Paul's not the only one with internet issues...

[Dave]

See my previous note about disabling BlueTooth before you spend money or unscrew anything...

[GlytchMeister]

Did you say that? Must've missed it...

I'm not sure this thing even has Bluetooth... Lemme check...

Ok. I don't think it does. I don't see a Bluetooth icon anywhere on the keyboard and I did a full system search for bluetooth, and it found nothing that actually says anything involving Bluetooth.

[GlytchMeister]

Looked up how to find out, and I looked at the device manager.
Apparently my laptop doesn't have Bluetooth hardware. So that's that.

[shadowinthelight]

If you don't mind ginormous antennas you can get one of these. I have one and can say the range is excellent.
POWERLINK Hermes


Unfortunately it is listed at $130 on Newegg.

[GlytchMeister]

$130 is as solid NOPE.
I'm too broke for that.
Thanks anyway.

[TazManiac]

[ edits inline]
[big append- prior to taking parts out, you should investigate flushing things like DNS cache, host file(s), etc that might be munged up]

In your Wifi Managment app, choose the offending wifi network and delete it (forget in smartphone parlance...). Reboot and reconnect w/ password.

Previously & Right up to the report from other similar type systems users, I was going to:

A) Ask for more info (I had composed a request for details but it didn't send and is now a 'draft' message...)



B) Recommend downloading:
b1) the wifi adapter's current (latest) driver from the OEM's web site
(not HP so much but whoever actually built the wifi module), and likely
b2) the wifi management software (from HP) with a 'new' current version,
b3) and uninstalling/rebooting/reinstalling the drivers and software for same.

C) Download an .iso of a 'LiveCD' of Ubuntu, a Linux variant, that can be burned to a USB flash drive.
(It's better with a flash drive because its possible to add files and updates to, as opposed to a static CD/DVD...
One way to install a LiveCD .iso image to a bootable USB stick

Note: I'm recommending running the non-invasive, wont-do-anything-to-your-current-system, trial-run way of booting from the LiveCD.

It has an option to INSTALL that I'm not touching on right now. It is possible to perform an install that dual-boots your system, retaining the current OS, but also you might run install and wipe out the current OS. This is that 'Read what the Screen Says' disclaimer, in c.y.a. mode.

There are many versions of Linux, and Ubuntu for that matter; I like the application bundle and front end provided with ' Ubuntu Studio ' myself.

The reason I mention this LiveCD option is that while it makes use of your hardware, it has nothing to do with your hard drives' contents, DATA and OS, unless you want to go poking around in the hard drive yourself. I've used it to demonstrate "See?, your hardware works just fine..." and you might like it better than the Metro/Tile stuff of Win8.x.
(Current Ubuntu recently came out with a 'new' interface as well, many people like the previous version or those offered by variants Xubuntu, Kubuntu, etc.)

OK, back to WiFi- (actually, I see by the clock that I need to go start a Brake and Rotor replacement on my buddy's GMC.. back to resume this in a bit...) <-- I'll likely review this reply and tighten the grammar, flow, etc. tune back in for slight revisions...

Follow Up; Any plain vanilla install of Linux may well need some additional shoring up to run things like network adapters, esp wifi, either internal or USB based.

https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw ... ux-nonfree should take care of that, and of course Googling 'What to do right after installing Ubuntu' will lead you to many sites with enabling encrypted (Factory) DVD playback, etc.

So, way off track? Yeah, a little bit, but a good tool to have in the tool box, and anybody who isn't locked into Microsoft-Only might appreciate it.

[GlytchMeister]

Waitaminute...

Why do I need to install a whole new OS, one I have absolutely no experience with (literally none. I have never touched a computer running Linux), to fix my wifi adapter? I also have no experience with installing more than one OS on a device. Hard drive partitions are pretty much black magic to me.

Those two things seem pretty unrelated. What's the point of Ubuntu or Linux? In general and in this situation? And what's the difference between Ubuntu and linux?

(Have you figured out I was raised on PCs yet? )

[TazManiac]

- I'm recommending a LiveCD version that has an option to not actually Install Anything, rather run from the CD/DVD/Flash drive in a trail basis, no changes are made to your current system.

"What is LINUX?'

https://www.linux.com/learn/new-user-gu ... ing-system

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux


"What is Ubuntu?"

http://www.ubuntu.com/desktop

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_%2 ... _system%29


ps- prior to my LivCD derailment, there was a section on a solution based on the OS currently in play...

[Dave]

Waitaminute...

Why do I need to install a whole new OS, one I have absolutely no experience with (literally none. I have never touched a computer running Linux), to fix my wifi adapter? I also have no experience with installing more than one OS on a device. Hard drive partitions are pretty much black magic to me.

The point of booting up Linux, is that it can use your WiFi hardware without using any of the Windows drivers or utilities or networking software. It'd be an independent test.

If Linux connects and stays connected, it'd show you that your WiFi NIC is probably OK... that you have a Windows driver or configuration or other software-ish probem.

If Linux can't connect reliably, it'd show that the problem probably isn't the Windows stuff.

[TazManiac]

'tank you Dave, I'm preoccupied w/ GMC front end bearings and disk brake rotor/hubs...

Scuse me as I go cut down a neighbor's tree...
(turned out to be one small and one medium tree...)

[GlytchMeister]

Oooooooh.

Ok.

Arright, I'm going to give all of this stuff a shot when I get around to it (I am also preoccupied with my own frankenstratus atm, so y'all are gonna have to wait a while for the results.

Thanks! ^_^

[Bookworm]

1) I have a box full of laptop wireless adapters (including some with bluetooth).

2) I'd try upgrading the wireless drivers before doing anything else.

3) get an aftermarket router, disable the wifi on the at&t uverse box, and put the uverse box in DMZ-Plus mode with your router as the target. The U-Verse hardware isn't all bad, but Southwestern Bell (the 'true' name of the 'new' AT&T) cripples the firmware in the boxes until they're almost unusuable.

[GlytchMeister]

Yeah, I went to the device manager (R click on start button, L Click on device manager) and checked for updates that way, but everything said it was up to date.

I've got some free time today, and since I've already put in one post on Purpose, I won't have that nagging at the back of my mind. I'm gonna try the whole Ubuntu thing and see what happens. If my wifi adapter is fried, I'll PM you and see what we can work out.

I've decided to wait until all the eager beavers installing Windows 10 find all the issues that are bound to be there. jwhouk is installing it, so I'll wait a week and see if he throws his computer at a wall before I try.

As for screwing around with the actual internet boxes n' crap, I'd prefer doing that kind of stuff after exhausting other options. That's not exactly my forte.

[GlytchMeister]

Also:
Wow. I got a reply from Bookworm. Cool.

[GlytchMeister]

I really wish updating my graphics driver didn't always cause a BSOD. I mean, yeah, once the BSOD does it's thing and restarts the computer, everything's fine.
But it still freaks me out, man.

[GlytchMeister]

HMMMM.

I have no idea how to get into BIOS and force my laptop to boot from my USB. I'm trying to run Ubuntu Studio to see if my wifi adapter is screwed or if it's a software and/or network issue.

But i cant get Ubuntu to actually... go...

ooohhh, dear god. i have to mess with some major crap. like disable secure boot.

I was hoping there'd be a button I could press during startup to make the damn thing look for other drives to boot from.

crud.

...ok, so I have Tails on a different flash drive, and it worked automatically last time I used it. I'm gonna try that.

...Whilst knocking on wood...

[GlytchMeister]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

F**k BIOS.

I'm ready to throw my laptop out the window. I can't decipher this g*d d**n m*****f*****g piece of s**t!

HP support is useless. Grammar errors everywhere, omitted steps, nothin regarding actual USB booting, their only instructions involve CD/DVD booting.

I've turned off secure boot. I restart the d**ned thing and go back to the startup menu and hit F9 to choose what I want to boot from and THERE'S NO USB OPTION!
*sob*
So I choose EFI file, thinking "well, f**k, maybe this is it?" And I get a weird file explorer and it shows UUI.

Awesome, right?

NO.

No matter what I choose within the EFI File section, I end up with two options:
<.>
<..>
And when I select those, I just see the same three accursed dots.

Which makes ME wanna STAB my computer three TIMES.

I don't know what I'm doing wrong here. I'm gonna take a break before I murder my laptop.

...the voices said empty, hollow, and thud...the voices said empty, hollow, and thud...the voices said EMPTY, HOLLOW, AND THUD!!!

[GlytchMeister]

So, after consuming copious quantities of chocolate to calm my nerves, I resumed my quest.

I tried updating the driver.
I tried resetting the wifi adapter.
I uninstalled it.
Reinstalled it.
Uninstalled it and turned the computer off, and took the wifi adapter out, started my computer back up so it registered the thing had been removed, turned the computer back off, plugged the adapter back in, and reinstalled the driver.

And it worked!

For five minutes. and then it was back to square one.

HOWEVER!!! I have seen new things happen after doing this, and i have documented them to the fullest extent I could manage. BEHOLD: something weird happened when I tried to visit Blade Bunny:

[GlytchMeister]

I also got a picture of the wifi adapter itself:

KILL IT WITH FIRE

Photo of wifi adapter.jpg (81.56 KiB) Viewed 8806 times

Made in china. Huh. Figures.

[GlytchMeister]

Besides screwing with the network setup (which sounds expensive), and trying to get my idiot laptop to boot from a USB, is there anything I can do now?

Or have I exhausted all my options besides "get a new wifi adapter"?

(sorry for posting so many times, I just realized how many posts I've put in here one after another)