Wi-Fi Not Connecting Issue in Windows 10: Recently we used the free upgrade offer from Microsoft to upgrade Windows 8 to the latest Windows 10. Well, the installation went pretty smoothly with a few restarts until we solved the first problem. The laptop could not connect to the wireless (wifi) network. After struggling hard to install the latest driver files for the network adapter, finally, we were able to connect to the Internet via WiFi. It didn’t last as long as we hit the second issue. WiFi drops often and there are no proper solutions to fix the problem.
In this article, we would like to share all the things we have tried to solve WiFi connection issues on Windows PC. When you have a problem with a wireless connection, first check if you can connect to the Internet by opening a website in Edge or another browser you use. If you notice that the WiFi icon in the system tray is showing a limited or no internet connection warning, check out this article on how to fix this problem. Try the following solutions to make sure you have a working internet connection.
1. Network Adapter Issue:
When you notice that your PC can’t connect to wireless after Windows 10 upgrade, the most possible cause is the network adapter. Follow the steps below to resolve this issue:
- Right-click on the “Start” menu and select “Device Manager” or use the “Cortana” search box next to the “Start” menu and open “Device Manager”.
- Find the adapter used on your PC in the “Network Adapters” section.
- In our case, it is “Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG”. Go to the provider’s site and download the latest driver file for Windows 10.
- Uninstall the old driver and install the newly downloaded one.
- Click on “Scan for hardware changes” to re-enable the adapter with the newly installed driver.
This should fix the problem of connecting to the wireless network.
2. Run Windows Network Diagnostics:
Windows 10 offers a handy option to fix network-related issues. Right-click on the WiFi icon in the taskbar tray and select the “Troubleshoot Issues” option. This will open Windows Network Diagnostics and the system will automatically start detecting network problems on your PC. Mostly, it helps to solve wireless-related problems.
3. Use Windows 10 Troubleshooter:
The built-in troubleshooter in Windows 10 is now very advanced, unlike the older version of Windows, which never worked. You can use Auto Troubleshooter to find and fix WiFi problems in Windows 10.
- Go to “Start” and “Settings”.
- Open the “Network and Internet” settings and find the “Troubleshoot” option.
- Click to troubleshoot and let the network troubleshooter find the problem. If it finds any problem, you can use the suggested solution in the next window.
- If it shows a fix, click on “Apply Fix” to fix the network issues.
4. Firewall Causes Windows 10 WiFi Not Working:
A firewall is a built-in app in Windows 10, and it protects your PC by allowing or blocking incoming and outgoing traffic. However, it may misdirect web access for your entire computer. This error often occurs when you accidentally change a setting or malicious programs override your existing rules. Fortunately, both the Windows Firewall and other third-party antivirus software you’re using have a solution for you to fix the problem. Here is the tutorial:
- Type cmd in the search box and then right-click Command Prompt to select Run Administrator.
- Type netsh advfirewall and set all profiles to state off, then press Enter.
- After doing this, you can check if you can use WiFi.
5. Update The Network Driver:
A corrupted network driver can block all WiFi networks. You should check the network driver and update it to a different version available on your computer.
Since you are unable to connect to the internet, we will use the drivers available on Windows 10.
- Press the Win+R keys together to open the “Run” dialog box.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” and click “OK” to open Device Manager.
- Look for the “Networks” option and expand it.
- Find the WiFi driver listed there, be it Broadcom, Atheros, Realtek, or any other network driver. Look for an 802.11 ac network adapter.
- Right-click the network adapter and select Update Driver.
- Update the network driver
- Click on “Browse my computer for drivers”.
- Now select “Let me choose from the list of available drivers on my computer”. And, you will see different versions of drivers available on your computer.
- Select the driver for the WiFi working date and click on “Next” to install it.
After these steps, you should restart Windows and check if you can connect to networks.
Conclusion:
WiFi can stop working without error at any time in Windows 10, there can be various reasons behind the problem. All the above-mentioned methods will surely help you to solve WiFi problems on your Windows PC. Try these methods in the order given to avoid hours of troubleshooting. Let me know if you still have a problem with WiFi.