Intel AC-9260 160Mhz not working in Win10 - Error Code 10

[Joe22]

I have a problem with my new wireless card:

Card:
Gigabyte GC-WB1733D-I (Intel AC-9260 160Mhz chipset)

Motherboard:
Gigabyte B75M-D3H
BIOS version F14 6/5/2013 (only one newer version available, which is also ancient)
BIOS ID 8A01MAG0R

Windows 10 22H2 1000.19045.3324, installed 11. August

When I got this PC a few days ago I installed an ancient Ralink PCI wireless card, for which no current drivers were available. I removed it.

I then bought the Gigabyte card, put it in (without connecting the USB cable for Bluetooth at this point) and started the driver setup from the CD. It created a system recovery point, rebooted - and crashed half a dozen times during reboot. Finally, I got the option to revert to the system recovery point created earlier and the PC booted fine. Just no Bluetooth, and the wireless card in the device manager showed Error Code 10 (device could not be started).

After that I connected the Bluetooth/USB cable. Bluetooth (with newest Intel drivers) now runs fine, I can connect to other devices, so the card should be OK.

But I can't get the wifi card to work. I have tried:
- The ancient drivers from the Gigabyte CD
- The newest drivers from the Gigabyte website (from 2019)
- The newest wifi drivers from Intel (from June 2023)

All installed after removing the card in the Device Manager every time and, when asked, deleting the old drivers.

I tried
- a cold boot (power cable off, pressing On switch 20 sec.)
- disabling onboard LAN chip in BIOS
- disabling Windows power saving settings for wifi

No luck.

The drivers shown are:
Netwfw08.dat (unknown)
Netwfw08.sys (Intel 21.80.32.1)
vwifibus.sys (10.0.19041.1)
IntelHVRouter08.dll (22.12240.0.1)

It's Code 10 every time and I'm out of my depth here. I'd be glad for any ideas.

[Joe22]

Update:

I chose "Show hidden devices" in the Device Manager and there was a network card listed as Not Installed (Error 45). It must have been the old Ralink card and I removed it from Devices.

I then followed the instructions in this thread:

Intel(R) Wireless-AC 9260 160Mhz Error Code 3 - Intel Community

namely:

Uninstall the Wi-Fi driver.

1. Go to Device Manager.

2. Expand the Network Adapters category.

3. Right-click your Intel Wireless Adapter and choose to uninstall it.

4. Make sure the option to Delete the driver software for this device is selected.

5. Repeat steps A through D until the option to Delete the driver software for this device is greyed out.

• Restart your computer.

• Install the driver downloaded before

The result: after I deleted everything "until the option to Delete the driver software for this device is greyed out" I rebooted. After reboot (and before installing new drivers) the card showed up as functioning in the Device Manager. Windows found an old Intel driver 21.10.2.2 somewhere. Hooray!

Unfortunately it doesn't work. Device Manager reports no problems (with the older driver) and I can see the card under Network Connections (Intel 9260 etc. - Not connected). But I can't find any networks.

I tried the Windows troubleshooting option (network diagnosis) and it recommended a network reset and reboot. Fine. Now I can see the card (still the old driver) in Network Connections, it is now activated, it just doesn't find any networks. Network diagnosis again - it reports a possible driver problem and the tool couldn't fix it.

I installed the new driver, rebooted - Error Code 10 again.

[IsaacQ_Intel]

Hello @Joe22

Thank you for posting on the Intel️® communities. We would be more than glad to help you with your issue.

According to the nature of this issue, try to follow the troubleshooting steps provided in this article:

Codes 10, 22, 28, 31, 43 or 45 Errors in Device Manager for Bluetooth® or Wireless (Wi-Fi) Devices

Besides of that, you have to know that the most effective approach we can take is to guide you through the steps outlined in the Error Code 10 article. If these steps don't resolve the issue, the next recommended course of action would be to contact Gigabyte, the manufacturer of the custom card, for further assistance. They would be best equipped to address the specific complexities of their product.

Also take this information in consideration. Base on the article: Frequently Asked Questions about Intel® Wireless Adapters:

·      Installation or use of Intel® Wireless Adapters is subject to country-specific legal regulations. In certain countries, the products can only be installed in systems that have a system-level regulatory approval. Approval must be obtained by the manufacturer of the system (OEM/ODM) or the installer. Before installing the device into a system, you must contact the system manufacturer to determine if the product is approved for use in a specific system in a specific country. You are also required to follow the manufacturer's post-approval requirements.

·      If the manufacturer does not have the necessary approvals, the party installing the device is responsible for those approvals. Installing the adapters in an unauthorized system may be illegal.

·      The end user is not authorized to install the wireless adapters. They can only be installed by the manufacturer or authorized representative.

And is very important to understand this: Regulatory Information Regarding Wireless Hardware Installation or Upgrade. Understanding Intel® Wireless Adapter usage is critical due to country-specific regulations, legal implications, compatibility concerns, and manufacturer alterations. Only approved adapters should be installed by manufacturers or their representatives.

Best regards,

Isaac Q. 

Intel Customer Support Technician

[IsaacQ_Intel]

Greetings Joe22,

Trust you're well.

Have you had a chance to review the earlier message?

Feel free to reach out if further help is required.

Warm regards,

Isaac Q.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[IsaacQ_Intel]

Hello Joe22

We hope you are doing fine.

We have not heard back from you. So we will close this thread. If you need any additional information, submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards.

Isaac Q.

Intel Customer Support Technician.