My Intel Wi‑Fi driver keeps locking up and crashing, and I'm trying to remove it completely so I can install a clean version. I've already tried uninstalling it through the driver installer and Device Manager, preventing Windows from automatically updating or reinstalling drivers, and restarting multiple times, but the driver keeps coming back. I'm using a Gigabyte G5 MD laptop and would appreciate clear, beginner-friendly instructions.
1 Answer
First disconnect the laptop from the internet or turn on Airplane Mode so Windows Update cannot immediately download the driver again. Open Terminal or Command Prompt as administrator and run `pnputil /enum-drivers`. Look through the output for entries related to Intel Wireless or names beginning with `Netwtw`, then note the matching `Published Name`, such as `oem12.inf`. You can remove the package with `pnputil /delete-driver oem12.inf /uninstall /force`, replacing the filename with the exact one shown on your system. If there are multiple Intel Wi‑Fi packages, remove each relevant package, then uninstall the adapter in Device Manager and restart.
I’ve heard of using that command, but I’m not confident identifying the correct entry in the list. I’m worried I might delete the wrong driver and cause another problem.