dv6810us Won't Scan For Wireless Networks

[winkasdad29]

I have a Pavilion dv6810us Notebook that runs Vista Home Premium. It has the Atheros  AR5007 WiFi adapter. About 10 days ago, it stopped scanning for wireless networks. I can only connect to a wireless network if I manually input the SSID and password in Manage Wireless Networks. The Connect to a Network screen shows the message, "Windows cannot find any additional networks". The radio button in the upper right of the screen does not work. The last day I was able to scan for wireless network was at a Starbucks in New York on October 29. Please help. Thanks.

[ngophan]

I had the same problem on my dv6810us.  Apparently, a Windows update changed the hardware configuration, or something similar.  I restored my system to a date previous to the Windows update and the wireless function started again.

[winkasdad29]

I tried to do a System Restore to a previous date when the wireless scan worked, but the restore keeps failing. I took down the firewall and it still fails. I'm really at a loss. If Windows did indeed mess things up with an update, then they need to fix this.

[ngophan]

As an alternative, go to Device Manager and uninstall your wireless adaptor.  Then restart the computer.  It should install the driver and possibly make your wireless work again.  Good luck!

[winkasdad29]

Uninstalled and installed wireless card driver, but it didn't help.

[ngophan]

There is a 3rd party workaround that some friends have used - a small downloadable file:  WEFI.  You might try to download WEFI and use it to see if the search function works.  Then you will know for sure that it is a driver/software/firmware problem, rather than a hardware problem. 

[winkasdad29]

Where do I go to download that file?

[ngophan]

http://download.cnet.com/WeFi/3000-18508_4-10701038.html

[winkasdad29]

Please disregard that last response. I did a Google search and found it at www.wefi.com. It works! Thanks a lot for your help. I like the fact that the software gives you a list with icons that tell you whether a hotspot is protected or not, so you can see at a glance. Nice work, and thanks again!

[winkasdad29 · Accepted solution]

Please disregard that last response. I did a Google search and found it at www.wefi.com. It works! Thanks a lot for your help. I like the fact that the software gives you a list with icons that tell you whether a hotspot is protected or not, so you can see at a glance. Nice work, and thanks a million!