No WiFi after windows update

[KatPM]

I did the newest windows update on Christmas Day and now I have no WiFi. My WiFi adapter is not even showing up in Device Manager. I ran a hardware diagnostic and it said I have no Wireless Module installed. It was working fine before the update and this computer was not been touched or moved so there is no way the module came loose. Computer is slightly over a year old. I am also finding it impossible to find the model of the WiFi card that thiscomputer uses.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

According to the parts list for your model at the link below, it comes with the Realtek RTL8821CE wifi adapter.

http://partsurfer.hp.com/Search.aspx?searchText=Z5N92AA

The only suggestion I can offer, would be to see if this works...

Go to the device manager, click on the View tab at the top of the device manager window.

Select the Show Hidden Devices option.

See if the Realtek wifi adapter now shows up under the Network Adapters device manager category in light shade.

If it does, right click on it, select Uninstall.  Check the uninstall driver box, restart the PC, and see if W10 installs it properly so that it is active and working.

If you can get it to show up correctly, here are the links to the latest W10 wifi and Bluetooth drivers for that wifi adapter...

Wifi:  2024.0.10.209                Dec 6, 2019

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp100501-101000/sp100552.exe

Bluetooth:  1.7.1021.3000    Dec 6, 2019

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp100501-101000/sp100556.exe

[KatPM]

Thank you for your reply. The only Realtek adapter showing up is the Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller. The only hidden device that appears is the Microsoft Kernel Debug Network Adapter. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Other than backing up your files and doing a complete factory reset (with no guarantee it will fix the problem), the only other suggestion I can offer would be to purchase an external USB wifi adapter.

It is very possible the wifi card suddenly died on you.

[KatPM]

Thanks again for the help. I appreciate it very much 😊  It is VERY hard for me to believe that the card just happened to die at the exact same moment I did the windows upgrade. This has to be from the software upgrade. Pretty pathetic for a computer that is barely a year old. Very disappointed in HP. I guess I will have to purchase the external WiFi card. I will be sure to not buy anymore HP products. Their printers last a year if you are lucky and their computers are apparently not much better. Sad.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I have two HP notebooks with those lousy RTL8821CE wifi cards in them, and all I read are problems like yours with those cards, and the RTL8822BE.

Disappearing wifi cards, constant disconnections...

I guess I can expect the same thing to happen to me in the future.

[bluenose4]

I agree totally: this is not a case of the hardware dying, this is an issue once again caused by a W10 update. There have already been 4 people confirming the same issue has happened to them on this post alone. Exactly the same issue has happened to me today: a Windows update, prior to which my WiFi was working perfectly. Afterwards, there is absolutely no sign of the wireless adapter in the Device Manager network controllers list, only the Realtek ethernet controller as described by KatPM.

[KatPM · Accepted solution]

Finally got it solved! After trying to reinstall all the drivers dozens of times with no solution I did this...

-turn the computer off completely

-unplug the power cord and EVERYTHING else connected to the computer

-wait a couple minutes

-plug the power cord (only) back in and restart the computer

BOOM! WiFi working perfectly!!

i hope this helps some people 😊