I have a CyberPowerPC desktop that's only about two or three years old. For the past month, the Wi‑Fi disconnects almost every time I try to load a game, search for something, or join a Discord call. The PC becomes practically unusable, even though other devices may still work normally. I've already updated the drivers, but the problem hasn't changed. Could the wireless adapter be failing, or is there another setting or hardware issue I should check?
4 Answers
The internal Wi‑Fi card may be starting to fail. A basic USB Wi‑Fi adapter is an inexpensive way to test that theory. It’s also worth checking whether phones, laptops, or other devices are having the same connection problem.
Try turning off power management for the wireless adapter in Device Manager. Open the adapter’s Properties, go to the Power Management tab, and disable the option that lets Windows turn it off to save power. If Ethernet works reliably, that points strongly toward the Wi‑Fi adapter or its settings.
As a software troubleshooting step, you could boot from a Linux live USB and test the connection there. If the Wi‑Fi still drops under Linux, the adapter or hardware is more likely at fault; if it works normally, Windows or its drivers may be the cause.
If possible, connect the desktop directly to your router with an RJ45 Ethernet cable. That will show whether the problem is limited to the PC’s Wi‑Fi adapter. Use the Ethernet port on the back of the computer.
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