Hello!
From experience, I can say that very often the cause of problems when working and connecting to Wi-Fi networks is not a router (router), but a wireless one. network adapter(using which, in fact, your computer / laptop is connected to a Wi-Fi router).
All modern laptops have a built-in network adapter; on stationary PCs, such an adapter is usually purchased separately (often a small antenna is simply connected to one of the USB ports - this is the adapter). In general, there are usually no problems with this piece of iron (wireless adapter) itself (the piece of iron either works or it doesn’t), but there are a lot of questions with drivers for them, and it is because of them that problems with connecting to Wi-Fi networks are often observed. fi.
In this article, I will analyze the most basic driver setup tasks (uninstall, install, update) that you encounter when connecting laptops / PCs to Wi-Fi. So...
Perhaps this is the first question that you have to deal with when you have problems connecting to a Wi-Fi network. In general, when installing a new Windows 10 (8) OS - the drivers for the Wi-Fi adapter are most often installed automatically (although they do not always allow you to use all the options of the device - but that's another question). When working with Windows 7 - driver for wireless adapter often not installed, and you need to install it additionally from the disk (website of your adapter manufacturer).
To find out exactly if there is a driver for your device- open device Manager. To do this, open control Panel, then translate view to "Large Icons", and select dispatcher in the list.
Note: In Windows 10, by the way, you can click right click mouse on START, and in the appeared context menu select "Device Manager".
The example below shows that the driver for the Wi-Fi adapter is installed ( note: Dell Wireless).
For comparison, I will give a screenshot below of what the device manager will look like if there is no driver for Wi-Fi. Please note that in the tab "Other devices" you will just write "Unknown Device" (line with yellow exclamation mark). By the way, you may have several such lines - if several drivers for various devices are not installed at once.
Method number 1 // in Windows without downloading additional. software
At all, perfect option, if you have a disk with all the drivers for your equipment (on laptops, drivers are often thrown off on their own HDD).
If there is no disk, then in some cases you can do without " little blood": to update the driver and you have the Internet - just press 1-2 buttons in device manager !
Option number 1: when you open the device manager, there is a button "Update hardware configuration" in the top menu - click it! The fact is that Windows, when it "sees" equipment for which there is no driver, will try to update it on its own (very often - this method works...).
Option number 2: In device manager expand tab "Other devices" , then right-click on the unknown device and select "Update Driver Software..." from the menu. Next choose "Automatic Driver Update" and follow the instructions of the wizard (see the screen below).
Method number 2 - classic // if there is Internet
To find a driver for any equipment, you need to know the model of this equipment ( logical...). To find out what kind of Wi-Fi adapter you have installed, you can do it in two ways:
One of the best programs viewing computer characteristics is AID 64 . In it to find out wifi model adapter, you need to open the tab "PCI/PnP network"(see the line where the Wireless Network Adapter will be, in the example below it is the first line).
In general, the problem is solved ...
Perhaps this is the worst option - there is no Internet, because there is no driver. To download the driver - you need the Internet. Vicious circle!
Not connected - no available connections// no driver for wifi
Absolutely without the Internet, of course, it will not work, but in this problem there is a good option solutions (the option is suitable even if you do not know the model of your device).
There is such a wonderful program as 3DP Net(link to official site:).
You can even download it using the Internet on your phone (it weighs about 100 MB, which is less than many drivers from official sites). The essence of the program is simple: it will be able to install a driver for almost any network adapter (wired, wireless), and will give you access to the Internet (moreover, it does not need an Internet connection to work, it is enough to download it once). This is very handy application, which is recommended to keep on your emergency flash drive!
Actually, when you run it, it will automatically detect your adapter model and offer to update the driver - just click once on your network card (see screenshot below). Next, the wizard will start, which will install the driver for you in 3 steps (screenshots below).
For those who could not update the driver, I recommend that you read the article on updating drivers for an unfamiliar device -
In some cases, install new driver for the wireless adapter it does not work until you remove the old one.
Important! Before uninstalling the old driver - do backup system (or make a backup of the drivers). About how to do system backup, and then restore it - described in this article:
Method number 1 - through the device manager
To uninstall the driver in device manager, just find the desired device and open its properties (double-click the left mouse button), then open the tab "Driver", and press the button "Delete"(see arrows 1, 2, 3 on the screen below).
Method number 2 - through Driver Sweeper
Eat special utility to remove any drivers from the system - Driver Sweeper. You can learn how to use it from the article, the link to which is given below.
By the way, the utility allows you to remove almost any driver in the system - be careful not to remove anything you need...
Selecting drivers to uninstall...
On this I round off, good luck and peace of mind (often it is not enough for problems with "firewood")!
When the operating system is reinstalled, the user may encounter the problem of a missing network driver. Without this driver, neither wireless nor wired network can run. If you have a disk, there are no problems, just install the program. And in its absence, you need to find, for example, a mobile phone / tablet with a connected network in order to download the driver. In order not to arise similar problems, when reinstalling the operating system, you must adhere to the correct algorithm of actions.
The driver is the link between the operating system and the internal components of the computer, that is, this program connects the OS to the motherboard, video and network cards, and office equipment. These programs are developed by the same companies that produce PC hardware and electronic office equipment that the personal computer interacts with. When buying a computer, the user does not think about various drivers, since they are already pre-installed in the system. But, for example, after the first reinstallation of the OS or the purchase of a new computer, the user will be faced with their absence.
In this regard, it may be advised to keep full set drivers in a separate folder on a PC or download them to a flash card. In this case, you don't have to search mobile device to go to the official pages of manufacturers' websites and from there download a program that will automatically install the missing drivers.
To install a missing or latest version of the driver, use the "Device Manager". Do the same for the last step Update drivers».
How to do it! In Device Manager, you can uninstall old version network driver. Agree with the choice, and the system will remove the network device driver that was previously installed on your computer.
The network adapter is printed circuit board, which is inserted into a slot on the motherboard. It can also be integrated into the motherboard or connected to a computer via a USB connector. There are other options, but these are the most common. You can distinguish the adapter by the characteristic connector designed to connect the connector network cable. Increasingly, there are adapters for network connection using or WiFi technology. The latter is distinguished by the presence of a radio antenna. The purpose of any kind of network adapter is the physical connection of the computer and the transmission medium, as well as the preparation and transfer of data from one device to another.
Before installing the network adapter, pay attention to its brand, it will be required during the setup process. Physical connection requires access to the motherboard. To do this, you need to disconnect the cover from the system unit.
Next, find the card slot on the motherboard. Often, when doing this, you need to remove the closing metal plates from the back of the system unit in order to bring out the external interface of the adapter. Install the module in the slot, make sure that the cable connector is accessible, and screw the board on for a secure fit. Then put the cover back on system unit. Connect the network cable.
Turn on the PC. After the system boots, a message will appear that a new device has been found. For correct operation, you will need to install a driver that matches the system and brand of network adapter. It is better to download it from the official website of the manufacturer. After that, reboot your system. The network connection icon should appear on the taskbar.
Right-click on the icon and select "Network and Sharing Center" public access". It is here that all network connection settings are made. In particular, go to the "Change adapter settings" menu, after which all available network connections will open.
To change the properties, right-click on the icon of any of them and select "Properties" in the context menu. In addition, the status of each connection is also visible here: “Enabled” or “Disabled”. Connections that are enabled but not working for some reason are crossed out with a red cross. Enable or disable a connection ( program control adapter) is also possible via the context menu.
In order for a PC to work on a network, it must be equipped with a network adapter (a network adapter is an interface card that fits into a free slot on the PC).
This section describes how to place the network adapter in the PC and how to configure the PC so that it can be used on the network.
It is assumed that your PC is already running Windows 95/98.
Now let's choose one of the following options:
Follow these steps only if you have PCs running both Windows 95 and Windows 98 on your network. Windows control 95 or Windows 98 only, go to step 5.
By Windows default 95 and Windows 98 use different network protocols: Windows 95 - NetBEUI, Windows 98 - TCP/IP.
If on different computers networks use different network protocols, these computers will not be able to communicate with each other. We offer you a solution: configure your Windows 95 PCs to use the TCP/IP protocol. To do this, go to the "Setting the IP Address" section, then return to this section and continue.
In the Network dialog box, select the Configuration tab. The used network protocols are marked with the symbol in the list.
You need to check if the correct protocol is being used for each computer on the network or not.
In the Network dialog box, select the Identification tab.
This name identifies your computer on the network. This can be any name (for example, "MyComputer"), but it must not be the same as the names of other computers on the network. We recommend keeping a list of the names of all computers on the network.
In the Workgroup field, type the name of the workgroup.
It can also be anything, but it must match the workgroup name defined on other computers on the network. This name is also better kept. Click OK.
Thus, the PC is prepared for networking.
How to install the driver on the network Windows map 7 10 xp? In the modern world, no user can do without access to the Internet, so a properly configured network plays a big role.
For the network to work correctly, first of all, you need to correctly install the driver on the network card of the personal computer, and we will consider how to do this later.
When installing the operating system, the network card driver may be installed automatically, to check this you need to go to the "Device Manager" and open the desired network branch.
We call the context menu for this, right-click on the "My Computer" icon and select "Properties" in it. In the window that opens, click on "Device Manager".
Go to "Network adapters" and see if there are any exclamation marks or question marks. If there are, then you need to install the driver.
But what to do if there is no drive, or the driver disk itself. The first step is to find out the model (brand) of the network card we are using, for this the AIDA64 program is useful. We launch the program, in the menu on the left we go to "Devices" in them we select " Windows devices"In the window on the right, select "Network adapters", and in them our network card. When we select it, the program will show us its make and model.
Next, we need a device already connected to the Internet. We go to the official website of the manufacturer, download the driver we need (indicating the model of the network card in the search). Transfer it to your computer and run the installation.
If the driver is loaded in the form of libraries without executable file(usually this is setup.exe), then we use the first method only in the "Overview" field, instead of dividing, specify the folder where the driver is written (you must first extract it from the archive).
And how to install a driver on a network card without the Internet?
In this article, we will look at several ways to solve this problem.
Installation disk
Usually motherboards, network adapters and other hardware are sold along with a disk containing drivers and installation instructions. Look among the scattered disks, suddenly you will find a disk with the necessary drivers.
Found? Insert it into the drive. Now you need to go to the "Device Manager". In Windows 10, you can right-click on "This PC" -> "Manage" and find the manager there. Find the network adapter among all devices and select "Update driver" in the context menu. In the window that appears, click "Search for drivers on this computer" and select the drive. The driver installation will start and soon you will have the Internet.
Download the driver using another computer
If the installation disc is lost, you can download the driver through another computer that has Internet access. But for this you need to know the exact model of the network adapter. Perhaps you still have a box from a network card, or a warranty card, where the model may be indicated. If not, let's try to find out programmatically.
In the same device manager, right-click on the network card -> Properties -> Details and select "Hardware ID" in the "Property" drop-down menu. Copy the value and enter it into Google. Search system will find many sites where you can download the appropriate driver for this device.
Earlier we wrote about how to check the stability of the system using the Aida64 program. This multifunctional program can show all devices connected to the motherboard. Launch Aida64 and go to Network -> Windows Network. There you can find out the manufacturer and model of the network card. Download the driver from the internet.
Installing the driver from the .exe file should not be difficult.
Create a backup
Before reinstalling Windows it is better to make a backup copy of the drivers. This will help restore the functionality of all devices in a few clicks. Windows has a built-in utility called DISM.exe. In fact, DISM.exe provides many options, but we will use the function to create a backup of the drivers.
Run command prompt as administrator. To do this, right-click on Start and find this item there. In new Windows versions 10 he is called Windows PowerShell(administrator).
Enter the command:
dism /online /export-driver /destination:E:Backup
E:/Backup - folder where to save drivers. Create it ahead of time. You can also save drivers to other media, such as USB flash drives. Export of drivers to the specified directory will begin. Wait for the process to finish, and only then proceed to reinstall Windows.
When you have a "clean" OS in front of you, it's time to restore all the drivers. In the same way as in the case of installation disk, you need to open the device manager, find the network adapter and start the driver installation from the computer, selecting the folder where you saved the backup.
3DPNET program
There is a wonderful program that can install drivers for a network card without the Internet. This is a utility that packs a lot of drivers specifically for network adapters. And with a probability of 95%, the driver for your adapter is also there.
Download in advance current version 3DP NET from the Internet. I specifically do not provide a link, because the program is constantly updated, drivers are added for new devices. Start 3DPNET. The unpacking of the drivers to the specified folder will begin. Then the program will automatically detect your network adapter and in 1 click you can install the driver. I strongly recommend that you burn this program to yourself on a USB flash drive in order to be able to install the driver at any time.
Select "Search for driver software on this computer". If you don't have a driver disk? When can you run into a problem installing a network device driver? If a driver is already installed on the network card or Wi-Fi adapter, they are displayed in the Network adapters section with the corresponding names. The network device driver code looks like this: PCI/TECH_xxxx&DEV_xxxx&SUBSYS_xxxxxx. 2) There is a driver, but Wi-Fi does not work.
Advice! We recommend that you download all the necessary drivers (not just network drivers) to a separate directory on your hard drive and/or flash drive. This will avoid situations when, after installing the operating system, you will need to look for a drive or PC (tablet, phone) to download drivers from a disk or the Internet. The first line will be the full name of the equipment ID. After we have found out the equipment identifier, we should copy its name (right-click - copy) and enter it in the browser search field.
Installing the network driver
Similar actions will be in case of updating the network driver. We go to the directory in which we recently downloaded everything we need, using the "Browse" button, click "Next" and wait for the end of the driver installation process.
Important! To delete already installed driver you need to go to the "Device Manager", select the network adapter, right-click and select "Delete" in the context menu. Next, you should restart your computer and go to the "Device Manager" again.
3. Installing and updating the driver on the Wi-Fi adapter
Setting automatic search and installing updates now independently updates all devices. Take the correct drivers on the official sites, everything is correct there, you just need to know the exact specification of the device, the OS and everything will be fine.
If this is normal desktop computer, the wireless network adapter (Wi-Fi adapter) is connected separately. It can be for example a USB adapter such as TP-LINK TL-WN721N, or an internal PCI adapter. It doesn't matter what Wi-Fi adapter you have and on what device. We need it to work stably and there are no various problems with connecting and working with WiFi networks. I don't remember exactly, but I don't think I've seen a case where Windows 7 installed a driver on the Wireless Network Adapter by itself.
You can install it from the CD that comes with the kit, or download the driver for the Wireless Network Adapter from the manufacturer's website. Just look for a driver for a specific laptop model, USB adapter, etc. Below in the article, I will show you in more detail how to install a driver on a Wi-Fi adapter.
Check if the Wi-Fi adapter is enabled available networks to connect, there may be a problem in the router, etc. If everything has been checked, then you need to try reinstalling (updating) the driver.
As I wrote above, the driver can be found on the disk that came with the device. Only this method has one drawback. The driver on the disk may be out of date. And on the website of the manufacturer of your device, it may already be a new version driver and it would be good to download and install exactly the new driver. But if there is no way, or you don’t want to look, then the driver from the disk is also suitable.
We find the official website in the search results and go to it (we get to the page of our device). Or you can go to the site of your device and make a squeak on the site by setting the model. If necessary, we indicate for which operating system the driver is needed. Everything, the driver is on our computer. If you just want to install, and not reinstall (update) the driver, then unpack the archive (if the driver is in the form of an archive) into a folder and run setup file. Follow the instructions.
If you want to reinstall the driver, then I advise you to first remove the old one. Everything, the driver is removed. You should see an unknown device (Network Controller) appear. After installing the driver, usually even without rebooting Wi-Fi should work. And I hope it will work stably. Specify the path to the folder with the drivers and click "Next". The driver installation should begin. If Windows says "The best software For this device already installed", then try installing the first way (from the installation file).
It didn’t help at all, my Wi-Fi adapter was ordered from aliexpress. There is no disk included, the adapter has no name, the XP operating system does not install firewood itself. Good afternoon After reinstalling the OS from xp to 7, the network adapter on the laptop is constantly disconnected and disappears at intervals of 1-1.5 hours. At that time, other devices are working normally. According to the idea, modern operating systems automatically find all the equipment and install the necessary drivers.
In order to download the driver you need an internet connection. Remember where the driver disk that you were given in the store when buying a computer was gathering dust. Back up the drivers in advance, for example Driver program Magician Lite or anyone else responsible for this feature.
In the menu that opens, select "Properties". Find your network adapter. In the future, from a working (connected to the Internet) computer, download the driver we need. Anticipating difficulties with the Internet connection, we download the program, “nuuu”, for example, such a powerful and world-famous driver installation manager as DriverPack Solution. They call her 3DP Net. According to the developers, at the click of a button, you can install drivers for network cards (including wireless ones) without accessing the Internet.
But this is understandable. The utility is packed with network card drivers, which can be found for almost all adapters. In practice, it means only one thing: for sure, new network cards are not represented there. I propose as a fact-finding purpose (who knows, maybe it will help someone) to get acquainted with this utility.
1. How do I know if the driver is installed on the Wi-Fi adapter?
It's like the "hero of the occasion" 3DP Net. So is the second 3DP Chip utility. But let's not litter the pages and see everything that the second utility can do in the video clip. After 3DP Net has completed its useful work, and as you remember, we only need drivers for a network card without Internet access from it, the 3DP folder located in the root of the disk (C:) can be deleted.
DriverPack Solution software for updating drivers
Where the HOME tab and the network card are important to us. Unless, of course, 3DP Net determines it. By clicking once on the network card, the installation of the drivers we need so much will begin. Basically, that's all. After the reboot and the appearance of the Internet, you can download the second 3DP Chip utility and deal with its advantages.
Another way to install a driver on a Wi-Fi adapter
Without this driver, neither wireless nor wired network can run. If you have a disk, there are no problems, just install the program. And in its absence, you need to find, for example, a mobile phone / tablet with a connected network in order to download the driver.
The driver is the link between the operating system and the internal components of the computer, that is, this program connects the OS to the motherboard, video and network cards, and office equipment. These programs are developed by the same companies that produce PC hardware and electronic office equipment that the personal computer interacts with.
In the next window, click "Search for drivers on this computer". To do this, go to the Device Manager (as described at the beginning of the article) and right-click on the Wireless Network Adapter device.
Drivers are usually bundled with devices on CDs or, now very rarely, on floppy disks. Insert the disc into the CD drive. When prompted by the system for search and installation options, click "Browse" and specify the network path for the drivers. Click next. After the installation is complete, agree to restart the computer.
Make sure the drivers are installed correctly. To open the context menu, right-click on the "My Computer" icon and select the "Properties" option. Go to the "Hardware" tab, click "Device Manager" and expand the "Network cards" list. Right-click on the name of your adapter and activate "Properties". On the General tab, in the Device Status section, there should be a message saying "The device is working properly."
If you installed on motherboard network adapter, but you do not have drivers for it, go to the manufacturer's website from another computer and download the drivers from there to a floppy disk or USB flash drive. Copy to your hard drive to a folder with a distinguished name so you can easily remember the network path, such as D:DriversNetwork.
Go to "Device Manager", expand the node "Network cards" and right-click on the name of the network card. Select the "Update Driver" command. When asked by the Hardware Update Wizard about connecting to the Internet, answer "no, not this time." Click "Next" to continue. In the next window, check the item "Install from a specified source" and command "Next".
Check the box next to "Include the following search location" and use the "Browse" button to specify the network path to the required drivers. Click "Next" to continue. After the installation is complete, agree to restart your computer.
Network drivers for Windows XP
Quite often, many users personal computers and laptops have to deal with the problem of installing the necessary drivers. Especially such a problem often appears when it is necessary to configure the network adapter so that it can work with the network. Let's take a closer look at where you can download drivers for a network card for the Windows XP operating system.
The easiest way: use the DrivePack program. to update all drivers automatically and get rid of the problem.
What is a network driver
Network drivers are software with which the full operation of the network card is carried out. These drivers allow access to the use of the Internet, local network, wifi.
How to find out the type and name of the network card
Useful information about this can be found by clicking on this link.
How to find out the bitness of the system
As a rule, network drivers are different for 32-bit and 64-bit systems. This, of course, is taken into account by driver developers who offer different drivers depending on the bitness.
To find out Windows bit depth xp. necessary:
Having learned the name, type and model of the network card, you can start downloading the necessary driver. It is best to do this from the manufacturer's website.
After going to the site, find the driver that suits the bitness of your system and install it according to the instructions that the developer installs. Restart your system after installation.
Depending on the network card model, there are several ways to update drivers. The first method is suitable if you have a built-in LAN card. That is, you did not purchase a separate, more functional network card than the one that is already integrated into the motherboard.
Right-click on the "My Computer" shortcut and select "Properties" from the context menu. A menu will appear with the characteristics of your computer. Select the Device Manager tab. Find the line " network hardware". Click on the arrow next to this line. A line will open with the name of your network card. Click on it with the right mouse button. In the context menu that appears, select the "Update driver" command. Check the box next to "Use an Internet connection". The process will start automatic update through the Internet. At the end, you will be informed about the successful update of the drivers.
The second option should be used if you bought a separate network card in addition to the one that was already integrated into your computer's motherboard, because it is it that works as the main one on your PC.
Look in the technical documentation for the model name of the network card. Write it down or memorize it. Go to the website of the manufacturer of this network card and select the "Files" section. Next, select "Network cards". A list of network cards of this manufacturer will appear, among which there is your model. Select the correct network card model. You will be prompted to select an operating system. Select your operating system. The driver download process will begin.
After saving the driver folder on your computer, open it. Locate the setup file. The driver installation wizard will start. Install the driver using its prompts. Driver updated.
you need to find out which network card is on your computer. To do this, open the Start menu and select Control Panel. In the window that opens, select "Administrative Tools" - "Computer Management" - "Device Manager" - "Network Adapters".
You can get similar information using the command line. To do this, open the "Start" menu and type "Run" in the search box. Open the resulting result. In a small dialog box, type without quotes: "cmd" and press the Enter key.
Will open command line. Type the following command without quotes: "ipconfig /all" and press the Enter key.
Once the driver has been downloaded, open it by double-clicking the mouse to launch the Setup Wizard. Install the drivers in the same way as any other program. Once the installation process is successfully completed, be sure to restart your computer.
