Setting up new laptop

Follow these steps in order on the new HP laptop while setting up Windows 11 and connecting to the T‑Mobile Wi‑Fi:

1. Make sure Wi‑Fi is actually turned on
   • If the laptop has a physical Wi‑Fi switch or key (often with a wireless icon), turn it on and check for a Wi‑Fi indicator light.
2. Improve the wireless signal
   • Move the laptop closer to the T‑Mobile router or hotspot.
   • Wait a few seconds and check the list of available Wi‑Fi networks again.
3. Confirm the correct Wi‑Fi network and password
   • On the “Let’s connect you to a network” screen, select the exact T‑Mobile Wi‑Fi name (SSID).
   • Carefully re‑enter the Wi‑Fi password exactly as provided by T‑Mobile (pay attention to upper/lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters).
   • If it fails, try one more time to rule out a typing mistake.
4. Try the other Wi‑Fi band (if shown)
   • If the T‑Mobile router shows two networks (for example, one ending in “2.4” and one in “5G” or “5GHz”), try connecting to the other one.
5. Try a different network type
   • If possible, connect temporarily to another trusted Wi‑Fi (home, work, or mobile hotspot from a phone) just to complete Windows setup.
   • If the laptop has an Ethernet port, connect it directly to the router with a network cable.
6. If no Wi‑Fi networks appear at all (using Shift+F10)
   • Shift+F10 opens Command Prompt during setup and is used mainly to install Wi‑Fi drivers when the adapter is not detected.
   • In that case, follow this process:
     1. On another device with Internet access, go to the HP support site and download the correct Wi‑Fi/network adapter driver for this laptop.
     2. Copy the driver files to a USB flash drive. Ensure the .inf file is in the root of the USB drive (not inside subfolders) if the driver is provided as a .ZIP.
     3. Plug the USB drive into the new laptop while on the Windows setup screen.
     4. Press Shift+F10 to open Command Prompt.
     5. Type diskpart and press Enter.
     6. In DiskPart, type list volume and press Enter to find the USB drive letter under the Ltr column. Note that letter (for example, D). Then type exit to leave DiskPart.
     7. Press Shift+F10 again if needed to return to Command Prompt.
     8. Run: pnputil /add-driver <USBDriveLetter>:\*.inf (for example, pnputil /add-driver D:\*.inf) and press Enter.
     9. Then run: pnputil /scan-devices and press Enter.
     10. Close Command Prompt and check the Wi‑Fi list again in setup.
7. If still stuck on Wi‑Fi
   • Use a wired Ethernet connection or a different network (such as a phone hotspot) to finish setup, then troubleshoot T‑Mobile Wi‑Fi from within the fully installed Windows environment.

References:

• Get connected when setting up your Windows device