Windows 7 Wireless Problem

[Draconis March]

I just got a new computer - a Dell Inspiron 14. I'm having troubles using the wireless network adapter I chose with it: an Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN "Half Mini" card. For some reason, it says it's active and working properly, but obviously, that isn't the case when it can't connect to my wireless network.

Some other potentially helpful information:
- The computer came preinstalled with Windows Vista Basic 64 bit, but I didn't even bother with it and immediately installed the Windows 7 Ultimate (64 bit) that I had previously purchased.
- I attempted to reinstall drivers for the adapter itself and got some error message saying that there was something incompatible with my computer. Which is completely bogus because, when I go to install said drivers, it says Windows 7 64-bit and 32-bit are both supported. I can get the exact error message if you need it.
- My Internet works when I shove in my Linksys RangePlus Network USB Adapter, even though I didn't install the CD for it.

If you need any other information, let me know. Thanks in advance.

 

[Harvey]

Have you checked Dell's site for newer Win 7 drivers for your machine? If it's brand new, I hope they gave you a free upgrade to Win 7.

Searching Google finds a lot of people having similar problems. Some of those links may help you. Intel's own site shows some problems under Vista that may still apply to Win 7.

Hope that helps. 🙂

 

[TJCS]

Sometimes, notebook drivers needs to be installed in a certain sequence in order for them to be detected and work properly. You can try to see if dell support provides that info.