There is no option for Wifi on my PC

Question

There is no option for Wifi on my PC

Anonymous

So I just got a new PC recently, but when I booted it up there was no option to connect to any WiFi. So I tried looking around and when I checked on my internet settings and clicked on "change adapter options" I was surprised to see that there was only Ethernet capabilities, and when I checked my device manager there was no WiFi drivers under "Network Adapters." I somehow got to a setting where I was able to try and install it, but it said that I wasn't allowed to because it was blocked by the administrator. Which I'm not sure if that means the computer admin or something else, but if it is the computer admin then that would be kinda strange because the account I am on is the admin. Anyways if anyone knows how to fix this, please let me know because my Ethernet cable is no long enough to reach where my PC is set up currently.

Thanks

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

3 additional answers

Answer 1

How did you update your drivers exactly?

Did you see the Wifi adapter on the Support Downloads web page for your model PC? This is how you get it to work: Find the driver, download and install it. You don't do this from the Device Manager. You do this exactly as I said in my steps. If the PC model has Wifi then the driver will be there, needs to be installed now to have WIfi. If there is an error blocking the download then we will fix it.

If you are getting a Blocked by Group Policy error then that can mean that there is group policy set in Pro version - do you have Pro version and has the Admin set any Group Policy? If so Group Policy needs to be set back to default:

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-reset-local-...

If you have Home version and get that error then it can be caused by your anti-virus, so I would uninstall it and turn on Defender in Security Center to test this.

This can also be caused by a corrupted account. To test this create a new Local Admin account in Settings > Accounts > Family & Other People > Other, as shown here: http://www.howtogeek.com/226540/how-to-create-a...

https://www.windowscentral.com/how-change-user-...

Sign into the new account, test if the problem persists, if not then move your files over, test that all programs work or else reinstall them, then when ready delete the old account by one of these methods:

https://www.wikihow.com/Delete-a-User-Account-P...

You can then change it to your Microsoft account if desired:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/5375-switch...

If you cannot create a new account due to errors, then enable the hidden built-in Admin account used only for emergencies by one of these methods:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2969-enable...

https://www.isumsoft.com/it/enable-hidden-admin...

Sign into the built-in Admin to see if it fixes the problem and if so create a new Local Admin account to replace the corrupted account, as given above.

Answer 2

Hi Panda. I'm Greg, an installation specialist, 10 year Windows MVP, and Volunteer Moderator here to help you.

Let me know if you get the Blocked by Admin error (often caused by account corruption) and the exact wording and number, as you go through these steps which will almost always fix Wifi problems:

I'll give you everything else that works to fix Wifi so that at least something will work. Even if you've already tried a step please try or check it again in sequence. If you need any assistance I'll be standing by here to help:

Update your network adapter drivers from the PC maker's Support Downloads web page using the full model number, HP Serial Number or Dell Service Tag on sticker. Compare the latest drivers available for download with the ones presently installed in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start Menu. Make sure you have the latest BIOS or UEFI firmware, Chipset, Display (Video), Sound, USB3, Bluetooth, Network and all other drivers, or else download and install the latest now.

If you have the latest network driver then try on it's Driver tab also to Roll Back, or Uninstall and then restart PC to reinstall the driver. Try also all older drivers from Update Driver > Browse > Let Me Pick list working backwards.

Go to Device Manager > Network Adapters, select Wifi adapter, then Power Management tab, clear the check box to "Allow the computer to turn off the device to save energy." Then on the Advanced tab disable any energy-saving options.

If this was caused by Windows Updates then you can check which were installed at Settings>Update & Security>Windows Update under Installed Updates, then uninstall them from the link there, and hide with the Hide Updates tool explained here:

https://www.howtogeek.com/223864/how-to-uninsta...

You can also use System Restore to get before the problem began, then check for Updates with the Hide Update tool and hide them.

If this was caused by Version update then you can roll it back in Settings>Update & Security>Recovery and then hide it until it matures using the Hide Updates Tool.

For Wifi won't connect after Version 1903:

https://windows101tricks.com/fix-wifi-keeps-dis...

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/wi-fi-and-...

https://pureinfotech.com/fix-wifi-problems-wind...

Enable IPv6 in the network adapter settings:

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/90033-enabl...

Run the fixit from https://support.microsoft.com/help/929852 (Re-enable IPv6 on all nontunnel interfaces) and reboot.

Right click the network icon in System Tray at bottom right end of task bar to Troubleshoot Problems.

Try all of these steps:

Fix network connection issues in Windows - Windows Help

https://www.kapilarya.com/how-to-reset-network-...

Go to Settings > Network & Internet > WIfi > Manage Known Networks, highlight and remove the network having problems, restart PC to see if it shows up again.

Try plugging in by ethernet cable to the router to compare, then plug the ethernet cable into the modem (if separate) to see if this might be an issue with the router.

Try powering off modem, router and PC and then restarting in that order with 1 minute in between each. You may need to reset your router or even optimize it following these steps:

https://www.lifewire.com/resetting-a-home-netwo...

https://www.pcmag.com/article/258865/how-to-set...

Your router manual is always available from the manufacturer's website for your exact model.

You also are entitled to Support from your internet provider to get online on all devices. This is always included in the monthly bill. If your router is less than a year old they will also Support getting it connected and optimized.

Another option is you could replace the wireless adapter with an inexpensive USB nano adapter like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/OURLiNK-600Mbps-Wireless...

If nothing else works then do a Repair Install, by installing Media Creation Tool, open tool and choose to Upgrade Now. This reinstalls Windows while keeping files, programs and most settings in place, and is also the most stable method to advance to the latest version. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/m...

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and keep me posted. If you will wait to choose if I resolved your problem, I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

________________________________________________________

Standard Disclaimer: There are links to non-Microsoft websites. The pages appear to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the sites that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the sites before you decide to download and install it.

Answer 3

Thank you for your assistance, but unfortunately none of the options you gave to me worked. I fully updated all my drivers, and with the second option I wasn't able to do it because there was no WiFi adapter. The thing is, is that my PC is missing anything that would possibly make it able to work WiFi. When I click on the internet icon on the bottom right, I don't get the usual bar that takes up the whole right side of the screen. Instead I get a tinny little bar that tells me, "Network & Internet settings" nothing more, nothing less. When I click on that it sends me to the network and internet settings. From there clicking "all available networks" it just pops up what comes up when I clicked the internet icon. Clicking "change adapter options" sends me to the control panel > network & internet > network connections, where it only gives me the option of Ethernet. From there I can attempt to download/install anything WiFi but it says that it is "blocked by group policy." Anything that trouble shoot tries to do is only to get me to plug in an Ethernet cord and isn't of much use currently. I also can't access my modem/router because it is on-top of a shelf that is drilled into the wall, higher up than I can reach. Additionally, the internet works fine for things like my families phones, laptops and my Xbox so I don't think the issue is involved with my modem/router. I also did install that program you mentioned (Media Creation Tool) and followed through with the steps provided but when the PC turned on again it was exactly the same as far as my WiFi problems go. I also followed some instructions from other threads from other questions similar to my issue. These often included running code through my computer and telling it to reset settings and to clear caches but nothing worked. Everything else on my PC seems to be running fine so i'm not sure as to what the cause of this could have been. Though I do suspect that the DVD that came with my motherboard is supposed to install drivers and utilities but I don't have a DVD port to put it into.

Answer 4

HI Panda -

Are you sure the PC came with Wifi? Not all desktops do. You can google the exact make and model PC + Specs to see what is included. If there's no Wifi driver in the LAN or WAN section of the online driver downloads then I'll bet it doesn't ship with Wifi.

However that should not slow you down as you can easily buy an inexpensive USB Wifi nano (flush, doesn't stick out so it can break off) adapter like the one I provided in the Wifi steps I gave earlier.

Answer 5

I updated my drivers by getting into the settings > windows update > check for updates > downloaded the update and restarted my computer

I could not find the WiFi adapter on my manufacturers support download page. I'm not sure where to look is the problem, though it is categorized under drivers as I know, but under that it shows "on-board pide/sata drivers" , "system & chipset drivers" , "on-board audio drivers" and "LAN drivers." Though I assumed it was under LAN drivers but the only option is "Realtek PCI-E Ethernet Drivers." Additionally, anything else I tried to download would come out as a zip file with a notepad doc saying what the "download" did and some other document that I don't have the proper app to open. Also I'm not sure what to do from there as I have never needed to do this in the past as my only prior "PC" experiences was with laptops. If it helps my manufacture is MSI.

With the group policy problem I have the home version so it isn't caused from the pro version. Also I nor anyone who has been on the admin account have set any group policies, i'm not sure how to do it in the first place. As far as antivirus goes, I don't have a third party antivirus program, but if you meant the Microsoft antivirus protector then I will get to that ( I don't own the paid version I only have what came with the PC). I also tried to make a new admin account but the problem persisted onto that account as well.

Share via

There is no option for Wifi on my PC

3 additional answers