Wireless adapter randomly stops working?

I'm using a Dell Vostro 1500 with a Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card. Every time I boot to windows, the card stops working. The wireless light does not come on, the wireless icon does not appear in the taskbar, and the wireless connection does not appear in the network connections window. In the device manager there is a yellow exclamation point on the wireless card. In the properties, I get the message: "This device cannot start. (Code 10)."

When I uninstall and reinstall the card it starts working, but stops working when I reboot and I have to uninstall/reinstall again.

I downloaded and installed all new drivers from the dell website to no avail. I tried physically taking the card out, and putting it back in and it did not fix the problem.

On one or two occasions the card turned off while the computer was on. Uninstalling and reinstalling the card made it work again, until I turn the computer off and back on.

I have never had problems with the card until recently. The computer and the card are about 2 years old. There was nothing unusual I was doing on my computer that I can think of that would have caused this.

Doesn't seem like a hardware issue to me since the card works once I reinstall it, but I can't think of any other things to try.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

Tried resetting your BIOS to default values and install the original driver of the wireless device?

cheers ...

 

You need to consider other possible elements that are dropping your connection that might not be related to your card at all. Remember too that all systems have an On/Off function for the adapter, and that any Windows Update can change your default settings (something that's a real PITA).

Also, your Power application can affect your adapter as well. You didn't mention if you were running on AC or battery, but if you're on battery or AC and your Power Plan is set to the Vista default, it could be shutting it down immediately to conserve juice, particularly if the rest of the system is drawing more power or the processor is running at a high percentage. A Vista update could reset it to default if you'd already changed it.

It's also possible that any recent update to drivers, BIOS, or Windows could cause the problem. If you're using auto-update (which you shouldn't be - never let someone else think they know better than you what's good for your system, and always know what's being installed and why) it'll be harder to track which update might have caused it, but if you can narrow down the time frame when the problem started, you can either try a Restore from a an earlier Windows Point to see if it works properly to try and eliminate it as a possibility. If that doesn't help, go back to the original driver version you had when you first got your system. Remember that not all driver updates are infallible, and some updates aren't meant for all systems either. Remember also that if you've installed OEM drivers (for example, a Dell card that's from Intel) instead of drivers from the Dell site, they're different. Dell and other system parts' drivers are modified for use in the system they're engineered to work in. While some OEM drivers are compatible for some parts, most sites will tell you they're not on the download area, and to only download from your system manufacturer's site. However, happily few people bother to read this and keep myself and others employed.

You can also use Vista's Hardware Monitoring features to check if your adapter is actually failing or not, which will eliminate the hardware as the problem and focus it back to a driver or setting issue.

1. Control Panel, Performance Information & Tools
2. Advanced Tools link on the left

Any issues will be noted in the summary at the top by a yellow !.

3. Click on "View Performance Details in the Event Log". This will open up the Event Viewer.
4. Open the Custom Views logs at the top.
5. Check the Admin logs, and all Network Diagnostic Logs. Any error will be flagged as a Red Exclamation.
6. Open the Application and Services Log next, then click on Hardware Events. If the Adapter is failing, you should see a hardware error there.

Back at the Advanced Tools window, if you scroll down and click on the Reliability & Performance Monitor, then open up the Monitoring Tools folder, click on the Reliability Monitor. This graph will show you any Hardware events on any given day your system has been in use.

Keep in mind that few people realize that adapters have their own wireless settings that can be modified by the user. Right click on the adapter in the Dev Manager, then click on Properties. Check each tab to find a power setting, which is usually the culprit when the adapter appears to turn off for no reason. The default for most adapters is to have the system turn the adapter off to conserve power. You have to set it and the Power Plan setting to keep the adapter on at all times unless the switch is physically turned off. This prevents the system from doing it when it wants, and not when you want.

 

Did you just experience this all of a sudden? If you install or change something in your system.. better use the "restore point" option in windows and move it back a couple of days until the day you didn't have this kind of problem.