Windows 8.1 Update: Network Adapter Issues

I've recently updated my pc from Windows 8 to 8.1. However,I am now unable to connect to wireless networks. Instead, it says 'No Connections Available' in the networks charm. Under the wireless devices tab, it says 'We couldn't find wireless devices on this PC.'

I updated to 8.1 last night and I had wireless after the update. Wireless was working at noon today but, when I tutored to connect recently, the adapter seemed to be dysfunctional.

I am quite stumped as to what the problem could be. My adapter was a bit buggy when I had Windows 8, but that's what the laptop was pre-installed with.

Anyways, I have no clue what to do. I tried updating the Wi-Fi driver to no avail. If anybody has suggestions, they would be very much appreciated.

I'm debating doing a system refresh, but I'd much rather have it resolved without needing to do that.

mjkaufer

Posted 2014-05-08T01:42:33.417

Reputation: 129

what's your adaptor? – Journeyman Geek – 2014-05-08T01:48:54.123

Ralink RT5390R 802.11bgn – mjkaufer – 2014-05-08T02:35:10.143

Is the wireless card displayed in the Device Manager and reported to be working properly? Which driver version are you currently using? Is it certified for Windows 8.1? Do you get the same issue if you boot any Linux live distribution? – and31415 – 2014-05-08T07:41:43.417

Answers

I ran into this issue recently. You can try checking in your BIOS to see if the wireless radio is switched off.

Tola Odejayi

Posted 2014-05-08T01:42:33.417

Reputation: 183

A similar thing happened to me after I updated Windows 8 to Windows 8.1. My wi-fi connection was fine on my phone, but for some reason it wasn't registering on my PC. The airplane mode was off, but my laptop was unable to detect wireless devices, thus the error message: "We couldn't find wireless devices on this PC".

It has to do with the network adapters. You have to update your drivers. These are the steps that I took, which restored my wireless connection.

1.) Simultaneously click the Windows key + W to open the search function on your computer.

2.) Search "update device drivers." This will open a dialog box titled "Device Manager".

3.) Find the option that says "Network adapters". Mine has three options to choose from. This should be pretty standard on any PC with Windows 8.

4.) Click on the one that says "WiFi Adapter."

5.) Click on the tab that says "Driver."

6.) Choose "Update driver."

7.) Another dialog box will open--> select "Search automatically for updated driver software."

8.) Wait a couple minutes while it installs.

9.) Recheck your network connections. They should be restored! Problem Solved.

gabby

Posted 2014-05-08T01:42:33.417

Reputation: 11