Blue screen when connecting to the Wi-Fi network (RTL8188EE issue)

[MarcelDan]

Hello,

Greetings from Romania! 🙂

I have a HP laptop (15-r134cl) and I am facing some issues with WiFi connectivity.

We recently changed the internet provider in our home and we have now a Router (ZTE Internet Box Wi-Fi 6 ARGO LTH-ORO2600501) with 2.4 and 5 GHz support. When I connect my laptop to the WiFi the laptop freeze, then I get bluescreen and it tries to restart. The message provided in the blue screen is "Your device ran into a problem and needs to recover..." and the stop code is DPC WATCHDOG VIOLATION.

To be able to start my laptop again I had to turn off the Router. I mention here that after I am able to start it again and turn on the Router, I will get again blue-screen when trying to connect to that network (repetitive process), so I assume it is a HW issue with the RTL8188EE. I tried to uninstall the driver and re-installing again. If I connect my laptop to another network I don't have any issues, it looks like it doesn't like our router, or I don't know 🙂

I saw that windows save some dump files (inside C:\Windows\Minidump) which can be used to identify the issue, see the .dmp files here: dmp files). I don't have the necessary experience to interpret the information inside them (I mean I am able to open them with WinDbg but not sure where to look at for the issue).

To be honest, my ticket is identical with a ticket open on Microsoft support (see it here: Microsoft support ticket) but I am not able to fix this issue by re-installing the driver. Or maybe I got the wrong driver (I got it from here) but when I run it it is not doing anything.

Can you please help me with some hints to overcome the issue?

Thank you in advance for your support!

Best regards,

Marcel

[Raj_05 · Accepted solution]

Hi @MarcelDan,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

It sounds like you've already done some troubleshooting, which is great. Let's try to narrow down the issue further.

• Driver Compatibility: The RTL8188EE is the Wi-Fi adapter in your HP TouchSmart Notebook. Sometimes, the default drivers provided by Windows might not be the best fit. You mentioned reinstalling the driver; however, it's possible that the driver isn't fully compatible with your new router. Make sure you're using the latest driver version available specifically for your laptop model from the HP website. Sometimes, the generic drivers provided by Windows Update might not be the best fit.
• Router Settings: Since the issue seems to occur only with your new router, there might be some compatibility issues between the router and your laptop's Wi-Fi adapter. Check if there are any firmware updates available for your router. Sometimes, router manufacturers release updates to address compatibility issues with specific devices.
• Wi-Fi Channels: Wi-Fi channels can sometimes cause interference, especially in crowded areas. Try changing the Wi-Fi channel on your router to see if it resolves the issue. You can usually do this through the router's web interface.
• Wireless Card Settings: You might want to try adjusting some settings related to your Wi-Fi adapter. Go to Device Manager, find your Wi-Fi adapter, right-click on it, and select Properties. In the Power Management tab, make sure the option "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is unchecked. This can sometimes cause issues with certain adapters.
• Hardware Issue: If none of the above steps work, it's possible that there's a hardware issue with your Wi-Fi adapter or even with the router. 

As for interpreting the .dmp files, they contain information about the system crash. However, interpreting them requires some technical expertise. 

Hopefully, one of these steps will help you resolve the issue with your Wi-Fi connectivity.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support 

[MarcelDan]

Hi @Alden4,

Sorry for late response.

The issue was that Wi-Fi router used a security protocol which is not supported by wireless driver inside the laptop.

I got in contact with Internet providers and they helped me to change the settings for the router and now it is working.

Thank you for your support!

[Raj_05]

Hi @MarcelDan,

Thank you for your response, 

Is there anything else that I can help you with today?

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Alden4

HP Support