[Troubleshooting] The connection of Wi-Fi adapter is unstable or disconnected
Answer
Wireless adapters may become unstable, disconnected or show the Code 10 error in Device Manager (error message: this device cannot start) if there is a change being made to the device (e.g. running Windows Update).
If wireless adapters ever run into the situations mentioned above, please refer to the following for the troubleshooting steps.
Before starting
Uninstall the following applications if they had installed on the laptops, since they might cause potential conflicts when installing the drivers.
1. Software used for optimizing the system settings
2. Applications that can automatically search for and install drivers
Troubleshooting Steps
1. Download and save the drivers for the wireless adapter.
- Intel Wireless: Download the latest version from Intel website
- Intel Killer Wireless: Download the latest version from Intel website
2. Run “Windows Update” Manually
Go to Settings > Update and Security > Windows Update. Run Windows Update until there is no new update or optional update
3. Disconnect from the Internet until the rest of the steps are finished
4. Perform a complete shutdown (Left-click on the Windows icon > Select Power > Press SHIFT and select Shut down at the same time)
5. Please perform the EC reset
To confirm whether the EC reset is complete, press the power button and make sure that the system will not power on. If the system boots up after pressing the power button, do the EC reset again.
*Note: Laptop should not plug in the AC adapter during confirmation.
6. Plug in the AC adapter and press the power button to power on the laptop
7. Uninstall drivers for wireless adapters
- For Intel Killer Wireless Adapters, refer to this FAQ to uninstall and install Killer driver and Killer Control Center.
- For Intel Wireless Adapters:
A. Go to Settings > Apps > Apps and features and uninstall “Intel PROSet/Wireless Software”
B. On the desktop, right-click the Windows icon and select Device Manager
C. In Device Manager > Network adapters, find the Intel Wireless Adapter
D. Right-click the Intel Wireless Adapter and choose “Uninstall device”
E. Select the option saying “Delete the driver software for this device” and click “Uninstall”
F. Reboot the laptop
G. Repeat Step C and Step F until the option “Delete the driver software for this device” in Step E does not show up again
Note: If the device disappears from its original location after the reboot, please check if there’s a new device showing up in the “Other devices” section (this device doesn’t have to be uninstalled again), or select Action > Scan for hardware changes and check if the device shows up in Device Manager
H. Remove and reset all connected devices
For connected networks, please follow below steps to perform network reset
(a). Click on the Start button, then select Settings > Network & Internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset
(b). On the Network reset screen, select Reset now > Yes to confirm
*Note: After using network reset, you might need to reinstall and set up other networking software you might be using, such as VPN client software or virtual switches from Hyper‑V (if you are using that or other network virtualization software)
8. (Optional Step) Apply the Recommended Settings for Wireless Connectivity from Intel under the Device Manager
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[Troubleshooting] The Bluetooth Connection is unstable or disconnected