How to fix wi-fi not connecting

Question

How to fix wi-fi not connecting

Sheila Hewitt 0

On my Dell laptop #1, the wifi shows as turned on, connected, but does not work. My other laptop #2, sitting beside that one - shows the wifi on, connected and is truly connected. What causes the #1 laptop wifi to not work. I am not able to shut it down, just spins forever.

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Hi. I'm David, and I'm happy to help you.

The fact that laptop #1 spins endlessly when shutting down is a clue. I suspect that the Wi-Fi adapter has likely hit a driver deadlock at the hardware level, leaving it completely frozen. Therefore, when you try to shutdown, Windows gets stuck waiting for that unresponsive card to power down.

Since a standard restart won't clear a frozen hardware controller, performing a power drain usually fixes this on Dell laptops.

Here is how to do it:

Force a complete shutdown by holding down the power button until all lights turn off;
Unplug the charger and disconnect any attached USB devices or accessories;
Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds, then let go;
Plug the power adapter back in and start the laptop normally.

Please let me know how it goes.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Answer 2

Since laptop #2 works on the same Wi‑Fi, the problem is likely on laptop #1 rather than the router or ISP.

Try these steps on laptop #1 in order:

Test another network
- Connect laptop #1 to a different trusted Wi‑Fi network or a phone hotspot.
- If it works there, the issue is likely with how laptop #1 is connecting to the current router.
Move closer to the router and try the other Wi‑Fi band
- If the router shows both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, try the other one.
- This can help if one band has a weak or unstable signal.
Double-check the connection path
- On another device, try the same Wi‑Fi network. Since laptop #2 already works, that confirms the network itself is available.
- If possible, try a wired Ethernet connection on laptop #1. If Ethernet works, that narrows the issue to Wi‑Fi on that laptop.
Reset the network stack
- This requires Command Prompt as administrator.
- Run these commands in this order:
```
     netsh winsock reset
     netsh int ip reset
     ipconfig /release
     ipconfig /renew
     ipconfig /flushdns
```
- Then restart the PC.
- Note: these commands reset network settings and may temporarily disconnect the device until it reconnects.
Check the Wi‑Fi adapter driver
- If Wi‑Fi still does not work, reinstall the Wi‑Fi adapter driver.
- In Device Manager, expand Network adapters, find the wireless adapter, uninstall it, and restart the laptop so Windows can reinstall it.
- If needed, download the correct Wi‑Fi driver from the PC manufacturer on another device and copy it over.
If the issue started after sleep or resume
- Open Control Panel > System and Security > Device Manager.
- Expand Network adapters.
- Open the Intel wireless device Properties > Power Management.
- Make sure Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power is checked.
- A reboot can also work around this specific issue.
If the laptop will not shut down and only spins
- That can indicate the system is hung, which can also affect networking.
- After collecting any needed work, force a power-off by holding the power button until the device turns off, then start it again.
- If the Wi‑Fi problem keeps returning after sleep or resume, focus on the adapter driver and power management steps above.

A likely cause in this case is a problem on laptop #1 with the Wi‑Fi adapter, driver, TCP/IP stack, or power-management state, especially since another laptop beside it connects normally.

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