Wireless Network Adapter disappeared after Windows 10 upgrade

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  1. Posts : 15
    Windows 7
       #1

    Wireless Network Adapter disappeared after Windows 10 upgrade


    Hey,

    So after 2 failed attempts at installing Windows 10 on an Acer Aspire Z5801 PC, I finally managed to succeed. However, a new problem appeared after installation..

    The Wireless network adapter went completely missing. Windows does not detect its existence at all, it's like the PC doesn't have one installed. It doesn't appear in Device manager + isn't listed as an "unknown device". It's simply not there at all.

    The wired network adapter is there, but not wireless.

    Any reason for this?

    Things I tried:


    • Installing the driver from Acer's website - I had to select Windows 7 64-bit as the version is all that's available for my adapter.
    • I used a USB stick to transfer the setup files to the Acer PC. It said it successfully installed but still didn't appear, even after a reboot.
    • Used a USB wireless adapter (Netgear) to see if it was an issue with how Windows 10 handles Wi-Fi - nope, that installed and worked fine.
    • Scanning for Windows updates after using the USB adapter. Some updates were found and installed (no driver ones though), but still no Wi-Fi.


    In the end, I reverted back to Windows 7 and what do you know? The adapter got recognised again.

    The USB adapter isn't a viable solution since it's required by another PC. I just used it for testing purposes.

    Card is a Ralink 802.11n (On W7, it says the manufacturer is LITE-ON)
    Last edited by SingularityRS; 12 Aug 2015 at 10:30.
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  2. Posts : 15
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #2

    Bump
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  3. Posts : 15
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Going to attempt another install tomorrow to see if it miraculously fixes this issue. I'm not hopeful though..that's assuming I actually manage to succeed because this specific PC seems to dislike W10
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 112
    Windows 10 Home 22H2 19045.4170
       #4

    I had the same problem with my WiFi tab disappearing this morning. I just went to Device Manager>Network Adapters and uninstalled/reinstalled the driver for it and it came back and it has been working fine since. I'm even using it now. Hope this helps and let me know if this suggestion works for you. Have a good evening! :) - Robbie
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 15
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #5

    But the driver doesn't even show in Device manager. All I see is the Ethernet adapter. That's why I'm puzzled.
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  6. Posts : 1
    Windows 10
       #6

    I'm having similar issues, with the exception that my devices show in device manager, and all but the blue tooth are enabled and working properly - blue tooth got hosed when I had to do a reinstall previously and it wasn't a priority to fix it. I have tried numerous methods, from uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers, to editing the registry. When I run ipconfig, the only adapter showing is the blue tooth which seems to be permanently disabled and it shows that it's disabled in both ipconfig and in control panel/network and internet/network connections, yet in Device Manager it appears to be functioning fine - which is new because in Windows 7 it kept telling me the driver was bad, despite uninstalling/reinstalling numerous times.

    Microsoft has been working with me since the 3rd of August on numerous Windows 10 issues. It's now the 13th, and Windows 10 is finally, almost working 100% - I still have some permissions issues as well as an extremely slow boot up process , but now I cannot connect to the internet.

    Also to note, I am not showing any connections in the Network and Sharing Center, and no amount of trying to force feed it a connection has worked.
    Last edited by Edgeglow; 13 Aug 2015 at 21:39. Reason: Additional Content
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  7. Posts : 84
    Windows 10 Pro 1903
       #7

    Have the exact same issue with my Lenovo Yoga Ideapad 13. It is the same wireless card as the Acer, not even in Device Manager. Thought possibly the original one had gone bad, bought a new one on Amazon, installed it, same thing. The drivers on the Lenovo site were upgraded for the Windows 10 launch, but they do not initialize the device. Have uninstalled, cleaned the entries from the registry, reinstalled at least 3 or 4 times, nothing, nada....zilch. Had to use a USB WiFi adapter to finish updates. It's got to be a Windows 10-RealTek issue. Have read on Lenovo boards that others have the same issue, but Lenovo is not addressing the problem...big surprise there.
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  8. Posts : 2
    Windows 7
       #8

    Even I have the same issue with HP DV6-3190ee laptop,
    1. Upgraded to Windows 10 (something went wrong, the OS roll backed to Windows 7)
    2. Once logged in to Win 7 my Wifi & Ethernet connections were missing in Network Connections & Device Manager
    3. I tried many solutions available on the internet, none of them worked.
    (device manager scan, bios default setting, reseat wifi adaptor, etc)
    4. Did system recovery on C: drive
    5. After logging in the the Wifi & Ethernet connections were still missing in Network Connections & Device Manager.

    Any solutions for this issue, seems that many HP & other manufacturers users are facing similar issues...
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  9. Posts : 15
    Windows 7
    Thread Starter
       #9

    ^ I also got that when I reverted back to Windows 7. The wireless card was gone but after going to the manufacterer's site and reinstalling the drivers for the card, it got recognised after a reboot.

    Clearly Windows 10 doesn't like the Ralink card Acer uses or something..
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 273
    Windows 10 Pro 1709 x64
       #10

    Have you guys tried the "Show hidden devices" in device manager?
      My Computer


 

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