6910p Wireless Will Not Turn On

[DAN SOHAYDA]

On a few 6910p laptops we've deployed the user reports an issue turning on the wireless via the touch panel button above the keyboard. It doesn't seem to respond and turn the wireless on even though it did when they were issued the laptop. When you go into the Intel/Pro wireless utility and try to turn it on via the pull-down menu it reports an error of "Intel/pro wireless connection is still disabled. Use your hardware switch to enable it." As far as I knew the touch sensitive button was the hardware switch. What am I missing here?
Thanks

[Marcin W]

start from checking in BIOS, if you have enabled enabling wifi by button (built-in device options screen ?)

[DAN SOHAYDA]

Under built-in device options we use the following:
Embedded WLAN device radio enabled
Embedded bluetooth device radio enabled
LAN/WLAN switching Disabled (tried enabling and it didn't matter. from what I understand this just allows wireless to be turned off automatically when a network cable is plugged in)
Wake on LAN Enabled
Ambient Light Sensor Enabled
Internal Modem Enabled
Notebook Multibay Enabled
Fingerprint device Disabled

[Marcin W]

ok, please check, if you have wireless card in Device Manager and/or unknown/non working devices.

[DAN SOHAYDA]

it's Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN driver version 11.5.0.34. from 10/31/07

[DAN SOHAYDA]

oh, no missing or unknown devices in device manager. no splats or ! either.

[Martin Mueller]

If you have HP Wireless Assistant installed, a user can right click on the icon in the task tray and disable all wireless devices that way. Once all are disabled, the wireless LED on the touchpad button will turn off and not respond to any finger presses.

[Siddharth.Mehta]

Seen this happening on my laptop too (several times). The only solution is - Shutdown & start again.

Note: Restart will not help. Shutdown & start again.


The workaround I'm using that I let that quick launch button "on" all the time. When I have to turn off or turn on anything, I use the HP wireless assistant.

This feature was working absolutely fine before. Only since I installed Vista, I'm seeing this happen.

[Orcbane76]

Anyone found a solution jet?
I've installed a fresh Windows XP SP3 with all the updates. All hardware is found after installing the appropiate drivers.
And when the laptop starts up (at the BIOS) the light for the wireless LAN turns on,, right after that turns off. And it will not turn on again :-(

Thanks

[William Hummel]

I have a similar problem where the Intel 802.11abgn Wireless card is not detected in Device Manager. HP sent out a replacement for the wireless card and it worked for about 2 weeks. Now the wireless card has disappeared again... Puzzled???

[Curtis Hunt]

Update your quicklaunch driver.

[William Hummel]

Curtis: The device does not show up in Device Manager. Does the Quick Launch driver actually provide driver support for the Wireless card in Device manager? I will be sending my laptop back to HP in January for them to look at and replace what they deem necessary to replace. Hopefull it doesnt work when they get it because if it does that means nothing gets replaced.

[Curtis Hunt]

Sorry I was responding to the initial post of this thread.

As for your problem, are there any "Unknown Devices" in the Device Manager?

[William Hummel]

Nope, one day its there the next day gone, 5 days there, 6th day gone. No reason why it just disappears or the motherboard just doesnt see it. HP sent out a new wireless card but that did not resolve the issue. I would say 80% of the time the wireless card is detected the other 20% is give or take. Either it starts up with it or it doesnt. Its either in Device manager or its not. No unknown devices, if you search for new devices it doesnt detect it.

[Curtis Hunt]

I've never seen this issue before. Sounds like faulty hardware. Sorry.

[Kiran Singha]

Exactly same problem faced by me. Shutdown thing did worked and infact turning on and off the CAPS LOCK key (which makes all the lights on the touch pad go crazy) and reconnecting the AC adapter also sometimes resolved the issue.....but this time nothing worked and to my wonder i removed the battery of the laptop and put it back after 2 min and the wifi was getting turned on...sounds strange !!!..may be but it worked for me ): hope it helps to others as well.

[Zainulabidin Omar]

Hello,

Besides enable all wireless at BIOS and please download latest "Wireless Assistant" from below web-site that suit the O/S:
-
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Home.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=321957&prodSeries...〈=en&cc=us
-
and it could resolve that problem.

[sprintrs1]

Shutting down and removing the battery for a few moments, actually works! Not sure why, though.

[Not Necessary]

" infact turning on and off the CAPS LOCK key (which makes all the lights on the touch pad go crazy) "

8710W User here

I have this hardware issue exhibit itself when I lift the laptop up by putting my hands on the sides about in the front 1/3rd of the case (at the palm rest). I assumed there was some case flexture going on which was causing the touch sensitive bar to go wacko.

At first I wasn't too troubled by this since all it did was fire up the calculator window multiple times and the HP Info Center, and the media screen, BUT when it affected the Wireless Button such that it would not "turn back on" THAT'S when I started to get annoyed.

Ok, yeah...all the rest is annoying as well given what I paid for this laptop.

To find that other HP users have EXACTLY the same issue makes me hold my head in disgust that I might YET AGAIN be subject to an HP/CPQ laptop design flaw. I've been through this before. I'm hoping that when I call this in I don't get the run around.

The icing on the cake was hitting the CAPS key as the guy above suggested and it behaved JUST as he described. I hadn't made that correlation until now!

[JFL-NY]

I followed the advice above and shut down the computer and pulled the battery out, waited 20 - 30 seconds and turned it back on and it worked. Took the computer home this weekend and used the wireless for my home wireless router. Got into work this morning, dock the computer and turned in on. This time instead of not being able to turn on the wireless, I couldn't turn it off. As before, the number lock and cap lock indicators didn't light, I couild control the volume or mute swithes on the bar. Shut down, pull the battery, re-install boot up and it fine.

Any clues to why it's doing this.