I recently bought a second-hand computer and decided to format it to Windows 11 to clear out the previous owner's data. However, I'm having trouble because it doesn't seem to recognize my WiFi USB dongle or the Ethernet connection from my internet provider. I've tried both options, but nothing works. Has anyone faced a similar issue or has tips on how to fix this?
4 Answers
Also, check if your WiFi card supports the WiFi standards you're trying to use. If you're specifically not seeing any 2.4 GHz signals, you might want to see if it only supports 5 GHz. Knowing the specs of your card can help too!
It sounds like you might need to install your network drivers. Without those, your computer won't recognize the WiFi dongle or the Ethernet port. You can typically find the drivers on the manufacturer's website or by using another computer to download them onto a USB stick before installing them on your main computer.
Sometimes, during a fresh Windows installation, certain drivers, especially USB and network ones, might not load automatically. If that happens, you might need to preload these drivers during installation or have another computer handy to help with the downloads.
Have you tried using your phone's USB tethering? Just connect your phone to the computer via USB, enable 'USB Tethering Mode', and as long as your phone is connected to WiFi, you'll be online in no time. From there, you can run Windows updates and hopefully pull the necessary drivers!
Related Questions
Lenovo Thinkpad Stuck In Update Loop Install FilterDriverU2_Reload