I just built a new PC with an MSI PRO X870E-P WIFI motherboard. During Windows 11 installation, the setup asks me to connect an Ethernet cable, but no available Wi‑Fi networks appear. I used Shift+F10 and opened File Explorer to run the Wi‑Fi driver installer from a USB drive, but the MSI installer asks me to select a driver path and device name, so I cannot complete the installation. I also downloaded the Bluetooth driver, although I have not tried installing it yet. I do not currently have access to an Ethernet connection or another router connection. What is the correct way to install the Wi‑Fi driver and get past this part of Windows setup?
4 Answers
The fastest workaround during Windows 11 setup is usually to press Shift+F10, type OOBEBYPASSNRO, and press Enter. The computer will restart and setup should offer an option to continue without Internet. Finish installing Windows offline, then install the chipset and Wi‑Fi drivers from the motherboard support page once you reach the desktop. Install the Bluetooth driver afterward; it will not make Wi‑Fi work by itself.
The motherboard’s antenna only improves the wireless signal; it does not provide the driver needed for Windows to recognize the Wi‑Fi hardware. You need to install the motherboard’s Wi‑Fi driver first. If possible, temporarily connect the PC to the router with Ethernet, use a USB Wi‑Fi adapter, or download the driver on another computer and copy it to a USB drive. Then open the USB drive in File Explorer and run the actual installer as administrator. After installation, restart the PC and check whether wireless networks appear.
I would not start by clearing CMOS or returning the board. First verify that the Wi‑Fi antenna cables are screwed onto the two rear antenna connectors, install the AMD chipset and wireless drivers, and restart. If the Wi‑Fi adapter still does not appear in Device Manager after the correct drivers are installed, check whether it is enabled in BIOS and then consider contacting MSI support.
Make sure you downloaded the complete Windows 11 driver package for the exact MSI PRO X870E-P WIFI model, rather than an archive containing only loose driver files. In File Explorer, look for a file such as Setup.exe or Installer.exe and run that as administrator. If the MSI program still asks for a driver path or device name, you may be opening a utility that expects an already extracted driver instead of the normal setup program. You can also extract the package and use Device Manager to update the unknown network device, choosing the extracted Wi‑Fi driver folder and enabling the option to search subfolders.
Even when I open the setup normally, I get stuck in an MSI screen with the company’s dragon logo asking for information. I may have downloaded the wrong package or be opening the wrong file.
I do not have access to the router right now, but I will try running the installer as administrator from the USB drive.