The network adapter in my device manager disappeared. I am no longer able to connect to Wi-Fi.

[Vince_F]

The option to connect to Wi-Fi on my laptop disappeared, so I went to the device manager and saw no Wi-Fi network adapter. I only see ones that say WAN Miniport. I did some troubleshooting, but nothing has worked so far. I tried resetting the network adapters in the setting. I tried reinstalling both the Intel Wi-Fi drivers and the HP drivers from my laptop via a thumb drive. Neither of these worked either. Finally, I went to the control panel and the network setting. When I clicked change adapter settings, it brought up an empty folder (which I will attach a screenshot of). I have tried everything I have seen online and do not know where to go from here. If anyone has any suggestions they would be much appreciated.

[Raj_05]

Hi @Vince_F,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

It sounds like you've already tried several troubleshooting steps, which is great for narrowing down the issue. Here are a few more steps you can try.

• Check for physical switch or key: Some laptops have physical switches or key combinations to toggle the Wi-Fi adapter on and off. Make sure that your Wi-Fi is enabled through such a switch or key combination.
• BIOS settings: Sometimes, Wi-Fi functionality can be disabled in the BIOS settings. Restart your laptop and access the BIOS settings (usually by pressing F10, F2, or DEL during boot-up), then navigate through the settings to ensure that the Wi-Fi adapter is enabled.
• Hardware issue: There may be a hardware issue with the Wi-Fi adapter itself. 
• System Restore: If you recently installed any new software or drivers, they may be causing conflicts with the Wi-Fi adapter. You could try performing a system restore to revert your laptop to a previous state when the Wi-Fi was working. Be sure to back up any important files before proceeding with a system restore.
• Windows Update: Sometimes, Windows updates can cause issues with hardware drivers. Make sure that your laptop is fully up-to-date with the latest Windows updates, as this may include fixes for known Wi-Fi adapter issues.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

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Alden4

HP Support