WiFi switched off by BIOS

[Gstevx]

Dear Members, I would like to ask for your help please. I use my laptop for trying out new Linux distros and sometimes looking at Windows (certainly with changing the SSD hard drives). A week ago I tried 4M Linux but then realized that it has switched off WiFi in BIOS. Since then the laptop own wifi is dead. When I turn on the laptop, the colour of wifi switch is blue, but the next second it turns orange and from then I can not make that back to blue. I read all the relevant solution tips but neither of them worked because all modify something only in Windows OS, not in the BIOS. Yes, I also touched the orange physical switch many times, nothing happens. Fortunately I have a wifi dongle which works fine, but the laptop wifi itself always turns from blue to orange after one second from startup. Unfortunately there is no possibility in BIOS setup, since there is no "LAN/WLAN switch" item there. Otherwise I wouldn't ask for your help here, just used that BIOS facility. I also tried connecting a cable to the router then removing it hoping that the wifi will be switched back on, but no way, it stayed orange. So please put me down a simple BIOS editing method (in Windows) from where I can switch the BIOS wifi on. Thanks a lot.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

The only suggestion I can offer would be to make a bootable Ubuntu installer and see if you can turn on the Wi-Fi in Ubuntu.

You can download Ubuntu from the link below:

Download Ubuntu Desktop | Download | Ubuntu

If you have a Windows PC here is how to make the Ubuntu ISO file bootable.

Create a bootable USB stick with Rufus on Windows | Ubuntu

Boot from the Ubuntu installer;

Select the option to 'Try Ubuntu without installing'

See if you can turn on the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (if equipped) in Ubuntu.

If you can, turn the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, exit out of the Ubuntu installer, and shut down the PC.

The next time you restart the PC, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth should be working again.

[Gstevx]

Hi Paul, I really thank you for your support. First I dowloaded, Rufus-ed and started up Ubuntu, that did not help the issue. Then I installed Ubuntu, which again did not help. On the Settings screen Wi-Fi was off and could not be switched on, while the Airplane mode was on and grey, i.e. could not be switched off. Finally I powered off Ubuntu but during that process I pushed the physical wi-fi button (which I frequently did in the last 4 days hoping to get back the wi-fi). Now there came an error message saying: BIOS application error 501. Great, I stopped the laptop and started again. Ubuntu started well and when I pushed the physical wi-fi switch, there we go, it turned blue. Since there is no logical explanation for this, I call it miracle. Your basic idea to try Ubuntu worked, so THANK YOU indeed.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Glad that the steps you took fixed the problem.  😊