I did double check that Dell got the service tag correct and also that they correctly identified it as a Studio 1555.
I tried once again to uninstall the driver, this time checking the box about deleting the device. I restarted the computer and this time it found a driver it could successfully install (turns out it is version 12.4.1.4).
I was able to connect to the network and load several webpages!
Then, 5 minutes later, it was back to not being able to detect any networks. (I am 1 foot away from the router.)
Am I right to think it's sounding more like a hardware issue?
Wow, is version 12.4.1.4 the last version listed for the wireless at the Dell site? You could also cable plug it in and try a Windows update and hope Windows can update it.
You could also try a system restore to a time prior to the problems. Sometimes that sort of reinstalls everything to how it was when it worked well. That's been known to work sometimes.
I'm not sure what you mean about using windows update. The Windows Update program says there no updates available.
If you uninstall and reboot, it seems like windows will install either the older (12.4.1.4 from 2009) or the newer driver. If you select "update driver" through the device manager (even offline) it will find the newer one (14.3.1.4) somewhere. If I cable plug the computer and choose to update the driver, it says the driver (12.4.1.4) is up to date. This is odd since yesterday I had the newer driver installed 14.3.1.4, and both windows and intel detected that one as up to date.
Also, I can't do a system restore as there are no restore points prior to the development of this problem.
Sorry i been away the last two days, I should of left a short msg. Anyways, is there any other problem also occuring?
Earlier in the post you mention code 10, thats basically corrupted, outdated, or incompatible drivers.
You also mention Dell drivers do not work at all, because you can not install them. The reason for this is unknown so far. Your computer has wireless enabled but it does not pick up any signals/wireless broadcast. The ethernet port does work though...
You have been getting the drivers from intel site? So far none have worked. You basically tried everything related to uninstall and reinstalling drivers with no success. At this point I would recommend you backup your data and reinstall. Just to make sure this is not a software issue. Or you can keep trying and get a lucky break and it will work. Another option is buy and external USB wireless adapter/replace internal wireless adapter.
Thanks for checking back in.
Replacing the card sounds preferable to a full OS reinstall. Any idea if the hardware solution is likely to work?
Also, do i need to select the card that Dell says are compatible or will any PCIe half mini card work?
Thanks.
I posted the above question in a the hardware forum, which is perhaps more appropriate:
Replacing PCIe laptop wireless card
Problem resolved.
I went ahead and bought a new adapter. Before installing it, I checked once again to see if it would work. It did work--at least for another week or so. Then I changed out the adapter with a different model. It's been working problem-free for about 2 months.
I wish I changed this $12 piece of hardware earlier rather than spending so much time trying to reinstall drivers etc!
Thanks for everyone's help.
VegasIP,
Could you please tell which model/make of adapter you replaced with?
I have had exactly same problem in Dell studio 1555 for the past several days and spent lot of time reinstalling drivers/OS, troubleshooting etc with no luck. Now my wifi doesn't work at all. Thought it would be better to change the adapter once for all.
Thanks!
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