Toshiba Satellite Pro wireless card detected but not working

[JackCPickup]

Good afternoon all,

 

Having a problem with a Toshiba Satellite Pro L450-13L running Windows XP SP3. The laptop is detecting there is a wireless card, it shows up in Device Manager, but it won't connect to the wireless, all other laptops can.

 

Within Toshiba's "wonderful" selection of crapware, there is a wireless diagnostic utility; in here it tells me the wireless antenna is disabled and I need to press fn + f8...fn + f8 is doing absolutely nothing but other function keys do work.

 

The wireless card is a Realtek 8191SE WLAN NIC. I've tried a handful of different drivers, relevant to that model and others.

 

er, I think that covers it.

 

All help is appreciated.

 

Regards,

Jack

[Hedghog]

Hi,

 

I have had this problem as well - Fn + F8 is the antenna switch but the two reasons I have had for this are either the network card has failed or a (suprise suprise) microsoft hardware up date has come through and stopped the card. The only way to fix the last scenario is to go to the realtek site and down load a new driver. It was interesting that the latest driver, the last time it happend, was published just after the Microsoft update wen tout. The first issue can only be tested by changing over a working lan card for the possible faulty one.

Hope this helps

Edited February 26, 2013 by Hedghog

[chazzy2501]

I don't have this laptop but things to check are: BIOS settings, (boot wlan on) is there a physical as well as logical switch!?! oh and on new laptops cheack that the feature lock isn't enabled. (swaps FN and F keys)

 

Also if you use software like Issider does it show other wireless networks?

[AliG]

you may have to install the toshiba value added software which will enable all the FN keys icluding the FN+Wireless on function

[laserblazer]

I just tried the Fn F8 on my L450 and an on/off icon appears at the top of the screen but nothing actually happens. I did have a problem with it not connecting to the WiFi and in the end I disabled the wireless adapter from network connections, enabled it again and it worked. My next step would have been to uninstall the drivers in device manager and then re-boot but that wasn't necessary.

[JackCPickup]

Thanks all.

 

Had tried most of those already with no luck, and nothing in the BIOS about boot wlan.

 

When I get a chance I'll take a look at our spare laptops for another wireless card to try in it.

 

No other wireless networks here, too far away from homes to be picking anything up.

 

I can right click the wireless icon in the system tray and try to choose a wireless network to connect to, but nothing is showing there. Another laptop of the same model is working absolutely fine on the wireless here "/

 

Regards,

Jack

[chazzy2501]

Have you looked at the physical card to see if one of the antenna connectors has popped off? The card you have is a mimo card so you should have 3 connectors 2 to recieve and 1 to send.

[JackCPickup]

Swapped NICs with another of the same laptop. The problem stays with the laptop, not the NIC.

 

There are 2 connectors and they're secured. I guess I'll have to dig deeper when I get a chance.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Regards,

Jack