wifi disappeared

[Alebaronz]

Hi,

I have an HP Victus laptop (64 bit) with Windows 11.

Today, suddenly, wifi connection is not visible, the icon has disappeared and and the network adapter itself is not there anymore!

I guess the bluetooth as well!

Yesterday it worked fine, and there was no system update today...

Now I wanted to try and reinstall the driver (could this be the solution?), but from the HP page (model of my laptop selected) I find several network adapter and I don't know which to download and install: 

Driver Local Area Network (LAN) Realtek

Driver LAN Wireless MediaTek

MediaTek Bluetooth Driver

Driver Intel WLAN

Driver Intel Bluetooth

What should I do??

Thanks

Alessandro

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Alebaronz,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

Thanks for the detailed explanation — that helps a lot. Based on what you’ve described, it sounds like your laptop's wireless network adapter (which handles both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) has either:

1. Stopped working due to a driver issue, or
2. Been disabled in BIOS or Device Manager, or
3. Experienced a hardware failure (less likely, but possible).

Let’s go step-by-step to troubleshoot and resolve this:
 

Step 1: Check Device Manager

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Look under:
   • Network adapters – see if any wireless or Bluetooth devices are listed.
   • Other devices – sometimes missing drivers show up here with a yellow warning icon.
3. If you don’t see any wireless or Bluetooth adapter, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Show Hidden Devices

In Device Manager:

• Click View > Show hidden devices.
• See if the wireless adapter appears greyed out (which means it's not currently active).

Step 3: Check BIOS

Sometimes the wireless adapter can be disabled in the BIOS:

1. Restart your laptop and enter BIOS/UEFI (usually by pressing Esc, F10, or Del during startup).
2. Look for Wireless, LAN, or Bluetooth settings and ensure they are enabled.

Step 4: Reinstall the Driver

If you know whether your laptop uses Intel or MediaTek wireless hardware:

• Intel WLAN → Download if your laptop uses an Intel wireless card.
• MediaTek WLAN → Download if it uses MediaTek.
• The same logic applies to Bluetooth.

If you're unsure, I can help you identify it — just share your exact model number.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support

[Alebaron]

Hi @vikramthegreat,

Thanks a lot for your kind and detailed answer.

I had to solve my problem sooner and I'll explain the situation as I found it:

The wireless/bluetooth devices did not appear on the list of device manager, and in the Bios the Wireless looked like disabled and there was not option to enable it!

Eventually I decided to try to update the Bios (I had to download it from another computer...). This worked!! Wireless and Bluetooth  e back!

Now, I wonder why the Bios doesn't update itself!? Do I have to update it "manually"? How often?

Why the different tests and diagnostics don't find the problem easily, without me wasting 4 hours of research...?

This thing of updating the Bios was written nowhere and nobody ever told me!

I am a bit disappointed that these sort of things happen... At least I would expect to receive a warning in advance!

Anyway thanks for your answer

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Alebaronz,

Thank you for your detailed message, and we’re truly glad to hear that your wireless and Bluetooth issues are now resolved after updating the BIOS.
 

You're right to ask why this process isn't clearer, and we’d like to address your concerns directly:
 

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is low-level system software that’s crucial for hardware communication. Unlike Windows updates, BIOS updates are not installed automatically through Windows Update because:

• A failed BIOS update can prevent your computer from starting
• It's a low-level change that requires careful handling
• OEMs (like HP) often prefer to leave this step to users or technicians to control when and how it happens

However, HP provides a utility called HP Support Assistant that can notify you of BIOS updates and safely install them, but it must be installed and running regularly.

I hope this answers your Question.

Take care and have a good day.

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, as it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

VikramTheGreat

HP Support