Solved Wireless Adapter missing/not detected after Windows 7 Clean Install

[sagerj]

I'll start from the very beginning in hopes that it will help to receive as much advice/information as possible. I first did a clean install of Windows 7 Home Premium on my ASUS 1015-PEM Eee PC. Then, out of nowhere one day, my wireless stopped working. I tried everything to no avail. Remembering that after the clean install the wireless card was recognized and working properly, I re-installed Windows again the exact same way as before. This time Windows did not find my wireless network adapter, only showing the LAN card in Device Manager under Network Adapters. So, my basic question is; Since after the first clean re-install of Windows 7 the OS immediately recognized the wireless card, why would the OS not show the wireless adapter this time after re-installing windows again? I didn't install any drivers the first time around, and IT WAS RECOGNIZED. This leads me to believe it's not a driver issue. How do you get Windows to recognize the wireless adapter?


Things I have tried thusfar are as follows;

• WLAN is indeed enabled in the BIOS.
• WiFi is indeed toggled on, on the physical netbook itself. WiFi LED is lit blue (on).
• Tried every one of the drivers listed on the support page HERE.
• Took apart the entire netbook to verify exact wireless card model, finding it to be AzureWave AW-NE762H OR Ralink RAK-RT3090. (Pictured below)
  • NOTE: The drivers on the ASUS page provide the NE762H which installs "Ralink RT2860." I then found a driver for RT3090 HERE as it actually says on the physical card which I tried as well.
• Full clean re-install of Windows (as mentioned earlier) since the wireless was working after I first re-installed Windows.

All the evidence keeps pointing to the fact that it really doesn't seem to be a driver issue. A physical hardware failure of the PCIe Wireless Half MiniCard would seem to be HIGHLY unlikely, correct? How do I get Windows to detect my wireless adapter?

 

[Mellon Head]

In this case, it looks like a physical failure is very likely. If it was operational before and Windows detected it automatically, then it should detect it now if it's actually working.

You may have to take the notebook to a repair shop and have them test the wireless card to see if you need a new one.

 

[TVeblen]

Agreed ^.

A long shot is that there is a setting in BIOS to enable or disable the card there.
But if the device is working and enabled Windows will detect it. A driver issue will not change that.

 

[sagerj]

Is there anyway to test the card myself? I have a desktop I can use.

A quick look to eBay revealed the card can literally be bought for $5-$10. It seems the cheapest fix would be just to buy another card and hope it works. If I do this, I have two more questions;

1. Can I literally buy any PCIe Wireless Half MiniCard for the netbook to use? (Or could you recommend a specific one?)

2. Let's hypothetically say I buy a brand new card we know is functional, and Windows doesn't recognize new hardware THEN either. What's the most likely culprit in that scenario?

 

[TVeblen]

You might be able to test it in another laptop. You would need a good friend to allow you to do this, as it would involve uninstalling their driver and card , installing yours with it's drivers, testing, uninstalling your drivers and card, and reinstalling their card and driver. (Then a System Restore for good measure).

1: Theoretically yes, any card that would fit should work, but there can be problems with drivers playing nice with your motherboard. So it is best to at least match the brand and device model group.

2: If you checked the BIOS to see if the card can be enabled/disabled there and it is enabled or there is no choice, then that would mean there is a problem with the motherboard, or in the 2 wires that connect the card to it.

 

[sagerj]

Thank you so much for the very detailed response. Last question, every one of the RT-3090 variants of the card I can find online all seem to have two antennae outputs to match the two wires as you mentioned. My card only has one and there's only one antenna wire in the netbook. Do you think it will matter that the new card will only be connected by one of its antenna outputs?

Going to get it here.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/200925135933?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[sagerj]

I tried installing a USB wifi stick I had to the netbook. It worked. I was wondering if this in any way tells anything about the windows installation I did and it's ability to use a wireless card? Is this a good thing or does it have nothing to do with the new internal card I'll be trying?

 

[TVeblen]

Q1: if there is only one wire connection then it is very important to have a card with the same. I suspect it must ground by means of it's installation - probably one of the screws. I have not seen one like that.

Q2: It tells you Windows was installed and is running correctly (in identifying and running a wifi stick). Does not have any bearing on the problem wireless card. It's a good thing. It does not have any bearing on the new wireless card.

 

[TVeblen]

Here's what I see:

 

[sagerj]

Great. I can't find a one antenna card and you've never seen one. "One antenna pcie wireless half card" isn't a feature specific search I can do for one.

If this was your netbook can you link me to the new card you personally would try putting in it, please.

I purposely left the corner of my background in there.

 

[TVeblen]

When I did a web search on "AzureTech AW-NE762H" I got many hits on EBay, and a couple of online stores too.

 

[sagerj]

That's my fault, I was searching ralink rt-3090. NE762H did work as you said. I really hope a new card works. I REALLY don't want a USB wireless card sticking out the side of the netbook when I'm using it. Would kinda defeat the purpose of sacrificing a nice sized screen and somewhat decent performance for it's small size and portability if it has an external card sticking out the side that I have to worry about being careful of. This is all really frustrating.

Also, I look forward to Tuesdays for HaCF.

 

[TVeblen]

Can you see where the single wire goes? Is it possible that was pull out somehow?
If not the it must be the card.

 

[sagerj]

I want to try upgrading the BIOS and reconnecting the card. The update is a single rom file that I put on a USB stick and tried booting from. It said the bootmgr wasn't found. Did I do the upgrade wrong?

 

[TVeblen]

Yes.
You should not, in general, update a BIOS unless you've got a good reason to do so, or if you are experienced at it.

You can accomplish the same goal: check to see if the BIOS is corrupted - by simply resetting BIOS defaults (usually found on the EXIT menu) or performing a BIOS reset on a laptop:

• Shut down the laptop
• Remove the power supply
• Remove the battery
• Press and hold the POWER button for a good 30 seconds or so to dissipate all power from the motherboard.
• Reinstall the battery and power supply
• Start the laptop.

If you still want to try a BIOS update (the update says something about fixing a WiFi problem?) just ask and we can guide you.

 

[ArakelTheDragon]

Despite that I am bumping an old thread, the problem in it still persists.

This is not necessarily a hardware issue. About 1 million that I know of at least have had this problem. On a few thousand it might really have been a hardware issue, but normally this is a Windows based problem. Pretty much windows does not detect the adapter, because the notebook is meant for Windows 8 or Windows 10. The manufacturers do not like it and they put certain tricks in order to cause problems.

To test for certain: Install Windows 8/8.1/10 preferably the PRO version or Enterprise version, only so you can see the adapter will be detected.

You most likely have Windows 7 home basic or home premium.
1. It can be that some setting is not set correctly (like in the power options the settings for the wifi adapter).
2. It can be a BIOS problem.
3. It can work if you update to Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate.
4. A hardware failure is one of the last things that ever happens to a notebook. Most computer repairmen say "your hard disk is broken" or "your hard disk will get broken soon", but that is not true. Its problems of the software in 80% of the cases, 15% is someone was not careful and 5% is real hardware failure.

 

[sagerj]

This was a hardware malfunction! Popped the new WiFi card in and I was back in business. Thanks again for all your help, TVeblen.

 

[TVeblen]

You are welcome!