Fresh 8.1 install; no wireless adapter detected.

fataldarkness

New Member
Messages
1
Alrighty so I have an Alienware M14x r2 and about every 6 months I like to do a fress OS reinstall. So the time came for one again and I reinstalled 8.1 last night. The issue is that my ethernet adapters is detected but not my wireless one (Atheros Killer wireless-n 1202). Installing the driver did NOT help as the device is not even showing up under device manager, as far as Windows is concerned I don't have a wireless adapter. Ethernet is also out of the question because I was stupid and went and damaged the port a while ago.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 x64
Are you using the disks you made when you first got the unit? If you are using a version of Windows, that did not come with the computer, you are going to have to go to the Dell Support website and download the drivers for that machine, then copy over to a USB thumb drive, so you can install on your computer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Mint 17.2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite C850D-st3nx1
    CPU
    AMD E1-1200 APU with Radeon (tm) HD Graphics 1.40 GHZ
    Memory
    12GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon™ HD 7310 Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial M500 240GB SSD
    Mouse
    Logitech M525
    Internet Speed
    45/6 - ATT U-Verse
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    None needed. It is Linux.
    Other Info
    Arris NVG589 Gateway; Router - Cisco RV320; Switch - Netgear GS108 8-Port Switch & Trendnet TEG-S50g 5-Port Switch; Access Points - Engenius ECB350, Trendnet TEW-638APB; NAS - Lenovo ix2-4; Printer - Brother HL-2280DW; Air Print Server - Lantronix XPrintServer

    A/V UPS - Tripp-Lite Smart 1500LCD 1500 Va/900 W.
Usually in this case not seated properly, may have come loose inside laptop, try to re-seat it.
Possible the wireless device has been disabled in the BIOS.

Other cause might be bad card. Known to go bad after so many years.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    CyberPowerPC Gamer Xtreme 1502 (GX1502)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 5820K 3.30 GHZ 64 bit 6-Core Processor
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-X99-UD3
    Memory
    G.Skill 16GB Quad Channel DDR4-2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0+ DDR5 4GB
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR 5.1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS PA24Q 24" Pro Art IPS LCD/LED Backlit 1920x1200
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200 16:10
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO 250GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    Crucial MX100 512GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Internal SSD,
    WD WD10EZEX-00RKKA0 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 3.5 Internal HDD
    PSU
    EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750W 80 Plus Gold Full Modular
    Case
    AZZA Cosmas Black Gaming Case
    Cooling
    Cool Master Hyper 212 Evo Dual 120mm, ( 2) Noctua PWM 120mm Case Fans (1) Gelid PWM 120mm Blue LED
    Keyboard
    Logitech K800 Illumiated Wireless Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball
    Internet Speed
    84mbps /94mbps
    Browser
    Mozilla Firefox 41.0.1 / Microsoft Edge/ IE 11
    Antivirus
    Norton Security 2015
    Other Info
    Pioneer BDR-209DBK 16x Blu-Ray Burner, LG 24x Dual Layer DVD Burner,
    StarTech Front Bay 22-in-1 USB 2.0 Internal Multi Media Memory Card Reader,Logitech Z906 5.1 Speaker system
there may be wireless switch on the front or side of laptop
and some dells have a way to CTRL + Function key to enable and disable wireless
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
and about every 6 months I like to do a fress OS reinstall
Why? Window8.1 is not XP, or W95. What was good and often needed with XP is probably not with W8.x (or W7 either). You should never have to reinstall a modern (W7/W8) version of Windows. Unless totally infected, it is highly unlikely it will improve performance - starting over puts you months, if not years behind in security, program, and driver updates.

Ethernet is also out of the question because I was stupid and went and damaged the port a while ago.
Then you might consider connecting a USB wireless or USB Ethernet adapter to this notebook so you can have Internet access.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Are you using the disks you made when you first got the unit? If you are using a version of Windows, that did not come with the computer, you are going to have to go to the Dell Support website and download the drivers for that machine, then copy over to a USB thumb drive, so you can install on your computer.

Broe23, i am having the exact same issue. I'm using the disk that came with the laptop, and have tried reinstalling all of the Alienware apps that come with it. No good, it just doesn't recognise the wireless adapter.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
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