Windows 8.1 didnt install wireless netw driver for Pavilion ac151sa laptop no Windows 8 driver on hp

[RetroGeeza]

Installed Windows 8.1 64bit after removing Linux on this Windows 8 laptop, a HP Pavilion ac151sa, no wireless adaptor driver was installed (worked fine on a 2018 copy of Linux Mint 15 mins earlier!!) and your support website only offers download of drivers for Windows 7 or Windows 10! This laptop came with Windows 8, it was upgraded to Windows 10 and wireless worked fine, the wireless orange light on one of the Function keys is not illuminated and turning Airplane Mode on/off does nothing. Is there a key combination to turn on the laptop? 

Windows device manager is showing a network adaptor with no driver and Windows could not find it whilst the laptop was connected to the internet via a cable either.

Autodetect on the support page for this exact laptop found nothing either (probably because this is Windows 8 I am running it on)

Why don't you design your site properly and put ALL drivers for ALL versions of Windows the laptop supports like other companies do so we can fix the idiotic problems this low rent Microsoft rubbish always causes? I have enough problems dealing with the sub-standard Microsoft, I don't need terrible support download options on HP's website to add insult to injury thanks. Put Windows 8 drivers on your website!

What a mess HP Support is.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

According to the product specs your notebook came with W10 from HP.

HP Notebook - 15-ac151sa (ENERGY STAR) Product Specifications | HP® Customer Support

Based on the Wi-Fi card specs listed in the link above, the Wi-Fi card can only be one of two models...The Intel 3165 AC or 3168 AC.

Intel Wireless LAN Drivers

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp102001-102500/sp102093.exe 

Intel Bluetooth Driver

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp101501-102000/sp101772.exe 

And if by chance the specs are incorrect, please post the hardware ID for the device you see listed in the device manager labeled as a Network Controller.

Use this guide for how to find the hardware ID for a device...

How to Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in the Device Manager (howtogeek.com)

W8.1 drivers definitely exist for your notebook's Wi-Fi adapter.

It's just a matter of finding out what model Wi-Fi adapter your notebook has if it is not one of the Intel ones I posted.

The hardware ID will provide that info, and I will get the links to the drivers you need from a HP business-class notebook with the same model wifi adapter.

[RetroGeeza]

https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-15-ac100-notebook-pc-series/8499326/model/906103...

That is the link for this model with the two possible options for wireless lan, neither of them worked as the download driver options are for Win 7 or Win 10 only on the support page for driver downloads for this notebook,

It's not my laptop, so it is not here sadly. I went on the HP support site above for this model and the only two options for wireless lan driver downloads on the product page were for a Realtek card or a broadcom card, the HP support site only gave options to select Windows 7 or Windows 10 as my operating system to download a driver for and neither of them would install in Windows 8 when I tried the drivers for both possible wireless lan cards and for both Windows versions given as an option.

Bluetooth driver was installed by Windows 8.1 DVD and is working fine in device manager. There is only one unknown network controller so it must be for the wireless lan and it can only be realtek or broadcom unit listed there.

I noticed the orange LED inside one of the function keys (F4 or F5) which is always lit was not active after I removed Linux Mint and there was no option in the BIOS I could see to turn on wifi radio in case that was the reason Windows didn't install a driver.

Next weekend I will put Windows 10 on the laptop when I visit the owner again but using a wired connection is inconvenient and I need to have the wireless card driver installed before performing the W10 upgrade from the DVD ISO generated by the Microsoft upgrade tool I have downloaded from the official website,

The laptop as purchased in the store came with Windows 8  out of the box but it had a 'free Windows 10 upgrade' included and this was applied after the sale but it is a Windows 8 laptop from half a decade ago. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

All I need you to do is to post the hardware ID for the Network Controller appearing in the device manager, and you will have the Wi-Fi working in two shakes.

Otherwise, we will have to play a guessing game of try this driver, try that driver...a waste of your time and mine.

[RetroGeeza]

Like I said it isn't my laptop, I am home now and the next time I see the owner of the laptop I will be installing Windows 10 for them because Metro GUI on 8.1 is not suitable. 

My issue is the specific support page for this model does not detect the laptop correctly automatically and if selected manually only allows Windows 7 or 10 as a selection for OS which is wrong for a Windows 8 laptop. Why is HP not hosting Windows 8 drivers for their Windows 8 laptop? 

I already know it is one of only two possible cards, the problem is some idiot who designed the HP support page for this Windows 8 laptop forgot to put Windows 8 drivers for either of those two Wireless lan cards. If I had no more time to spend on it before leaving I would have gone on to search for generic Windows 8 drivers for those two listed brands/models of Wireless lan card detailed on the HP support page for the laptop. Bit of a joke really. Never had this cockup with Dell/Toshiba/IBM support pages for 2 decades. I had less problems putting Windows XP onto a Toshiba Libretto!

HP need to do some firing ASAP.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Sorry I missed the part of your reply where you did not have the notebook in front of you.

In any event you can use the Windows 8.1 drivers from the HP 250 G4 business class notebook for the HP 15-ac151sa.

HP 250 G4 Notebook PC Software and Driver Downloads | HP® Customer Support

The 250 G4 is the equivalent model of the 15-ac1xx model series, and it has W8.1 drivers.

One of the W8.1 Wi-Fi drivers listed there should work.