Compaq 6715b No WiFi Help requested

[bardos]

I have just made a new clean install of WinXP sp3 and can't seem to get the wifi working. I just bought this computer 2nd hand. Everything appears to function except the WiFi. I think I have installed all the drivers, but I'm not sure. I have the small blue light lit at the top of the keyboard, but still nothing.

I have zero unknowns in Device Manager.

I have an icon of two monitors in the tray which says "Bluetooth Network" (a network cable is unplugged), but I have no bluetooth devices connected. 

The other icon of two monitors is of the internet cable which  is connected and working.

I have reseated the wifi card to no avail, it just does not appear... Checked in system information/network and there was no wireless adaptor. So, is it the card? Mobo?

Any assistence would be appreciated.  

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

You may need to install this software and turn on the wireless card & bluetooth radio using the software.

http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/swdDetails/?sp4ts.oid=3356624&sp...

[bardos]

It has been already installed. Bluetooth is indeed turned on. It's the wifi which is nowhere to be found.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Make sure the wifi card is enabled in the BIOS.

If that doesn't take care of the problem, then the card is probably no good or the motherboard is shot.

[bardos]

which of those two is the question. Is there any way to discern which it is?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Nope.

The cheapest thing to do would be to get a used but tested and working wireless card on eBay with the same part number as the on you have in there now.

Query by the part number.  No doubt you can get one for less than $10 delivered.  Installing a non-supported card in an HP notebook will not work.

If it fixes it, then you fixed it cheap.

If not, then I would toss the PC in the trash.  It is too old to put any money and extensive labor into.

[bardos]

But if the only problem is wifi... with a usb wifi stick, wouldn't this make the computer not for the trash. It appears to work very well otherwise.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Sure.

If you want to add a usb wireless adapter, that would work.

I just don't like stuff sticking out of the notebook.  I'm the type of person who might break it off somehow. 

If you don't carry it around much, that would be a good choice.

[bardos]

OK, here is how I sort of solved this issue. I borrowed a working wireless card from another laptop and installed it. However the card came of a different latop, not an HP.

However, this card was the  same exact Intel model number etc. although not from an HP computer. I had faith that if the card was recognized by the BIOS on bootup, it would reject it with what has become the famous BIOS error # 104.

Well, it didn't do that. Booted directly into windows without a peep. I thus conclude that the wireless port on the motherboard connection, or whatever this is called where the card is slotted in, must have burnt out as well.  

Opinions welcomed as to the veracity of this experiment. 

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

I concur that the motherboard has an issue.

Either the wireless card (being the exact same model) would have passed the BIOS check and worked, since the card is a known working card, or you would have gotten the unsupported wireless card BIOS Halt Code if the motherboard picked up the card and the BIOS rejected it.