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No network drivers (ethernet or wireless) after fresh install
Hi,
I got an Acer Aspire V5-572G laptop. It came with Windows 8, which I ended up hating, so I reverted to Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit by installing a fresh copy from a CD (well, from USB, but that's irrelevant).
After installing, I cannot connect to wireless nor ethernet. I cannot see any wireless networks. If I connect my ethernet cable, the laptop still thinks there's no connection.
If I open a command line and type ipconfig, I get:
If I go to Device Manager, I see a bunch of things under "Other devices". These are devices that seem to be missing drivers:Code:> ipconfig Windows IP Configuration Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection: ...redacted... Tunnel adapter isatap.<some-redacted-serial>: ...redacted...
- 3D Video Controller
- Ethernet Controller
- Network Controller
- PCI Device
- PCI Simple Communications Controller
- SM Bus Controller
- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller
I also see two devices under the Network adapters list:
- Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) -- this is probably what shows up on ipconfig
- Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI)
So... seems like I just have to get some drivers! I went to Acer's website and searched for my laptop model. They only have Windows 8 drivers. Unfortunately the Acer driver website is not deep-linkable, but here is a mirror of the drivers it offers:
Acer Aspire Aspire V5-572, V5-572G Notebook Windows 8 Driver, Utility, Manual | Notebook Driver & Software
I downloaded the Wireless LAN drivers (both Atheros and Broadcom) on my other computer and copied them over through a USB drive. I went to Device Manager -> Right click on Network Controller -> Properties -> Update Driver -> Browse my computer for driver software -> Selected path. Windows was unable to install your Network Controller.
I guess it makes sense, since they're Windows 8 drivers. My questions:
- I need to find Windows 7 drivers. How do I find out what kind of hardware I have so I can find the right drivers? The laptop's casing says "Acer Nplify 802.11a/b/g/n + BT 4.0" but that hasn't been very useful.
- In what "category" (see link above) should I expect to find the ethernet drivers? Is it "Lan"?
I'm reasonably tech-savvy (software engineer), so you can talk to me in technical terms. I just don't know too much about Windows and drivers in general. Thanks a lot!