Dell Inspiron 640m - wireless suddenly doesn't work

kadri,

Places to look to see if the Connection is enabled

Rick

in BIOS it shows that my wifi connection is enabled and also that Fn+F2 should turn on both wifi and bluetooth, yet when i try this, the combination only enables bluetooth, it used to enable both. in my Windows Mobility Center i cannot even see the wifi connection box like i should and when i check  the Device Manager then under Network Adapters i can see Broadcom and Microsoft ISATAP adapters but i cannot actually see a separate wireless adapter for some reason

kadri,

Try powering off the ISP modem/router and your wireless router(if any) for 30 seconds. Power on the ISP modem/router. Wait 15 seconds, then power on the wireless router(if any).

Restart your computer.

Can you connect?

If using Vista/Windows 7 try running Finding System Information REMOVE YOUR PRODUCT ID and post the rest of the information back here.

What do you see in the device manager under network.

Rick

after powering off my modem and router and restarting the computer i still cannot connect. i've tried that several times. it doesn't find any wifi networks at all, though there are plenty around

i took a screencap of what i see under my Device Manager: http://i52.tinypic.com/2ep1y78.png

i don't know why there's a yellow exclamation mark in front of the Microsoft ISATAP adapter because it says that all my drivers are up to date

and here's my system information:

Host Name:                 KADRI-PC

OS Name:                   Microsoft© Windows Vistat Home Premium

OS Version:                6.0.6002 Service Pack 2 Build 6002

OS Manufacturer:           Microsoft Corporation

OS Configuration:          Standalone Workstation

OS Build Type:             Multiprocessor Free

Registered Owner:          Kadri

Registered Organization:  

Original Install Date:     1.05.2007, 7:00:26

System Boot Time:          19.07.2011, 15:12:31

System Manufacturer:       Dell Inc.

System Model:              MXC061                          

System Type:               X86-based PC

Processor(s):              1 Processor(s) Installed.

                          [01]: x86 Family 6 Model 14 Stepping 12 GenuineIntel ~800 Mhz

BIOS Version:              Dell Inc. A10, 2.04.2007

Windows Directory:         C:\Windows

System Directory:          C:\Windows\system32

Boot Device:               \Device\HarddiskVolume3

System Locale:             et;Estonian

Input Locale:              et;Estonian

Time Zone:                 (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius

Total Physical Memory:     2˙550 MB

Available Physical Memory: 1˙350 MB

Page File: Max Size:       5˙338 MB

Page File: Available:      3˙765 MB

Page File: In Use:         1˙573 MB

Page File Location(s):     C:\pagefile.sys

Domain:                    WORKGROUP

Logon Server:              \\KADRI-PC

Hotfix(s):                 370 Hotfix(s) Installed.

Network Card(s):           1 NIC(s) Installed.

                          [01]: Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller

                                Connection Name: Local Area Connection

                                DHCP Enabled:    Yes

                                DHCP Server:     192.168.4.254

                                IP address(es)

                                [01]: 192.168.4.139

                                [02]: fe80::2924:9b77:bde8:7ce0

kadri,

Looking at the information, what language is the operating system installed in? I see that you're in another country. Did you try going to Drivers & Downloads click on warranty status and enter your service tag number. Click on origional configuration. There it will tell what wireless adapter you have installed. You can then go back to Drivers & Downloads enter your service tag number. Go there, if using an operating system other than English, click more filt6ers and select the language for the drivers. Then under network you should be able to download and install the drivers for your wireless adapter.

Places to look to see if the Connection is enabled

Also read How to by-pass the Dell Download Manager and use Internet Explorer and download the drivers in your browser.

Rick

OS Name:                   Microsoft© Windows Vistat Home Premium
OS Version:                6.0.6002 Service Pack 2 Build 6002
OS Manufacturer:           Microsoft Corporation
System Manufacturer:       Dell Inc.
System Model:              MXC061                         
System Type:               X86-based PC
Processor(s):              1 Processor(s) Installed.
                          [01]: x86 Family 6 Model 14 Stepping 12 GenuineIntel ~800 Mhz
BIOS Version:              Dell Inc. A10, 2.04.2007
System Locale:             et;Estonian
Input Locale:              et;Estonian
Time Zone:                 (GMT+02:00) Helsinki, Kyiv, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Vilnius
Network Card(s):           1 NIC(s) Installed.
                          [01]: Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller
                                Connection Name: Local Area Connection
                                DHCP Enabled:    Yes
                                DHCP Server:     192.168.4.254
                                IP address(es)
                                [01]: 192.168.4.139
                                [02]: fe80::2924:9b77:bde8:7ce0

my operating system is installed in English. i followed the instructions and downloaded all the available drivers under Network. however, i have problems installing the driver meant for Wireless 1390 WLAN MiniCard, i get this error message: 'No compatible hardware found. The software you are attempting to install is not supported on this system. The software will not be installed.' when i checked form under the original configuration, it does say that i should have DELL WIRELESS 1390 802.11B/G 54MBPS MINI

it seems like the problem is indeed with my wireless card and not in my computer settings. when checking the status of the WiFi adapter from the BIOS, it says 'none', so it seems that my computer no longer has any connection with the card. i made sure the card has not come loose, so I guess it has simply failed

Rick, thank you so much for helping me figure out what could be wrong. i very much appreciate it. thank you!

kadri,

Sorry I couldn't be of much help. I thought the wireles card in my old computer failed, so I bought a usb adapter. I later found it disabled in the BIOS and enabled it.

Take care,

Rick