My laptop became a brick

[samvoirefaire]

My laptop became a brick over the weekend. I was running Win 11 and now there is the Airplane mode stuck on - known problem. I am unable to roll it back to Win10, is not connecting to the internet and installing new drivers failed.  Please can someone help me get back online, I have access to really great IT support, but they will not do much until I get this machine connected to the internet again, so they can remote in.

At first I thought it was a virus, but why would malware want to knock me off the internet.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @samvoirefaire,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your Windows 11 laptop and the issue where Airplane mode is stuck on, the system won’t connect to the internet, and driver installs are failing. Let’s go through a few steps to check what could be causing this.

Check if the Airplane Mode switch is stuck
– Some HP models have a physical wireless key (F12 or a key with an antenna icon).
– Tap it once to toggle wireless back on, even if the on-screen icon looks frozen.

Reset the Network Adapter
– Go to Settings → Network & Internet → Advanced network settings → Network Reset.
– This reinstalls all network adapters and clears corrupt configurations that lock Airplane mode.

Restart the Radio Management Service
– Press Windows + R → type services.msc.
– Find Radio Management Service → right-click → Restart.
– This service directly controls Airplane mode and often gets stuck after updates.

Check Device Manager for disabled or missing Wi-Fi drivers
– Open Device Manager → Network adapters.
– If your Wi-Fi adapter is missing or has a warning symbol, right-click → Enable or Uninstall → Restart.
– Windows will reinstall a default driver automatically.

Turn on Wi-Fi through BIOS
– Restart → press Esc → F10 for BIOS.
– Under System Configuration, make sure “Wireless LAN” is Enabled.
– A BIOS wireless lock will force Windows into permanent Airplane mode.

Use Ethernet or a USB phone tether to get online
– Plug in an Ethernet cable directly to router/modem if available.
– Or connect your phone to the laptop → enable USB tethering.
– This gives internet access so Windows Update can pull the correct Wi-Fi driver.

Reinstall the Wireless Driver using Windows Update
– Once you have temporary internet access, open Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
– Install all driver updates under “Advanced options → Optional updates.”

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[samvoirefaire]

Hi @Kuroi_Kenji! 

This was a somewhat helpful answer, but the problem is not resolved. The Radio Management Service tip helped me get airplane mode unstuck. It is now running updates, unsuccessfully. The Network adapter problem has not yet resolved. 

One problem is that this is not a windows 11 machine, and HP says there are not drivers available to download for the HP Envy model I am using. Ideally I would roll back somehow to Windows 10 and use the old drivers, but I was unable to install new drivers or roll back the upgrade to windows 11 so far. Updates are underway so I will keep you posted. 

I was unable to turn Wifi back on with BIOS settings, I plugged in the Ethernet adapter, and I'm 96% updated, but getting the error, "Something didn't go as planned." Is there any way to download a network driver that will work on this machine? The updates appear to be stuck, "Something didn't go as planned," how can I roll back the Windows 11 / remove or revert back to Windows 10?

Thank you in advance,

Sami

Sami 

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi,

Thank you for the detailed update, that really helps us move closer to a permanent fix.

Since your HP Envy model does not officially support Windows 11 drivers, the wireless adapter is failing because it’s unable to load the correct driver. To get your network working again, the most stable solution is to revert back to Windows 10 first and then reinstall the correct Wi-Fi drivers.

Let’s go step by step:

Try Windows Rollback (if the option is still available)

Press Windows + I → Settings

Go to System → Recovery

Click Go back (under “Previous version of Windows”)

Follow the prompts to roll back to Windows 10.

This option disappears after 10 days OR if temporary files were deleted. If you don’t see “Go back”, go to Method 2.

Reinstall Windows 10 Using a Bootable USB

Since your device can still update through Ethernet, we’ll create a proper Windows 10 reinstall:

Connect Ethernet or enable USB mobile tethering (as you already tried earlier).

Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from Microsoft.

Run the tool → Create a bootable USB (8GB+).

Restart your laptop → Press Esc → F9 → Boot from USB.

Install Windows 10 (Delete only the OS partition; don’t delete recovery unless necessary).

This will install a fresh Windows 10 environment that fully supports your model.

After Reinstalling Windows 10

Once Windows 10 is running:

Install Original Wireless Drivers

Open Device Manager → Network adapters

If Wi-Fi adapter shows a yellow warning, uninstall it and reboot.

Go to HP Support page for your Envy model.

Download:
Realtek / Intel Wireless LAN Driver
Bluetooth Combo Driver
HP Wireless Button Driver (important for Airplane Mode issues)

If the Wi-Fi Adapter Still Doesn’t Show

It could be disabled in BIOS. Enter BIOS again:

Restart → Esc → F10

Go to System Configuration

Ensure Wireless LAN = Enabled

Save & Exit

Updating to Windows 11 on unsupported models often breaks:

Network drivers

Audio drivers

HP Wireless Button service

So Windows 10 is truly the best stable OS for your device.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 👍✨

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 🚀

Best regards,

[samvoirefaire]

None of this is working. The device cannot update through ethernet. 'm unable to create the bootable USB I don't know how to boot from it. Sad and frustrated. I bought a new machine and it is no good.  I think this windows 11 is just terrible. I don't understand the instruction to "Delete only OS Partition don't delete  recovery." Can I please have someone to assist me with more detailed instructions, and a phone call to help me?

Sami