Windows 7: Dell Wireless WLAN 1390 minicard drivers won't install

And as a result my wireless will not work.

I just don't get it. The Vista drivers won't work, the optional Windows Update that would install the proper driver won't work, nothing works. What am I to do?

Have you tried the manufacturer site? They usually have drivers. Did it come with a CD? That one should have the drivers.

Hello Oranges12, and welcome to Windows Seven Forums!

If you are unable to find working drivers at Dell, perhaps you could provide appropriate info about your Dell computer so we could also look?

You may need to manually install the driver. To do that, download the driver and put in a folder on your C: drive, like C:\Dell:



Then click the Start Button and type Device Manager in the search box. Look down the list in Device Manager and find the not working 1390 minicard, right click and open Properties or just Update Driver:



Select Browse my computer, and locate the C:\Dell





Find the INF file for your 1390 minicard and double click on it. See if the driver will work now?

Cheers!
Robert

I have tried Dell's site. I've downloaded multiple versions of the driver from there, but they either aren't compatible with Windows 7 or they just stop in the middle of the installation. I'll look for the CD, but it's not gonna be easy finding it as it's been 2 years since I saw it.

isseeu - I have tried what you said, but maybe I'm using the wrong driver.

My computer is a Dell Inspiron 1520 and I'm using Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. I think that's all the info required to look up the proper drivers on their website. If you require any more info just tell me.

Thanks.

Ok, help me out here. I believe you when you say you have already tried doing these things, if you don't mind trying again ... and let me know what error messages you get if any?

First a question: did you download and install the chipset driver for your laptop? It is here: Drivers and Downloads
Hopefully it will install and might prove helpful. It is 64 bit Vista, 1520 compatible.

This is the only 64 bit Vista WLAN driver available for dl at this time: Drivers and Downloads
Download it. it is an EXE file so when you click on it, it will auto extract the driver to C:\Dell\drivers\R174292, then start the installation. See if it will install and if not what messages do you get?



If it refuses to install, that is OK. Follow the pictures posted earlier for a manual install and browse to C:\Dell\drivers\R174292\DRIVER, and click on bcmwl6.inf. Please let us know if that helps or what messages you get?

It is going Dark here so I will check tomorrow afternoon, my time. Good night and good luck!

Robert

Error "Update.cpp 794" has occurred and setup cannot continue

is what I get after attempting to install that driver. The chipset installed just fine though.

And the problem with doing a manual installation is that I removed the card from device manager a few days ago as it said the drivers were corrupted. That's not the reason for this problem though ... it started days before that. Any way to get it back on there? My computer won't recognize it.

The card might just be dieing, its an older model. I'd suggest spending the $30 and getting an 802.11n card for the laptop. Just search for mini-pcie, you should find tons of them for good prices. Keep to broadcom or atheros chipsets and you'll be happy.

Thing is, it worked just fine until I installed 7. Had no problems with it ever. I'm not saying you're wrong - I just find it hard to believe at the moment.

Youre right, the card didnt just die now, but it was probably made in the age of win 2000, and lets face it: you have to move on.

Well ... I never rule out a defective component, even a brand new one. But I am not ready to go there yet. Even so, this laptop is new enough to be under warranty, right?

The next think I would have you try is to install the driver in "Compatibility Mode" as explained here: Compatibility Mode

Go to C:\Dell\drivers\R174292 and find "setup.exe". Right click on it and select properties at the bottom of the menu. In the "Compatibility" tab, you can try Vista, Vista SP1, and Vista SP2. See if it will install then.



As to your other question, you can still add a device manually like we did in XP. Open Control Panel and find Devices and Printers (or just open Devices and Printers). Click Add a device to get started.



One last thought: Hardware updates are mostly considered "Optional" updates so you may need to open "Windows Update" to find and install the driver or update. Right click on the "Flag" at the bottom right of the taskbar, and select "Open Windows Update".



Please let us know how it goes!