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I own an HP Touch 15t-k100 CTO Windows 8.1 with the Intel AC-3160 Wifi Adapter.  It worked perfectly until two days ago.  Now suddently it will stop working after awhile, anywhere between 1-5 hours.  I have power settings set to Never Sleep when plugged in although the Display will go dark.  According to device manager once the Adapter stops working it lists as being stopped by Windows due to a problem with the device.  Whether I do Scan for Hardware Changes or not eventually the Adapter will disappear from the list and I cannot connect to my home network because the computer thinks I have no Wifi adapter. 

 

I have so far tried uninstalling any programs that I installed within about a 4 day period of the first ocurrence of the problem.  I have also tried a system restore to 9/4.  Additionally, I have tried locating any files I may have downloaded since the onset of the problem and gotten rid of them.  There were only two and I don't think either caused the problems.  None of the above steps worked.  Furthermore I have tried downloading updated drivers for the adapter and using those to no avail.  As a side note Restarting the computer does not fix the issue; however, Shutting Down the computer and doing a cold start DOES fix the problem if only temporarily.  This computer is only 2 months old is the adapter shot already?  Any assistance on how to fix this problem is appreciated.

5 REPLIES 5
HP Recommended

Hey @MRG13 ,

 

Welcome to the HP Forums!

 

I understand your having issues with intermittent connectivity on your Intel WLAN adapter.

 

Thanks for all the info. It looks like you've really done the majority of the troubleshooting that can be done for the adapter without looking into a hardware issue. There's very few things that can cause the device to disappear from Device Manager that are not hardware related. Even a piece of hardware without drivers install will typically be detected and listed, though sometimes as an unknown device.

 

I see you have set the power settings to never sleep when plugged in. Is this for the adapter or for the notebook?

 

Make sure the power options for the wireless adapter are not set to turn off the adapter after a period of no use.


Disable the Power Off option for the adapter:
1. Open Device Manager. (Win Key+R > type devmgmt.msc > OK)
2. Expand the Network adapters.
3. Right click on the Ethernet/Wireless Adapter and click Properties.
4. Click the Power Management tab.
5. Remove the check mark beside Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.
6. Click OK.

 

Usually I would also suggest updating the BIOS on the notebook but yours is pretty new and doesn't look like any of the drivers have more recent versions available from HP than what came pre-installed. It might help to restore the default BIOS settings if you have made any changes.

 

Reset default BIOS settings:

1. Turn on or restart the computer.
2. While the display is blank, press the F10 key to enter the BIOS settings menu.
3. Press the F9 key to reset the BIOS to the default settings.
4. Press the F10 key to save the changes and exit the BIOS settings menu.

 

Considering everything else you've already done, reinstalling Windows would be your last bet before contacting HP Phone Support for service options. You can contact HP Technical Support at 1-800-474-6836 in North America. For all other regions click here.

 

Hopefully that helps! 🙂

Great-Deku-Tree
I work on behalf of HP

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Thanks Great Deku Tree:

 

One additional thing I would like to mention before I try your options is that I have also noticed this problem seems to start only when not plugged in to an active outlet.  Additionally, I have noticed that when the computer starts to have the wifi adapter problem if it goes into Sleep mode when I try to wake the computer everything seems to stay on however the display remains dark, not lit up like it is booting but completely bkack.  Thoughts on the relation between these two issues?  Could the sleep issue be causing the adapter problem or vice versa?  In the meantime I will try your power management solution.  Thanks.

HP Recommended

Hey MRG13,

 

Starting to sound like a power management issue. Hopefully setting the power option will help.

 

If the issue occurs on battery power I don't think the adapter would really have anything to do with it, and it could be the result of power throughput from the battery.

 

Run a battery test and calibration and let me know how that goes (if the power management setting doesn't help): Testing and Calibrating the Battery (Windows 😎. It's a bit of a long shot but it's possible that this might help. A more likely reason is the motherboard isn;t directing power properly which is bad news. If the battery calibration doesn't help I think it's time to call HP Phone Support for service. Make sure your information is backed up before sending the notebook for repair. You can contact HP Technical Support at 1-800-474-6836 in North America. For all other regions click here.

 

Hope that works. Smiley Happy

Great-Deku-Tree
I work on behalf of HP

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Hello Great Deku Tree:

 

I have tried all of your advice to no avail.  After just letting things go for awhile I have also started getting repeated restart problems mostly involving DCP_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION's.  Since then I have disabled the internal wifi adapter and am now using an external one.  This seems to have solved the issue as I have had no more problems.  Two things however: one is that if I try removing the external adapter and re-enabling the internal one I once again get a freeze followed by a DCP_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION restart, two should I just consider this a lost cause given the new-ness of the laptop and have HP try to fix it?  I don't have much hope that a recovery install will help the hardware much.  Thanks for all your help.

HP Recommended

Hey MRG13,

 

The watchdog error is typically a driver error or driver conflict.

 

Start by testing the adapter in safe mode to rule out a driver conflict. If the issue persists reinstall the drivers for the adapter with the following download: Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software for Windows 8.1

 

For help choosing which file to install see the following information from the page:

 

If you have Windows 8.1 32-bit and 8.1 64-bit:
DRIVERS ONLY: wireless_17.1.0_De132.exe and wireless_16.11.0_De164.exe
Intel PROSet/Wireless WiFi Software (includes Drivers): wireless_17.1.0_e132.exe and wireless_17.1.0_e164.exe

 

Before sending your notebook for repair I would suggest backing everything up and recovering Windows to the original factory condition. In most cases this will be done at the repair center anyway to rule out any software conflicts and also needs to be done for motherboard replacements (should this be a power issue). If the recovery does not help send the notebook for service while it is still under warranty.

 

Let me know if that helps. 🙂

 

Great-Deku-Tree
I work on behalf of HP

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