I've been dealing with an annoying issue where my computer just won't detect any WiFi networks. It doesn't matter how many times I restart or shut it down, the networks refuse to show up. The first time this happened, I managed to fix it by powering off the PC completely—turning off the power supply and holding the power button to discharge everything. That worked for a bit, but the very next day the issue returned.
Today, I used the same method, but when I tried to reconnect to my network, I had some trouble. After a few attempts and hearing the Windows sound for device disconnection and reconnection, I finally got it back online.
Here's the process I follow to get everything working again:
1. Turn off the PC
2. Turn off the power supply or unplug it
3. Hold the power button for 10-15 seconds
4. Turn the power back on or plug it in
5. Log in
6. Open the WiFi menu and toggle WiFi to Off (strangely, networks don't appear until I do this)
7. Go to Settings
8. Navigate to Network & Internet
9. Toggle WiFi On
10. And that's it, I can connect again—at least for now.
I've got a workaround, but I'm really curious about why this is happening and what actually clears the memory. Is there a more permanent fix?
1 Answer
It sounds like your Wi-Fi adapter might be getting stuck in a low-power mode, and when you're resetting the power, it forces a proper reboot that clears it up. Here's a checklist to try:
1. Disable Fast Startup: Go to Control Panel → Power Options → Choose what the power buttons do → Uncheck Fast Startup. This helps you get true cold boots.
2. Update or reinstall your Wi-Fi driver from your motherboard's website or Intel, and then do a full power cycle.
3. In Device Manager, find your Wi-Fi adapter, then under Power Management, make sure to uncheck 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.'
4. Check the WLAN AutoConfig service in services.msc to make sure it's set to Automatic and running.
5. If issues persist, reset the network stack with 'netsh winsock reset' and 'netsh int ip reset'.
If it keeps coming back after sleep, it’s likely the Fast Startup or a problematic driver. If it's still a problem, you might want to reseat the Wi-Fi card or try a USB Wi-Fi dongle to see if the hardware is failing.
I’ll definitely look into the BIOS/UEFI updates next if nothing sticks.
I'm in a similar boat right now! My PC just started having the same issue today. Ethernet and all Wi-Fi options are down. Fast startup is off and power management settings are already adjusted. I've reset everything, uninstalled and reinstalled drivers, and even flushed DNS.
Is there anything else you think I can try?