Brand new HP WiFi does not work

reneetron

New Member
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Backstory:

I bought an HP laptop brand new from Best Buy. It had a 750gb hard drive, Intel Core i3-3130M processor, 4GB RAM, and Windows 8.1. I made restore discs of the hard drive that came with the computer, and then disassembled the entire laptop to access the hard drive and swapped it out for a 128gb SSD. I reassembled everything once I successfully used the restore discs to boot using the SSD.

The good news is: my SSD works great. My computer takes about 3 seconds to load up!

The bad news is: I cannot get the Wireless Internet to work for the life of me. I have gotten it to connect wirelessly a few times. I even got it to connect uninterrupted for a few hours, long enough to download my usual virus protection and whatnot. Now, it will not connect at all.

Details: Airplane mode is off. Wi-Fi is on. I am on a college campus with campus-wide Wi-Fi. Many people around me are actively connected. It is not a problem with the router. However, my Networks show "No Networks Found." Maybe 1 out of 20 times I check for wireless networks, it will show the school's networks. If I try to connect to it, it says "Can not connect to this network."



I don't think that anything I did inside of the laptop physically altered the network adapter. The only thing I touched anywhere near there was a motherboard plug for the keyboard, which I removed and replaced. The problem is, I do not know for sure if the WiFi worked flawlessly before I switched out the hard drives because I never intended to use the hard drive that came with the computer. I turned on the computer long enough to make restore discs before I took it apart. I vaguely remembered seeing a limited connectivity alert but I didn't think anything of it because I was in the midst of making restore discs and had no reason to use the Internet. I suspect that it is not an internal issue because I have gotten it to connect successfully since I switched drives. Also, plugging the laptop in with an Ethernet cord allows me to access the Internet. However, this is not feasible for when I need to use the laptop away from home.

I have read multiple threads stating issues with Windows 8.1 having major Wi-Fi connection issues, including those I am describing. However, all of the things I have done do not seem to be working. I've tried allowing HP Support Assistant to recommend a driver, I've manually downloaded drivers, I've altered the settings to keep my computer from putting my adapter in "sleep" mode. None of these things have worked.



I am very frustrated. It is my fault that I ripped the computer apart before checking to see if it worked properly... but I just didn't think I had a reason to believe that it was going to not work. It's a BRAND NEW laptop. Now, even if I were to switch the original hard drive back into it, I don't believe I can return it because opening it technically voids the warranty, if I am not mistaken.

I hope somebody can help me. The computer is a $500 paper weight with a nice hard drive in it without Internet. I would like to keep Windows 8.1 on the computer because I am a rare breed who actually likes the interface. My last resort is to back up my Windows 7 desktop onto an external hard drive, wipe it, make a restore discs out of it the same day I did with the original laptop hard drive, and use them to install Windows 7 on the SSD, and then use the backed up version to restore my desktop to its current state. I am nervous about doing this because I don't want to lose any files, pictures, or documents in the swapping, and I don't particularly want Windows 7 in the first place. This was recommended to me because Windows 8.1 is known to have chronic issues with being able to connect to the Internet. I definitely would not want to go through all that trouble just to find out that doesn't work, either.

Can anybody help me?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    hp
Wireless adapter is Realtek RTL8188EE 802.11bgn WiFi Adapter. I have manually installed two different drivers that have not worked. I can provide file names if that is helpful: sp61304.exe and sp63317.exe ... in addition to the one my computer automatically chose, the one HP Support Assistant recommended, and any rollback versions that were on the list of old drivers my computer would let me roll back to. With the exception of the one time I was able to connect for a 3 hour span of time, I have not been able to connect for longer than 10 minutes... and recently I have not been able to connect at all.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    hp
Go get a USB wifi adapter, they are cheap, and usually better than what comes standard in laptops.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    17074 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP dv7 3173nr
    CPU
    M520
    Memory
    5GB
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Internet Speed
    120Mb/s
  • PC2
    HP A12 R7 17074
I guess that would be my next to last resort. At least if that doesn't work I can easily take that back to the store. Thank you.


Does anybody have any troubleshooting things I can do to try to get what I already have to work?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 8.1 64-bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    hp
You can uninstall it and see if Windows installs the driver completely on reboot when it finds 'New Hardware'
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    17074 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP dv7 3173nr
    CPU
    M520
    Memory
    5GB
    Screen Resolution
    1600x900
    Internet Speed
    120Mb/s
  • PC2
    HP A12 R7 17074
I'm sure some of you may know this but I've been going nuts for almost two weeks because my brand new HP Pavilion Laptop 17-f136ds Wi Fi sucked even after I dumped McAfee and disabled all add-ons.

I read everywhere to fix the limited Wi Fi signal strength just reset the TCP/IP stack using the elevated command netsh interface ipv4 reset but I got: Resetting, Failed / Access is Denied / Resetting, OK / Restart the computer to complete this action..... but even after reboot nothing was being reset until I ended up on this page and this registry fix seems to have done the trick. (I hope, or it's back to my Gateway Windows 7 laptop)

http://www.kapilarya.com/limited-wifi-problem-in-w​indows-8
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
HP has knowingly put faulty Realtek RTL8188EE WiFi adapters into their products since June 2014. This is a known issue that HP refuses to address.


I spent 2 months trying to figure out the problem. I spent 5 hours on the phone with Microsoft and they couldn't fix the issue...even after remotely taking over my computer. I spent $50 on a NetGear external WiFi adapter...and it worked great. However, since my computer is less than a year old, I shouldn't have to have an external.


The problem is the internal WiFi adapter itself. It is a faulty component that people have been complaining about since 2014. I called HP's corporate office and stated that I was aware that they knew of the issue, and could provide more than 10 pages from just one thread of their HP Forum where hundreds of others, were having the same issue. I threatened them with a class action lawsuit if they didn't do something about it immediately.


They have agreed (in writing) that they will fix my laptop and replace the WiFi adapter card FREE OF CHARGE. I suggest that every one else, who is experiencing this issue, call the HP Corporate office at : 650-857-1501. Press "0" and speak to an operator. Tell them you want to speak to a US Case Manager about this ongoing issue. IF the case manager refuses to assist you, then call the Corporate office number back, press "0" and ask to speak to an "Executive Customer Relations" associate. They WILL (AND MUST) FIX THIS KNOWN ISSUE AT NO COST TO YOU!


Apparently, this is such a "hot topic" that, with what I know about this issue, I am being "silenced" on the HP forum. They don't want people to know that they can fix it by replacing the adapter with one that is NOT a Realtek component. They don't want you to know that you have RIGHTS as a consumer!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
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