Wireless network adapter problem windows 7

Just as a wireless NIC can be disabled through a switch or a button, it is also possible to enable or disable it through Windows. Keep in mind though, that in order for a wireless NIC to function, it must be enabled at both the hardware and at the operating system level. With that said, watch what happens in Figure B when I right click on my wireless network adapter. As you can see in the figure, the shortcut menu contains an option to disable the adapter.

You can re-enable the connection by right clicking on it, and choosing the Enable option from the shortcut menu. Figure B: You can disable a wireless connection by right clicking on it, and choosing the Disable option. In this article, I have tried to discuss the most basic causes of wireless network connectivity problems in Windows 7.

In Part 3, I will begin turning my attention to connectivity issues that are related to Windows 7 configuration problems. Brien Posey is a freelance technology author and speaker with over two decades of IT experience.

Prior to going freelance, Brien was a CIO for a national chain of hospitals and healthcare facilities. In addition, Brien has worked as a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America.

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Post Views: 4, Join Our Newsletter Learn about the latest security threats, system optimization tricks, and the hottest new technologies in the industry. Wireless networks are now very common. However, users often have problems connecting to wireless networks, because these networks are more complex than wired networks.

To troubleshoot problems connecting to a wireless network, follow these steps. If the wireless network adapter shows the name of a wireless network rather than Not Connected , you are currently connected to a wireless network. This does not, however, necessarily assign you an IP address configuration, grant you access to other computers on the network, or grant you access to the Internet. First, disable and re-enable the network adapter by right-clicking it, clicking Disable, right-clicking it again, and then clicking Enable.

Then, reconnect to your wireless network. If problems persist, move the computer closer to the wireless access point to determine whether the problem is related to signal strength. It also turns itself off when any device changes are made to the system, such as plugging in or removing a USB flash drive. I sometimes see it turn itself off when my screensaver has been running for a while, but it has to have been for quite a while, say at least 20 minutes.

I have completely disabled it being powered off by Windows, so it shouldn't ever be turning this off unless I tell it to. I have verified I am on the latest version of their drivers. I am open to any suggestions. Right now it seems my only option is to backout the last set of patches from Microsoft, because I don't know just which one causes the problem, and ignore all other patches that are made available.

That is not a good solution, because it means I will be ignoring possible security and bug fixes that I actually do need. I wanted to thank you all for the active discussion in this thread, and I would like to jump in and see if I can help address the multiple issues that seem to be covered in here. Please do this in that order, allowing 60 seconds in between each device to enable the device to be fully booted and able to accept connections. If you are trying to use WPA or WPA2, please ensure that both your network adapter and wireless router support this protocol.

If you are only able to connect using WEP, then your networking hardware may need a firmware upgrade. If you are having a problem with your wireless connection after resuming from hibernate or sleep, or are having intermittent connectivity issues, try to adjust your Power Management profile to change your Wireless Adapter Settings to Maximum Performance.

You should do this with all of your power profiles. Call the support line for your router manufacturer. It is likely that neither Windows nor the router are having problems, it is simply an issue of getting the configuration settings on both set up to work correctly together.

The router manufacturer will be the best resource to know how to configure their device. I will continue to monitor this thread but will likely end up splitting this thread into individual smaller threads to address the various different issues that have been mentioned so far.

Thank you. This thread is locked. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread. I have the same question Report abuse.