Seemingly simple Inspiron E1505 wireless issue

Question

I have a Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop that I used very successfully from about 2006 to 2010.  It was a great computer and everything worked well for the whole time I used it.  I use a newer laptop now and just took the Dell out of the closet because I'm hoping to use it in my classroom or sell it.   It was running really slow and also to sell it, I had to restore it to factory settings.  I did so by inserting the Windows operating system disk that came with the computer and doing a format.  Windows installed perfectly and it runs like a new computer.  I inserted the drivers disk and proceeded to install all of the drivers on that disk.  When I was finished, I tried connecting to the internet and couldn't.   I opened the 'Intel PROSet/Wireless' (not quite sure what this is) that usually has at least one green bar filled in and there is simply a red 'X' next to it.  When I double click it it says 'No supported wireless adapters available in the system.'  I'm sure I installed every driver on the disk.  I have no idea what the problem is.  Could it be that I installed them in the wrong order?  I didn't know there was a particular order they needed to be installed in until I looked up my problem later.  If that's the case, can I uninstall the drivers without completing a format and installing everything again? I'd greatly appreciate any help or advice of where to go from here.  Thanks.

brianmp · Accepted Answer

UPDATE:

I just solved my problem. Thanks to a different forum, I figured out how to download the correct drivers/utilities from the Dell website (which I couldn't figure out how to do before - you have to delete your cookies). The disc Dell originally sent me has the drivers for the wrong laptop, which apparently was a widespread problem. I simply downloaded the drivers for my specific model, copied them to a CD-R, and did my best to install them all in the order shown here: support.dell.com/.../document

I think I got a little bit lucky in doing that, but it worked out in the end. The wireless now works and everything is spiffy.

mcpunkin · Answer

Check if the wireless adapter is enabled.  It could be disabled accidentally by hot key.

Locked Topics – Laptops General

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