computer help: wireless internet connection not working. - Help.com

wireless internet connection not working.

right now im directly connected to the cable internet modem box (i think thats what its called)

i have a 2007/2008 compaq presario F700 laptop computer which has WiFi and Windows Vista.

3 days ago my wireless internet (that i use around my home all the time) was working normally and perfectly.
i turn it on the next day, and its not working. i didnt do any kind of changes and im up to date on updates.
the wireless switch on my computer is turned on, but it stays orange (the color it is when its turned off) when i click on the internet connections box it is not picking up any networks, when usually i can even pick up my neighbors network. when i click on the “diagnosis this problem” button it says my driver isnt installed, when… it comes already installed in the computer. ive tried everything. and i dont know what to do.

has this happened to anyone else? or does anyone know what to do?

thank you!

This open post was written 1 year, 2 months ago | V/U/S: 1,924, 28, 8 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post


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Since writing this post ashleyy may have helped people, but has not within the last 4 days. ashleyy is a verified member, has been around for 1 year, 11 months and has 113 posts and 733 replies to their name.

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Deąth offline Verified User (1 year, 5 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (2 minutes after post)

firstly, dont turn off the box

try turning the switch off, then on.

also, try turning off your computer, then unplugging the box, for 30 seconds, plug it in and turn on the computer.

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (2 minutes after post)

Are you sure the wireless router switch is on?

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (10 minutes after post)

i have tried all of these, and yes my wireless router is switched on. lol

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (10 minutes after post)

also funny this is, my dads wireless is working…

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Deąth offline Verified User (1 year, 5 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (11 minutes after post)

ashleyy wrote:
also funny this is, my dads wireless is working…

maybe…its unplugged?

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (12 minutes after post)

Deąth wrote:

ashleyy wrote:
also funny this is, my dads wireless is working…

maybe…its unplugged?

everything is plugged in. my laptop wont pick up the wirless signal, but my dads laptop is.

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (14 minutes after post)

ashleyy wrote:
i have tried all of these, and yes my wireless router is switched on. lol

Well, then, my computer knowledge is used up.
Oh, have you tried a different room? Some rooms in my house are, like cold spots.

Mas1st wrote:
Have you paid your bill?

Then why would her dad’s be working?

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Deąth offline Verified User (1 year, 5 months) Long Term User Shouts: 2 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (14 minutes after post)

ummm this might sound crazy…but it might work…

close your laptop, or turn it off, either way works…

then about right where the middle is, go to the right about 3 inches and bang it once or twice, gets the stuff jumbled back into place

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (14 minutes after post)

I wouldn’t recommend that!

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (15 minutes after post)

Mas1st wrote:
Have you paid your bill?

lol yes. or else i wouldnt have tv and i wouldnt be able to post this.

Laina1312 wrote:

ashleyy wrote:
i have tried all of these, and yes my wireless router is switched on. lol
Well, then, my computer knowledge is used up. Oh, have you tried a different room? Some rooms in my house are, like cold spots.
Mas1st wrote:
Have you paid your bill?
Then why would her dad’s be working?

nope, i can go to any room before and it would work. but now it doesnt work in any room.

Deąth wrote:
ummm this might sound crazy…but it might work…close your laptop, or turn it off, either way works…then about right where the middle is, go to the right about 3 inches and bang it once or twice, gets the stuff jumbled back into place

haha im thinking about it

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (16 minutes after post)

its frustrating because now i cant bring my laptop school and use their wireless. im thinking somehow the built in switch (which i never turned off) maybe broke or something… idk.

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (18 minutes after post)

Yep, all my knowledge is used up. Hey, wait, maybe not. Have you tried turning the switch off? Maybe it got turned around and when it seems like it’s on, it’s really off.

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gabor offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (20 minutes after post)

have you tried to set up your network settings again?

or you should turn off your computer, unplug the power to the network router and to the ISP or DSL modem… wait 30 seconds and turn on again.

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (21 minutes after post)

Laina1312 wrote:
Yep, all my knowledge is used up. Hey, wait, maybe not. Have you tried turning the switch off? Maybe it got turned around and when it seems like it’s on, it’s really off.

lol ive turned the swtich on and off these passed 3 days like 10090384 times. haha.

gabor wrote:
have you tried to set up your network settings again?

or you should turn off your computer, unplug the power to the network router and to the ISP or DSL modem… wait 30 seconds and turn on again.

ill try that one more time.

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (22 minutes after post)

Good luck.

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gabor offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (23 minutes after post)

or you should really install your drivers again…

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (37 minutes after post)

Mas1st wrote:
If you bought a laptop with built in wireless then the bill paying question is not all that odd. You are only allowed so much acess per month - even if you have a paid for wireless connection. Being that this is the end of the month - it is possible that you have used up all of your ‘minutes/mb’s/gb’s - seriously some of those laptops have limits. It’s not determined by money they just cut off when you have used up all of your available internet time. - Regards - Mas
p.s. if this is the case it will come back on 1st of the month

wow really? we have a cable modem that we connected to a D-link wireless router. ive never been notified of any bill or anyhting of the sort. my dads laptop is about the same and its been working for years without a bill.

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gabor offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (49 minutes after post)

in fact this problem could have so many sources… but if it says that your driver is not ok, you should give a try reinstalling it, maybe it has been corrupted or something… here’s the driver for the F700EF notebook:
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp39501-40000/sp39911.exe

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (1 day, 8 hours after post)

fibrenet. i’ve never heard of that. what is that like?

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (6 days, 8 hours after post)

welll, i talked to some people on compaqs website and they said my wireless card got corrupt. which idk how that happened, but i need to get that fixed sometime. weird thing was. i was working on a paper last night and i had my lap top closed and on the couch when i took a break and it was over heating and i felt the hot air so i picked it up and put it on my lap and i saw the blue LED light come one and my wireless worked all that night. and now its not again. :[ haha

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ashleyy offline Verified User (1 year, 11 months) Long Term User Shouts: 4 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (6 days, 8 hours after post)

i guess im going to try that. i thought it was funny because when it got overheated the internet actually worked for the first time in a week haha.

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Laina1312 offline Verified User (1 year, 2 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Undisclosed Location | 1 year, 2 months ago (6 days, 19 hours after post)

I usually just put mine on a binder. Speaking of…

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phall3t offline Unverified User #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 1 month ago (2 weeks, 1 day after post)

I had this problem once. I got so angry at my computer that I just urned it off and didn’t touch it for about a month and a half. When a friend from india visited, I turned it back on and boom: I had internet again. I don’t know what I did, but it worked so if all else fails…… give your computer a mental health day(month or 2)

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FreshMosha offline Verified User (1 year, 1 month) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year, 1 month ago (2 weeks, 3 days after post)

Do a system reboot, or somat like that. i aint good at the techno stuff

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djoclark offline Unverified User #
An Unknown Location | 11 months, 3 weeks ago (2 months, 2 weeks after post)

I have the same laptop and the same problem. I heard its a issue with corruption by a windows update. I have to use an aircard to get internet access or directly connect like you. Gonna try calling compaq.

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cromrachell offline Unverified User #
An Unknown Location | 11 months, 3 weeks ago (2 months, 2 weeks after post)

i av same prob my laptop has jus been rebooted n now i cnt connect to my home computers wirelless internet i av a laptop wi wireless built in nw it wont pick up my home or neighbours but it did du b4!! xx

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r.208k offline Unverified User #
An Unknown Location | 4 months, 3 weeks ago (9 months, 2 weeks after post)

I have got the same problem with my presario V6102AU, being an IT student i have tried all basic steps to make it work such as , installing new drivers, updating whole os and even reinstalling the whole OS. but still no luck.

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eeuqsi offline Unverified User #
An Unknown Location | 3 months, 3 weeks ago (10 months, 2 weeks after post)

i’ve had this problem going on with my computer [the exact same model] for about a month now. i’ve searched everywhere for a solution to it. i’ve tried doing a system restore. i’ve tried every solution i’ve come across. some days my internet will work, some days it won’t.
honestly. after spending yet another pointless hour on the internet searching for a solution, i’m going to say you’re best bet is to call the company’s customer service and see if they can help you out. because apparently no one online has a solution for us.

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