cannot connect to network

Question

We have been having one problem after another trying to get Office 2024 installed on our HP Pavilion network. I request your patience.

Summary:

The latest problem, our notebook will not connect to our Wireless network. The network is guaranteed to be working and is in use, wireless, right now. To post this message. Windows 11 was reinstalled on the notebook yesterday. Reinstalled, not fixed or updated.

What can be done to get the notebook connected on our home network?

Details.

Click the Windows icon then Settings

Click Network & internet

The panel titled Wi-Fi has the enable option set to On

click the > symbol to go into the details

The Wi-Fi button is blue with the characters: On

Go to panel: Show available networks and click the down arrow, to open it.

The down arrow changes to an up arrow. And nothing else. Nothing else, it will not open.

How can this be fixed???

On to the next panel named: Manage know networks, click the right arrow.

There is a field: Known networks. It is greyed out and cannot be clicked.

That seems to be a problem. How can it be fixed?

In the panel "Add a new network, click the button, Add network.

A new panel opens: Add a new network.

Enter the name of the household network.

I have done this before and failed.

Go to my desktop, Settings -> Network and internet. Open the item with:

bkhome2 properties Yes, my home network

In there is has: Security type: WPA2-Personal

back to the notebook and Network name set to bkhome2

Set Security type to: WPA2-Personal AES. The fields do not have this "-Personal"

Is this important?

Enter the password

click the show button, and yes, the password is exactly correct.

Enable Connect automatically and enable Connect even if this network is not broadcasting

Click Save

The dialog(s) back up one level and bkhome2 is shown. click the > to open it

Enable the button: Connect automatically when in range:

Where is the Save button? How do I know this has been saved?

click the ^ to back up one level. With the option to connect automatically enabled.

Where is the button? The one titled: Connect. Or anything close. ???

Where is something that shows the status of that network?

Open Edge and connect to something. Anything. It will not work. No connection.

Click Troubleshoot

It says no network found. Where is the button labeled something like: Yes the network entered exists. Now find it and connect!!!!

This computer, where I am building this question is connect wirelessly, and being used to post this question.

The notebook being worked on is right next to this computer.

The TV is connected and is working right now. On the other side of the room, further away from the further from the router than these two computers.

My iPhone is connected.

My wife's iPhone is connected.

A WiFi extender in another room is connected.

The notebook was connected yesterday. That is Until Windows 11 would not do several things and was re-installed yesterday. Not repaired or updated, a complete re-install. The is a rather good indicator that the hardware on the notebook is functional.

So what steps are needed to connect to the network?

Answer 1

Follow these steps in order on the notebook that will not connect.

1. Confirm Wi‑Fi and Airplane mode

• Select the Network, Sound, or Battery icon on the right side of the taskbar.
• Make sure Wi‑Fi is turned On.
• Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Airplane mode and ensure Airplane mode is Off.

2. Run the built‑in Network troubleshooter

• Select Start > Settings > Network & Internet.
• In Status, scroll down and select Network troubleshooter.
• Follow the on‑screen steps and apply any fixes it suggests.

3. Forget and re‑add the network Because “Known networks” is effectively empty and “Show available networks” does not list anything usable, reset the saved profile:

• Go to Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi > Manage known networks.
• If bkhome2 appears there, select it and choose Forget.
• Then select Add a new network.
  • Network name: bkhome2 (exactly as shown on the working PC).
  • Security type: choose the WPA2 option available (WPA2‑Personal and WPA2 are the same family; the “‑Personal” label not appearing is not the issue).
  • Enter the correct password.
  • Turn on Connect automatically and Connect even if this network is not broadcasting.
  • Select Save.
• After saving, go back to Wi‑Fi and check if bkhome2 shows as a network and whether it shows Connected under its name.

4. Restart modem/router and notebook

• Power off the router and modem (or combo device) by unplugging power.
• Wait at least 30 seconds.
• Plug the modem back in, wait for its lights to stabilize.
• Plug the router back in, wait a few minutes until Wi‑Fi is fully up.
• Restart the notebook and try connecting again from Settings > Network & internet > Wi‑Fi.

5. Check adapter and driver status If the notebook still shows no usable Wi‑Fi networks and “Show available networks” does nothing:

• Select Search on the taskbar, type Device Manager, open it.
• Expand Network adapters.
• Confirm a wireless adapter is listed.
  • If it shows a down arrow, right‑click it and select Enable device.
  • If it shows a warning icon, open Properties and check the Problem number (Device Manager error code) and update the driver via Windows Update or the device manufacturer.
• If no wireless adapter is listed at all, the driver is missing. Install the correct Wi‑Fi driver from the notebook manufacturer’s site and then repeat the Wi‑Fi connection steps.

6. If connected but “No Internet” appears If at some point the notebook shows it is connected to bkhome2 but Edge still cannot browse and Windows reports No Internet:

• Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
• Run these commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:
  • ipconfig /release
  • ipconfig /renew
  • ipconfig /flushdns
• Then try browsing again.

If after these steps the Wi‑Fi adapter still does not show any networks and the Settings Wi‑Fi panels remain non‑functional, the issue is likely with the adapter driver or Windows installation on that notebook and may require installing the correct OEM Wi‑Fi driver or repeating the Windows reinstall with drivers from the HP support site.

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References:

• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows – Run the Network troubleshooter
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows – General troubleshooting
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows – No network adapters are detected or enabled
• Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows – You're connected to Wi-Fi, but no Internet connection is detected (also known as limited connectivity)
• Fix Ethernet connection problems in Windows – Run network commands