How to turn on wifi on laptop Windows 7

Windows 7 is the latest Microsoft Operating System for users. Windows 7 comes in 32-bit or 64-bit editions. Because of memory limitations in 32-bit OSes, the maximum amount of available RAM is 3GB. This used to be more than enough for Windows XP, but progress demands higher requirements and with the minimum around 2GB now, 3GB will soon be insufficient.

Table of Contents Show

How to Enable WiFi Adapter in Windows 10 Laptop?
Why is my Windows 7 laptop not connecting to WIFI?
How do I enable WIFI on laptop?
What is the shortcut key to open Wi
How do I enable WIFI on a disabled laptop?

With a 64-bit OS, the maximum amount of memory in Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Enterprise is 196GB, which is almost 50 times bigger!!!

But, not all software makers have upgraded their programs to 64-bit versions. And since each new OS includes more gadgets and tools, one of the tools that Microsoft included for laptops is the Windows Mobility Center. This utility allows you to control many things at once, like screen brightness, sound, screen rotation, external displays, wireless and sometimes more (depends on hardware detected by Windows 7).

Most laptops in the Math Department are Acer Travelemates and they usually have Intel Wireless Network cards. When available, the Intel Wireless Connection Utility is recommended for controlling the wireless network card as it is a very good program. See this this page for instructions for use in Windows XP. But your laptop has Windows 7, here are some instructions for controlling the Wireless.

To turn on/off the Wireless in Windows 7 using the hardware switchOn most the the Acer Laptops there is a hardware switch located on the front of the laptop which has a little picture of a satellite dish next to a slider switch. Other laptop manufacturers use either a slider switch or a simple on/off switch or sometimes there is a keyboard switch that usually requires using the Function (Fn) key and another key like F5. The other key usually has a small icon to indicate wireless.

There is usually a light next to the switch which is off, blinking or on. If it is blinking, then it is turned on, but not connected to any network.

With the slider switch, sliding it toggles the wireless card on or off.

If you use the hardware switch to turn on the wireless and it doesn't come on, then it's probably the software switch which is turned off. Continue below.

To turn on/off the Wireless in Windows 7 using the software switch1. Look in the lower right corner of the desktop for the Windows 7 power icon. Looks like a battery with an AC plug.

2. Right-click on the power icon and a popup menu should appear. Choose the Windows Mobility Center and click on it.

3. You should see something similar to the one pictured here, although it may vary with different hardware.

Notice in the upper right corner the Wireless Network box. The status shows that the wireless is turned off and the button allows you to turn it on. Click on the "Turn wireless on" button and wait a few seconds so it can scan for available networks.

4. Now look again in the lower right corner of the desktop, only look for the network icon. Looks like a monitor with a weird antenna on the left.

5. Left-click on the Network icon and a popup menu should appear showing what network, if any, you are connected to at the top and below that, a list of available wireless networks.

6. When I click on the UHWireless network, the is a warning about information being visible to others, which is due to the UHWireless network not being encrypted. There is also a checkbox to connect automatically when in wireless range and a Connect button.

Click on the Connect button to connect and another windows will appears as it tries to connect to UHWireless.

If the network you are connecting to has security enabled, then you should be asked to type in a key or passphrase before it will connect.

If your computer stopped receiving the wireless signal, one of the reasons is the disabled wireless adapter. If the Wireless adapter (WiFi Card) is turned off, it cannot receive signals from the WiFi hotspots and Access Points.

This tutorial explains how to turn on a disabled WiFi adapter on a Windows Laptop.

It also teaches you, What should you do when your WiFi adapter is disabled? To fix the WiFi card issues on your laptop, follow the instructions below.

This article covers the solutions to fix WiFi problems on all Windows versions like Windows 8, Windows 7, etc. Let us start with the quick fix to enable Wireless Adapter on Windows 10.

How to Enable WiFi Adapter in Windows 10 Laptop?

To enable the disabled wireless card on a Windows 10 computer, follow the instructions below.

Type Device Manager on the Windows 10 search bar and click to open it
Check for the wireless adapter under the Network Adapters

You can see the Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless AC 3168 adapter is disabled in the Device Manager.
Right-click on the disabled wireless adapter and click to the enable device option

1. Enable WiFi Adapter From Device Manager

The first step you must do when you found your wireless card disabled automatically is to access the Device Manager.

In Device Manager, you can turn it back on.

Start Menu
- Windows 7 & 8
  
  To go to the Device Manager on Windows 7 laptop, right-click on the Computer shown in the Start menu and click on properties.
- Windows XP
  
  Right-click on My Computer and click on properties (XP).
  
  Now the system properties window will appear.
Go to Device Manager
- Windows 7
  
  In Windows 7, you can see the Device Manager link here.
- Windows XP
  1. Click on the Hardware tab on the system properties window.
  2. Click on Device Manager
    
    To go to the device manager, we need to click on the device manager button.
    
    Here you can see all the hardware devices connected to the Windows XP computer.
    
    To see the status of the wireless adapter, click on network adapters.
Enable Wireless adapter
- To enable wireless adapter, right-click on it and click on enable.
- Now the wireless adapter is enabled.

Once you have completed the above steps, your Windows 7 and XP computers will start picking the WiFi signals.

If the issue persists, I suggest you visit the solutions provided in the link below.

I Cannot Go Online

2: Enable Wireless Card From Network Connections

We can turn on the disabled WiFi card from the Network Connections window.

On the Network Connections window, you can see all the network cards installed on your laptop.

All you have to do is to right-click on the card and click the Enable button.

Follow the instructions provided below to activate the WiFi card on your PC.

Go to Control Panel
Click on Network and Sharing Center

Select the icon view to see the Network and Sharing Center. Now you will see all the available wireless cards.

3: Update Driver

If still, the adapter is disabled on your computer, you should update the driver to enable it. To perform it, follow the steps below.

Right Click on the adapter in Device Manager
Click on Update Driver Software

4: Unplug the Card

If you are using a USB Wireless card, unplug it from your PC and reconnect it after one minute.

After you have reconnected it to the USB port, check for the issue.

5: Disable Internet Security and Firewall Applications

In many technology forums, users complain about the role of Internet Security programs like ZoneAlarm, Kaspersky Internet Security, Norton, etc.. in disabling the wireless adapter automatically.

After uninstalling the security program, the adapter started working.

As a troubleshooting step, I recommend you to disable the security programs installed and check for the issue.

6: Uninstall Driver and reinstall

If the wireless adapter on your computer is still disabled, you should uninstall the driver and reinstall it. It will enable the disabled wireless adapter. To uninstall the driver, follow the instructions below.

Right-click on the adapter in Device Manager
Click on the Uninstall driver option.
After uninstalling the adapter driver, download the latest driver software from the adapter manufacturer's website and install it.

Why is my Windows 7 laptop not connecting to WIFI?

Select the Start button > Settings > Network & Internet > Status. Under Change your network settings, select Network troubleshooter. Follow the steps in the troubleshooter, and see if that fixes the problem.

How do I enable WIFI on laptop?

Select the Network icon on the taskbar. ... .

Choose the Wi-Fi network you want, then select Connect..

Type the network password, and then select Next..

Choose Yes or No, depending on the type of network you're connecting to and if you want your PC to be discoverable by other PCs and devices on the network..

What is the shortcut key to open Wi

now Ctrl + ALT + W will popup that available Wireless network window.

How do I enable WIFI on a disabled laptop?

Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Device Manager. Click the Plus Sign (+) next to Network Adapters. Right-click the wireless adapters and, if disabled, click Enable.