VortexIV LE no wi-fi?

[getstabed]

I haven't used wi-fi on my laptop since I got it in July. Today, I needed to use wi-fi again, but was unable to do so.
No networks appear in my network selection menu. I know that my wireless internet works, since other people in the house are able to connect to it (I am far closer than other people to the router).

 

[ubuysa]

Are you sure you have the driver for your wireless card installed? You should find it on the drivers disk PCS supplied with the laptop, you want the WLAN driver. Otherwise download the latest driver from the Clevo download site at http://clevo.com/en/e-services/download.asp. You'll need your Clevo model number to use that site, you'll find it on a label on the bottom of your laptop.

 

[getstabed]

I downloaded the appropriate driver and it still doesn't work.
I was not supplied with a disk with the laptop as far as I am aware.

 

[SlimCini]

Have you definitely got a wireless card in there (and if so, wired in correctly)? I'm supposing there could a miniscule chance of PCS shipping it without one or not connecting the wires properly accidentally.

 

[getstabed]

I have used wi-fi previously.

 

[ubuysa]

Ok, when you say "was unable to do so [connect]" what actually happened? Do you see your hotspot in the list of available hotspots? Do you get a Limited connection or no connection at all? If you get no connection at all then how does it fail?

If you can tell us in as much detail as possible what you see and what happens when you try to connect we can probably help more.

Belay that, I just saw that you see no networks. It has to be one of three things:

1. A hardware problem with the wifi card or laptop (unlikely)

2. A driver problem (very likely)

3. A Windows problem (quite possible)

The only way to check for 1. is to open up the laptop and makes sure the wifi card is (still) properly seated and the two connectors are properly plugged home.

For 2. you should double-check to be certain that you have the correct driver for your wifi card. If it's an Intel card try using the Intel Driver Update Utility at http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect.

For 3. your best bet is to backup your existing system (better yet take a disk image) and reinstall Windows and all the PCS supplied drivers. Test your wifi before you install any other software. If it works then it was a Windows problem.

Edit: Do you use Windows to connect to hotspots or do you use a third-party tool (that perhaps came with the wifi card)? If you use a third-party tool look for the option in it's setup that lets you use Windows to manage connections. Windows generally makes a better job of connecting to hotspots than third-party software.