# Solved: Reinstalling WinXP on IBM ThinkPad - can't find wireless network adapter!



## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

Hi,
I have an IBM ThinkPad R51 notebook, on which I did a clean reinstallation of Windows XP. I have managed to set up all drivers OK - except the built-in wireless network adapter.
I have downloaded the official drivers from here, installed them, rebooted as the program told me to - and the Device Manager simply does not register that there is a wireless device at all. No errors, nothing - it just isn't there.
I know that this device is there, because it existed and was working fine before I did the reinstall.
Any idea how to get device manager to realize that there is a wireless card buried somewhere inside this computer?
Thanks!
Shaul


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

Very often there's a hardware switch that needs to be turned on.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

Hughv: wow, that was a quick answer!
Where would I find such a switch? This is a notebook we're talking about - and as I said, it was working before the reinstall, so how would the switch have been reset?


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

My room mate has asked me about this problem twice-the switch on her Toshiba is located on the front, and is easily switched off accidentally.
I checked the IBM site for a manual, and they don't supply one, which I find incredible.
Use the "Thinkvantage" button to get help;
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-57556
Sometimes this switch is a Fn Key, or a button with a wireless icon.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

No, can't find any such switch... 
All the help resources talk about getting the right driver for something that's showing up with an exclamation mark in your Device Manager; none of them say how to deal with a device that just doesn't show up at all...


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

"I was really tired, had been at work all day on a Sunday, booted up the Lenovo Thinkpad X60 and no wifi. I kept getting this message when I tried to enable from the wifi icon it that it was switched off in the Bios or on the wifi switch. What wifi switch I muttered. After about 10 minutes of looking in the Bios, checking drivers and swearing I had a look at the warning message again. It had a little icon on it that looked like the wifi icon on the F5 key. Slowly my brain switched on.... I looked at the top of the notebook, on the sides and finally turned it over.

There's a slider switch on the lip of the notebook. If you look down at your keyboard, in the middle of the closest edge to you is a slot which the lid clips into. If you look under the notebook in the same position, there's a slider switch. One side has the little wifi icon - the computer with the little curvy things round it. The other one doesn't have the curvy thing. If you slide it from one side to the other it enables or disables wifi. Who new...

Maybe you all knew that but I didn't. "

http://bristley.blogspot.com/2007/04/thinkpad-wireless-switch.html


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

The description is very accurate, but I still can't find a switch.
There's a very clear description on the IBM website, including a label showing me where the wireless antennas are, but not on any of the 5 aspects of the computer did they label a switch that turns the wireless on or off.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

The Bristley blog refers to the R60 laptop, which does have a physical switch shown on the IBM website. The R51 doesn't have any such switch.


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

All I see is the wireless status light in #3 of the front view. I assume that's off?
Have you tried the wireless network wizard?
Have you looked at all the Fn keys?
If nothing else, uninstall the wireless card in Device Manager and reboot to see if it's detected.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

Hughv said:


> All I see is the wireless status light in #3 of the front view. I assume that's off?
> Have you tried the wireless network wizard?
> Have you looked at all the Fn keys?
> If nothing else, uninstall the wireless card in Device Manager and reboot to see if it's detected.


1) Yes, the wireless light is off
2) Wizard does diddly squat
3) Tried all Fn keys
4) i can't uninstall it; it doesn't appear in the first place.


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## Hughv (Jul 22, 2006)

Did you install the driver? Simply downloading it isn't enough.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

Sure I installed the driver. It even asked me to reboot afterwards.
I've given up on this story, and sent the computer in to the tech support dept at the office.
Thanks for your time and effort; if I find out what the answer is I'll post it B"N.


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

Well, the guys in the office tech department fixed it up - apparently I was using the wrong driver for the wireless network. They said there were two network drivers on the web site and I chose the wrong one, which didn't give me any warning that it was the wrong one...

Well, problem solved, at least... thanks for your help!


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## tenshi1601 (Mar 29, 2009)

HELP!! shaulbehr, im having the same problem, can you ask the tech department which file they used to fix the prob?thanks very much..ive tried almost everything..


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## shaulbehr (Oct 9, 2007)

OK, I've forwarded the link to this discussion to the tech dept; hopefully they'll answer you...


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## tenshi1601 (Mar 29, 2009)

thanks very much..pls do message me in any way,ill give you my Yahoo address..its really important..thanks very much

[email protected]


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