Network adapter constantly failing on HP Pavilion DV8 laptop

[Steve__C]

Hi, I've been having problems off and on with my network adapter for a while now, but it's becoming so frequent that it's driving me crazy.

The typical scenario is that I boot up my laptop and there's no internet access (little red cross, as if the network button were turned off). I then run the Win Network Diagnostics tool, and that resets the adapter, giving me internet for a few minutes at most. The cross then appears again (the light is still blue, not orange), so I run the diagnostics again, and it tells me that there's a problem with the adapter.

I restart, and sometimes it works, sometimes I have to go through the whole process again. Sometimes it tells me to check the Realtek network cable is plugged in, other times it tells me it can't identify the problem. Sometimes the adapter is disabled, other times it doesn't appear at all in device manager.

I've downloaded all the latest drivers, including MB and BIOS, although those are from 2009 and the same as the ones already installed.

I've tried resetting, removing the battery, reseating the ram... I've tried EVERYTHING!

The weird thing is that sometimes it works for a day  or two, no problem. Other times, like today, my connection lasts for a minute or two at most before the red cross appears again.

I could understand if there was a bad connection inside, but this happens without me moving the computer or barely touching it.

I'll be eternally grateful to anyone who can help me with this. I've searched every post I can find and tried every possible solution, but no luck.

Windows 7, 64-bit.

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @Steve__C, Welcome to HP forums.

I understand that you have network issues with your PC.

Kudos to you for trying out the steps.

Don't worry I will try to help you out.

Have you tried checking with the ethernet connection? Does your PC work well using an ethernet cable?

Did you make any software or hardware changes on your PC?

Go to windows desktop

Hold Windows key + Letter R key.

Run dialog box would open type devmgmt.msc

Device manager window will open.

Go to the network adapter, expand network adapter and provide the wireless card name listed.

Try the steps recommended below.

HP Support Assistant is a software support diagnosis and troubleshooting tool from HP that can resolve many types of network and Internet connection issues. Follow these steps to diagnose and troubleshoot network issues using HP Support Assistant:
 NOTE:
The images in this section might vary slightly from what you see on your screen.
If your computer has a wireless key or button on or near the keyboard and the wireless activity light is off or amber in color, then press the key or button to enable your wireless adapter. This key might be the F10 key, F12 key, or labeled with a symbol of an airplane.
If wireless activity comes on or the activity light turns blue, you have enabled wireless on your system. Try connecting to the Internet again. If problems persist, continue using these steps.
If your computer does not have a wireless key or the wireless activity lights remain off or orange, then continue using these steps.
From the Windows desktop, click the HP Support Assistant icon in the notification area (at the bottom right corner of the screen).
 NOTE:
If HP Support Assistant is not installed on your computer, you can go to the HP Support Assistant site to download and install the HP Support Assistant software. If your computer cannot connect to the Internet, then use Microsoft's Windows 7 automated network troubleshooting built into Windows 7 instead of this step.
If a welcome screen opens, select the options you want, and then click Next.
In the My devices screen, select your device from the options listed.
The My devices menu screen are displayed.
On the My devices menu screen, click Internet and Security.
Click HP Network Check.
If a User Account Control message opens, click Yes to allow the computer to make changes.
On the HP Network Check Welcome screen, click Next to run the network diagnostic.
If the diagnostic test finds no issues, close the windows and continue to the next section.
If the diagnostic test finds one or more issues, continue following the steps in this section.
Click Possible Root Causes.
Click one of the tool icons for steps to resolve the issue, then follow the on-screen instructions.
After completing the instructions, click Re-check.
If necessary, repeat these steps until the network connectivity issue is resolved or all possible root causes and repairs have completed.

Refer this article further troubleshoot wireless issues.

Let me know if this works!

Have a great day ahead! 🙂

[Steve__C]

Thanks for the response! I must say that I haven't tried it directly with an ethernet conneciton yet, that's one of the few things I've not attempted. I'll try that later today.

At the moment, since yesterday, it's been working smoothly, but I know from experience that could change at any moment.

The wireless light genrally works-  when I'm connected, it's blue. When I want to turn it off, I press it and the light goes orange. However, if often happens that it's blue but my connection is still down. I turn wireless off and on and again and it does nothing.

In Device Mnager i have 2 devices listed:

Intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6200 AGN

Microsoft Virtual WiFi Miniport Adapter #10

I've updated the drivers for these several times, even though the PC says my version is up to date.

I'll download HP Support Assistant and try that, as you suggest, and will keep you posted. 

Thanks again!

[A4Apollo]

Hi! @Steve__C, thanks for your response and time.

Kudos to you for trying out the steps.

Thanks for sharing the details.

I have found the latest driver for the wireless card directly from intel website.

Version: 18.40.4

Please update the wireless drivers using this link.

Let me know if this helps!

Have a great day ahead! 🙂

[Steve__C]

Thanks again - I've downloaded the latest drivers from your link, and the Support Assistant.

As I said, it's working well at the moment. If it's still okay in a couple of days, I'll mark this as solved.

Much appreciated!!

[A4Apollo]

@Steve__C, Thanks for your quick response and time.

It's greatly appreciated for trying out the steps.

Certainly, you can keep your laptop under observation and let me know if you have any issues.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Cheers! 🙂

[Steve__C]

OK, I'm back again, sadly. Worked well for a couple of days, but now every time I boot up, the adapter is disabled.

I run the HP Support Assistant network scan, and it flushes the DNS cache, the has to reset the network adapter.

Internet then works fine for aout 5 minutes, then I get the little yellow "!" mark. I run the network scan again and the same thing happens. Flush cache, reset adapter, internet for a few minutes only.

I've installed the latest drivers from the link you posted. I don't know what else to do....

[DavidSMP · Accepted solution]

Hi @Steve__C, 

I reviewed the post. As @A4Apollo, is out of office for the day, I am jumping in to assist you. Stupendous effort and brilliant troubleshooting so far.  Kudos to you on that score. 🙂

• Please try these steps.
• Try with a hard wired Ethernet adapter and check if it works fine.
• If it does without disconnects, then the wifi adapter could be faulty.
• Please update the bios and chipset drivers also from http://hp.com/drivers and follow the on-screen instructions.

Please follow the steps from this document: http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Wireless-and-Networking/Common-fixes-for-wireless-connectivity...

Then check if this fixes the issue. If it does not please try these steps:

Start Menu > Control Panel > Administrative Tools for the Classic View (long list of items) or Start Menu > Control Panel > > Performance and Maintenace > Administrative Tools for Category View (colorful, big icons).

2) Double-click Services.

3) In this window, click the Name column header (where is says “Name”) to sort by the service name.

4) Scroll down to find WLAN AutoConfig service. Stop the service first. Then restart it and make sure that it runs automatically.

5) Make sure that dependency services are also stopped and restarted.

Finally, if nothing works, then it the wireless card may be faulty and needs to be replaced. A fabulous workaround would be is to buy a USB Wi-Fi dongle and plug it to one of the USB ports of the computer. Then connect it to the Wi-Fi router to go online.  This is a cost effective and economical solution. You could order one from eBay or Amazon for a song. You could also contact your local Best Buy or Staples store for doing it.

Hope this helps.   I genuinely hope the issue gets resolved without hassles and the unit works great. 🙂  Please reach out for any issues and I'll always be there to assist you always. 🙂

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help.

 If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles. 🙂

 Take care now and have a splendid week ahead. 🙂

[Steve__C]

As it's difficult for me to access the ethernet cable (it's very short and under a table), I took your advice and bought the USB dongle. The network problems were still there when I booted up, but after installing and plugging in the dongle, IT WORKS!!! Like a dream, faster than it's ever been.

Although we haven't fixed the problem with the laptop itself, I think we can consider this closed as I have internet back.

Thanks David and Mr Robot!! You've both been a great help 🙂

[DavidSMP]

Hi @Steve__C,

It has been a fabulous experience working with you. 🙂 I thank you greatly for accepting this as a solution. 🙂 You've been simply amazing with your technical expertise and thanks again for giving me the privilege to share this platform with you. 🙂

I hope the unit works great and stays healthy for a long time. 🙂

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help.  

Please take care, stay healthy, keep smiling big and do have a blessed year ahead. 🙂