my laptop cant recognized wireless adapter

[amir_mohammadi]

Hi

My laptop was working fine but suddenly its WiFi stopped working. After checking, I found out that its Bluetooth is also disabled.

Windows was reinstalled, I changed the operating system (Windows to Linux), uninstalled and then reinstalled the network driver many times. I tried all the methods described in the forum but none of them worked.

In my opinion, installing an update on the BIOS, which is done automatically by Windows, is the cause of the problem.

I used a flash drive to restore the BIOS to the previous version according to the instructions, but the system cannot recognize the flash drive after turning on (power + win + b).

To overcome the problem, introduce a solution or tell me how to restore the BIOS to the previous version without a flash drive

Previous network card model: Realtek RTL8821ce

New network card model: Intel ac3168

os version: windows 10 22H2

Bios version: F.33

[Raj_05]

Hi @amir_mohammadi,

Welcome to HP Support Community.

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

It sounds like the issue with your HP 15.6-inch Laptop PC 15 laptop is related to BIOS or hardware changes that affected your wireless adapter's functionality. Since you've already attempted a variety of software fixes (reinstalling drivers, operating system changes, and BIOS restoration via flash drive), let's explore other solutions that might help.

Steps to Address the Problem:

Check Wireless Adapter in Device Manager:

• Ensure that the wireless adapter is visible in the Device Manager. If it's listed with a yellow triangle, there could be a driver issue.
  • Right-click on the Start Menu and choose Device Manager.
  • Expand Network adapters and check if the Realtek RTL8821ce or Intel AC3168 is present. If not, continue to the next steps.

Disable Fast Startup in Windows:

Sometimes, the fast startup feature can cause problems with hardware drivers, particularly for network adapters.

• Go to Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do.
• Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable and uncheck Turn on fast startup.
• Restart your system.

Reset BIOS to Default:

Since the issue may have been triggered by a BIOS update, resetting the BIOS to factory settings might help.

• Restart the laptop and press F10 to enter the BIOS settings.
• Once in the BIOS, locate the option to Restore Defaults or Load Setup Defaults (usually under the Exit tab).
• Save changes and exit the BIOS.

Reverting BIOS Without a Flash Drive:

If you can't use a flash drive to revert the BIOS, you can try to reinstall a previous BIOS version through the following steps:

• Download the previous BIOS version from the HP support site.
• Run the BIOS rollback tool from within Windows:
  • Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  • Type msinfo32 and press Enter to check your current BIOS version.
  • After verifying your BIOS version, locate the previous version (F.32, for example) and execute it from the installer to roll back the BIOS.
• If the system doesn't allow you to install an older BIOS version directly, you may need to create a BIOS recovery USB using the HP BIOS Recovery Utility.

Check BIOS Settings for Wireless Adapter:

Ensure that the BIOS settings have not disabled the wireless adapter.

• Enter the BIOS (press F10 on startup) and navigate to Advanced → Device Options.
• Ensure that both Wireless Network Adapter and Bluetooth are enabled.

Check Hardware Compatibility:

Since you replaced the wireless card (from Realtek RTL8821ce to Intel AC3168), verify that the new Intel card is fully compatible with your laptop's motherboard and BIOS. Some laptops have whitelists in the BIOS, preventing non-original network cards from working properly.

• If possible, switch back to the Realtek card to see if it works, or check HP’s documentation to ensure that the Intel AC3168 is compatible with your laptop.