Two Dell Pro 16 laptops have lost USB, WiFi, Ethernet and system tray icons, months apart. USB network adapters don't work either. Reformatting has restored them, but I haven't found the cause.
Driver reinstalls, network resets, system file repairs and service checks haven't helped. What would you check before wiping another machine?
Try booting an affected laptop from a live operating system before reinstalling Windows, if you have a suitable boot device. Test the USB ports and networking there. If they work, that points more toward the installed Windows environment. If they also fail there, firmware or hardware becomes more suspicious, though it still doesn't pinpoint a part.
Also check whether a USB keyboard or other device gets power. Power alone doesn't prove the data connection works, but it's another useful clue.
I'd do a full power reset and run Dell's onboard diagnostics before wiping it. Shut down, disconnect the cables and hold the power button for 30 seconds, then start it again. Record any diagnostic error codes and pass them to Dell support.
A motherboard or controller fault is possible, but the symptoms alone aren't enough to call it.
Since a reformat brings the machines back, preserve some evidence first if you can. Compare Windows updates, driver versions and firmware versions between the affected machines, and check Event Viewer around the first signs of failure. An update or a particular network chipset might be involved, but neither is established from the symptoms.
One specific thing worth testing is Intel Smart Sound, including its USB audio component if present. Disabling it is a troubleshooting experiment, not a confirmed fix, so note the original state and see whether anything changes.
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