Intel Centrino Wireless N-2230 under Windows 10 - not recognized, no Wifi

[DMeye3]

I have been struggling for some time with my Wifi adapter (Intel Centrino N-2230) which 'disappeared' after a recent update to Windows 10. Now I have been without Wifi for more than three weeks and I am really anxious to find a solution.

The laptop is a Dell Inspiron 5521, originally running under Windows 8, then upgraded successively to Windows 8.1 and now Windows 10 Home (Creator's update).

During an update of Windows 10 (this was before the update to Creator's) the wireless adapter suddenly became 'invisible', i.e. the computer didn't know anymore that it exists (no reference anywhere to Wifi, for example under 'Network and Internet settings' Wifi doesn't appear as an option, etc.).

In Device manager, the network adapter had also disappeared. I found that it still existed under 'hidden devices', tried several things (uninstal followed by scan for hardware changes; or - following the advice by the (not very useful) Dell customer service - installing Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows® 10 (without any visible effect whatsoever), etc. In between different attempts to find a solution sometimes the device disappeared also from the 'hidden' items of device manager, sometimes came back upon restart, all very erratic.

This morning I gave it another try, uninstalled the 'hidden' device and then reinstalled it using 'instal legacy software' option, but now I get the error message "This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)."

Can anybody help? Obviously I'm happy to provide more technical details as needed. Thanks!!

[AM81]

Hi,

I couldn't find it under hidden devices either. It completely disappeared after I uninstalled it with it's driver, like you suggested.

Last night I talked with Intel's tech support, they even logged in my pc. We tried installing the generic ProSET driver but without success.

This morning I noticed that the driver is now back to the hidden devices.

What is the "next step down the list"? Buying an external adapter?

And yes, it's Windows 10.

[idata]

Hello xAviad,

I was trying to suggest that if you had issues with step 3 of the clean installation process I provided above (May 15 reply), you could move to step 4.However, since you've already contacted our support directly and they were unsuccessful as well, it's fairly safe to assume this is a hardware problem, not drivers. Hardware support is provided by the respective computer manufacturer. Even if your computer is out of warranty, they should still be able to sell you a replacement adapter. It's always best to purchase replacement wireless adapters from your computer manufacturer directly to avoid compatibility issues. But a WIFI USB Dongle is one of the simplest alternatives worth considering.Best regards,Carlos A.