Intel Wireless-AC 7260 Not Working with Windows10 20H2

[AlexHP]

I have done a lot of research on this issue but have not been able to find a solution yet. I have an HP Envy dv7 Notebook which originally came with an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 card.  I previously had Windows 10 ver. 1703 installed and I could connect to the internet with no issues. I upgraded my OS to Windows 10 ver. 20H2 and suddenly could not connect to the internet anymore. I had the newest version of the driver for my wireless card but since it was discontinued in 2017 it was not more current than around 2015. HP no longer supports my laptop so their site was no help. I researched and saw that upgrading my card might help. I upgraded to the Intel Wireless-AC 7260 and installed the most current driver version. It still is not connecting to the internet. I have tried both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, neither works. I have not been able to find a suitable solution. Can someone please help me fix this problem? Thank you.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @AlexHP

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

Could you please confirm the following details in order to check further this behavior?

1- When you said "not connecting/not working" do you mean the device can detect Wireless networks but does not connect? Are you receiving an error message? (Perhaps on the Windows notification area). Please provide details.

2- Do you see any error code or error message under Windows® Device Manager >> Network Adapters >> Intel® Wireless Adapter >> Properties?

3- If the system is capable of detecting wireless networks, have you tried a different router or Access point for testing purposes? Have you rebooted your access-point, router, modem?

4- Router / Access point brand, model, and firmware version:

5- Before integrating the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 on the computer, did you check/confirm with HP* Support that the adapter was fully compatible with the system?

6- Also, we have seen reports of issues/unexpected behaviors when performing major Windows® Updates. Have you checked with Microsoft* Support if they are aware of any particular issue with that update or if there might be a pending update/patch available for your operating system/computer? If not yet, we recommend also addressing this behavior with them.

7- Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) to gather more details about the system.

• Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer
• Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".
• To save your scan, click Next and click Save.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlexHP]

By "Not Connected/Not Working" I mean that it indicates that it is connected, but also indicates "No Internet Access". There is no error code. It states that the device is working properly. It is capable of detecting other wireless networks, but I have only tried the 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections on my router. I don't have another one and cannot connect to the neighbor's. I have an ASUS AC3100 RT-AC88U router. I have not checked with HP since they no longer support my laptop model but I will see if I can find anything in the support community. And I have not checked with Microsoft.  I have attached the files I got from running the SSU utility on my laptop. I would like to reiterate that I still had the original Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 wireless card installed when I upgraded to Windows 10 20H2 from 1703. I was able to access the internet before the Windows upgrade but not after. I switched boards after this hoping to see if a new board and newer drivers would work.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us back if you have additional inquiries.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

Thank you for your response.

Based on the Intel® SSU report, we noticed that the system is running the latest Intel® generic driver for the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 >> Driver Version: "18.33.17.1".

Also, we checked on the HP* website and we noticed that there are no drivers available for this wireless card (not even for old Operating Systems like Windows® 8.1*), and actually, it seems the laptop has no HP* support for Windows® 10 (no other drivers for Windows 10.).

In this case, what we can recommend is to check the Recommended Settings for 802.11ac Connectivity since the ASUS* Router RT-AC88U supports IEEE 802.11ac (you may also check with ASUS* Support for other recommended settings on the router).

If the problem persists, please then perform a clean install of the Wireless and Bluetooth drivers in order to discard issues due to the update to Windows® 10 20H2 and driver installation ("software leftover" or old settings related to Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230):

Please follow these steps:

1- Download and save to your computer the latest generic drivers from Intel:

• Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Intel® Wireless 7260 Family Driver version = 18.33.17.1 >> WiFi_21.10.1_PROSet64_Win10.exe*
• Intel® Wireless Bluetooth® for Intel® Wireless 7260 Family Driver version = 20.100.5.1 >> BT_21.10.1_64_Win10.exe*

To avoid Windows® update reinstalling a different driver during the process, we recommend first downloading and saving the driver installers in your computer, then disconnect the Internet.

2- Follow the next steps on this link for a Clean Installation of Wireless and Bluetooth Drivers. Install the Bluetooth driver first, and then the Wireless driver. After installation, please set again the Recommended Settings for 802.11ac Connectivity

*Note:

The Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 and this software have reached “End of Life” and there is no further driver update planned for this model.

Please be aware that the installation or use of Intel® Wireless Adapters is subject to country-specific legal regulations. A Wireless Adapter installed in a system that is being sold on the market doesn't necessarily mean that the same wireless adapter can be used or installed in another system for the above mentioned reason. As each country may have different regulatory requirements, before you install/change the Wireless Adapter in a system, you must contact the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to determine if the adapter you plan to install is approved for use in your system and country. You are required to follow the OEM post-approval requirements. 

When an end-user installs a wireless card on a system that did not come with it from the factory, this is what we call "Wireless Integration" and it may cause connection issues or software-hardware errors. For more information please review the following links:

• Regulatory Information Regarding Wireless Hardware Installation or Upgrade
• Why Doesn't My Laptop Recognize My New Intel® Wireless Adapter?

If the issue still persists, this actually may be related to a bigger compatibility issue. In those cases, the root of the problem could be one of the followings:

• There is a compatibility issue with the configuration/Operating System (e.g.: Windows version + computer + driver)
• The system may require a firmware update.
• The system connector for the wireless card is not designed (e.g.: at the electronic level) to work with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 and the system is not compatible with this wireless card.
• There is a limitation from your computer manufacturer (OEM), in this case, HP*.

In those scenarios, our recommendation is to check directly with your OEM to confirm full compatibility and for additional debugging and assistance from their site. Contacting your OEM is also very important to determine if the Wireless adapter would be compatible with your laptop (e.g.: socket connector, BIOS, operating system, software/drivers, etc.).

Also, we would like to inform you that Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 2230 has been discontinued and Intel Customer Service no longer supports inquiries for it. Since the issue was triggered when upgrading Windows® 10 (still using this wireless card) we also recommend checking this further with Microsoft* Support.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you were able to review our previous post. For any other inquiries, please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AlexHP]

Yes, thank you for your support. I have contacted HP Support Community and was able to find posts that indicated the 2230 board could be replaced with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 but that it had to be a specific HP Part Number (#710661-001). I have not gotten that board yet to test. I will try and let you know how it works. Also, I will look into the support advice you previously posted and let you know how it goes. Thank you for your help.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

You are very welcome and thank you for your response.

Sure, please feel free to share any details about the outcome of further steps and tests that you try. For any other inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us back if you have additional inquiries.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello AlexHP

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

If the issue persisted, our final recommendation is to check directly with your OEM considering this is regarding a Wireless integration and also, we recommend checking this further with Microsoft* Support since the issue was triggered when upgrading Windows® 10.

It has been a pleasure to assist you.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician