Network Protocols

clubcinema said:

When you say via LAN you mean by the ethernet cable, cause i don't know any other way. Also did you see that i have a laptop ? How easy and possible is for a home user ( ok i know 1-2 things, like to change disc or ram ) to install a network card to a laptop that it is also difficult to open it's lid whithout damaging it?!

LAN (Local Area Network) means ethernet, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) means WiFi, WWAN means cellular.

It's quite easy and you should be able to find a tutorial online, and possibly a video on youtube. Provided you remember patience, you'll do fine. When opening a laptop, you need to be gentle, and if something isn't coming apart easily, don't force it, as more likely than not you've forgotten a screw. Some laptops open from the bottom, while others open from the top, however all will have screws on the bottom (some may have screws on top, however it's less common, which would be covered by removal plastic trim piece(s)).

You may have an access panel on the bottom of the laptop that provides access to the WiFi card, and I would check before disassembling. You need to be extremely careful when separating the top and/or bottom casing, as there will be flat ribbon cables attached to either. Rule of thumb is once you have the top or bottom casing loose and all plastic tabs released, lift it up about an inch and look under it to see if there's any cables you need to release from the motherboard.

When re-assembling, ensure your firmly seat and lock the cables back on the motherboard. Don't be forceful with the cable lock tabs, but do ensure the cables are seated down as far as they're supposed to go and that they're level. A cable mis-seated/cocked by even a fraction of a millimeter could result in a short circuit, resulting in heat, smoke, or possibly fire. This isn't something to be fearful of, nor should it deter you, as its no different than knowing you need to properly plug a plug into a wall outlet securely before using.

JW0914 said:

LAN (Local Area Network) means ethernet, WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) means WiFi, WWAN means cellular.

It's quite easy and you should be able to find a tutorial online, and possibly a video on youtube. Provided you remember patience, you'll do fine. When opening a laptop, you need to be gentle, and if something isn't coming apart easily, don't force it, as more likely than not you've forgotten a screw. Some laptops open from the bottom, while others open from the top, however all will have screws on the bottom (some may have screws on top, however it's less common, which would be covered by removal plastic trim piece(s)).

You may have an access panel on the bottom of the laptop that provides access to the WiFi card, and I would check before disassembling.

I've tried once , but it doesn't open easyly. The videos i saw on youtube aren't the same as i read from other users. On youtube they'd disassemble it in minutes, while ( as i also read ) it is really hard to open the back part of the lid without using any force or without damaging it. It also doesn't have any access panel.

clubcinema said:

I've tried once , but it doesn't open easyly. The videos i saw on youtube aren't the same as i read from other users. On youtube they'd disassemble it in minutes, while ( as i also read ) it is really hard to open the back part of the lid without using any force or without damaging it. It also doesn't have any access panel.

The lid should be left alone, as the base is where the motherboard is at.

If there's a video for your exact model on youtube, watch it, and go through it step by step as the presenter shows. Pause it while executing the steps, and don't skip any. If a video exists for the specific model number you have and people are saying it's harder than the video shows obviously aren't following the instructions as they're being told.

Laptops are not phones or tablets... they're not glued together with adhesive, and all that hold them together are screws and plastic snap tabs that lock when they're pressed together and can be separated quite easily, provided one takes their time and remembers to have patience (even more so if you've never disassembled a laptop before).

Please go back and read the last paragraph of my last post as I added important info to it.

This is very similar to what I am experiencing. I can connect to the internet just fine via Chrome. But Edge/App Store/Xbox App will not connect to the internet at all. Seems to be affecting a few games I like to play too. I just tried what SimBy did above but still haven't had any luck.

Let's not panic and let's not make things look harder than they are. The "network protocols are missing" issue appears because some Windows update has changed the way the wireless device connects to the router. Some old wireless drivers are incompatible with the new settings and hence the problem. To use your wireless adapter again you have to wait until the notebook manufacturer (or more likely the Wi-Fi manufacturer) releases a compatible driver.

The solution is simpler than you think. Instead of spending hours trying to fix it with drivers etc, it is much simpler and easier to disable the onboard wireless card (from BIOS or from Device Manager) and replace it with a USB Wi-Fi dongle. It doesn't need to be the newest protocol IEEE 802.11ac, if it is at least IEEE 802.11b/g you should have no problem connecting to the router. These simple dongles (that is the b/g type) come very cheap too! So before knocking your head on the wall and pulling your hair apart, try a cheap USB Wi-Fi dongle and you should be fine. One little inconvenience, apart from taking up a free USB port, is that you may have to reconnect to any wireless network you need and enter the Wi-Fi password once again. After done that you will have no other problem. If you cannot undo a knot, just cut it!

PS: LAN or Ethernet connection means to plug a network cable from the router to your notebook (unless it is some very slim model or Ultrabook and lacks an Ethernet port). It is not very convenient for a notebook, but it is a temporary solution unless the manufacturer releases compatible Wi-Fi drivers. The other solution is to replace the onboard Wi-Fi card with a USB Wi-Fi dongle as mentioned above. Then check once a week if any new Wi-Fi driver is released for your onboard Wi-Fi card.

fefaz said:

I also have this issue for a week. And today, I have fix this problem. Here is how I fix this issue.
1. Go to Registry Editor (Press Start and R button, and then type "regedit" without quotation mark, click OK or hit Enter).
2. In the Registry Editor, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\
3. Find Winsock, and create backup of it. To do the backup, right click on Winsock, and select Export. Give a name (e.g. Winsock.reg or whatever you want).
4. Find Winsock2, and do the backup of Winsock2 like point 3.
5. Now, delete Winsock and Winsock2. To do this, right click on Winsock or Winsock2, then select Delete.
6. Restart the PC.
7. Now, just import Winsock and Winsock2 from the backup file before.
8. Restart the PC and Done. The network issue is fixed.

Hope this can help anyone who get this issue. :)

This is the only thing that worked for my friend. Thank you. He had the "group policy" error, and "specified file is missing" errors (when he installed a new router and changed his IP = everything broke)

genBTC said:

This is the only thing that worked for my friend. Thank you. He had the "group policy" error, and "specified file is missing" errors (when he installed a new router and changed his IP = everything broke)

Something else was going on with their PC then, as using, or replacing, a router has zero to do with a PC and has zero effect on a PC. It sounds as though they didn't have their network card set to DHCP, if, after replacing a router, "everything broke".

JW0914 said:

Something else was going on with their PC then, as using, or replacing, a router has zero to do with a PC and has zero effect on a PC. It sounds as though they didn't have their network card set to DHCP, if, after replacing a router, "everything broke".

I really wasnt planning on getting into an argument with some random guy on a forum AFTER the issue is fixed, but yes, he had a static IP before, changed his router, needed to change to a new IP, and simply by going into the properties page and changing IP's, the entire network stack broke.

genBTC said:

I really wasnt planning on getting into an argument with some random guy on a forum AFTER the issue is fixed, but yes, he had a static IP before, changed his router, needed to change to a new IP, and simply by going into the properties page and changing IP's, the entire network stack broke.

As I stated, something else was going on then, as changing a static IP and/or switching to/from DHCP would not cause what was described. To believe someone trying to inform you of actual facts "is [attempting] to get into an argument" is a level of ludicrousity one would never expect to encounter.

Instead of users blindly reporting an issue with some component or feature, it would help everyone, including the user, if the user first understood what exactly is affected by a specific change. Claiming that changing a static IP "broke the network stack" is like claiming changing a headlight bulb caused engine problems.... it simply doesn't work like that and demonstrates the user has little understanding of what they're attempting to speak to.

On a side note, it's far easier, and more convenient, to statically assign IP's within the DHCP server on the router than manually configuring a static IP on a PC (as whenever the PC needs to connect to a new subnet, it must first be switched back to DHCP or have a new static IP manually set).

JW0914 said:

The lid should be left alone, as the base is where the motherboard is at.

If there's a video for your exact model on youtube, watch it, and go through it step by step as the presenter shows. Pause it while executing the steps, and don't skip any. If a video exists for the specific model number you have and people are saying it's harder than the video shows obviously aren't following the instructions as they're being told.

Laptops are not phones or tablets... they're not glued together with adhesive, and all that hold them together are screws and plastic snap tabs that lock when they're pressed together and can be separated quite easily, provided one takes their time and remembers to have patience (even more so if you've never disassembled a laptop before).

Please go back and read the last paragraph of my last post as I added important info to it.

I've opened it but there's something else i would like you to help me. I can't find a wireless card for my laptop. ( info inbox).