresses.

If you noticed, then in the window with the error “Windows could not connect to ...” there is an opportunity to run Troubleshooting, it is a sin not to use it. Try to run it, I heard somewhere that there are cases in which it helps :). But seriously, sometimes it really helps. Windows will check the readiness of the wireless adapter, check the settings, etc. And if it can, it will fix the problem that prevents you from connecting to Wi-Fi.

Just restart your router and then your laptop. It often helps.

Update

I noticed that in Windows this error appears when the settings that are saved on the computer for your network do not match the current network settings. I'll explain now.

For example, your laptop was connected to Wi-Fi, it automatically connected to the network. But you took and changed the password, or the type of network encryption. Now the laptop is trying to connect to the network, but the parameters do not match anymore, that's the error.

Enough, just delete the network on the computer and re-establish the connection. I wrote about this in the article

Conclusion

It's a great article, and I hope it's useful. I wrote it for half a day, with interruptions, of course, there were still problems with adding screenshots to the site, but I seem to have solved it.

I tried to collect all the necessary information that should help you solve the problem that occurs when connecting a laptop or netbook to Wi-Fi. If I forgot to write something, then I will definitely supplement the article in the future, I will also be very grateful if you share information in the comments that helped you solve the problem with connecting to a wireless network.

If you have any questions, then ask them in the comments, we will try to figure it out. Good luck!