Intel Wireless AC 9462 - Code 10

[FilipeFreire]

Hey there!

I bought and MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Edge AC around this time last year, and everything seemed to be working just fine until June, even after updating the drivers & BIOS through Dragon Center (the board's driver utility). I had to leave my house for 5 months, time in which the PC wasn't used at all. After coming back, I noticed the Wi-Fi was no longer working, which got me really intrigued.

In Windows 10, the device manager shows a yellow warning sign on the wireless adaptor icon and a "Code 10 - This device cannot start" in the device status.

Things I have tried so far:

• Installing Wi-Fi drivers from the DragonCenter (which after installing and rebooting, says that there isn't any version installed)

• Reinstalling the drivers following the instructions provided by Intel here;

• Install the drivers that came with the motherboard CD;

I even booted another Windows 10 OS from another brand-new SSD, and verified that the Wi-Fi still wasn't working.

Also, worth mentioning the Wi-Fi tile in Windows 10 doesn't show up, while Bluetooth works flawlessly.

Has someone else noticed this behaviour in this motherboard model? If so, were you able to fix the issue?

Thanks in advance!

[Khun_Doug]

Filipe,

It would be useful to have some additional information regarding your system. Since the AC 9462 is an M.2 adapter, are there settings in BIOS that configure the specific M.2 slot to function as a network adapter versus a storage device?

Please run the Intel System Support Utility and post back with the results. This will provide an insight into your system specifics. The link for the Intel SSU is here:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25293/Intel-System-Support-Utility-for-Windows-

[FilipeFreire]

Hey there Khun,

Thanks for taking interest! Regarding your question, not that I was able to find no. I've taken another look at the bios advanced settings, but nothing seems to match your details, nor control the wifi adaptor.

I have attached a screenshot of the results from the SSU, I hope that suffices.

[Khun_Doug]

When the SSU is run there is an option to save the results as a text file. That text file needs to be added to this thread. There is nothing personally identifiable in the output. Just a detailed summation of the hardware, OS patch level, drivers, etc. Without that, doing much more will be near impossible.

One thing did come to mind. Would it be possible to reseat the AC-9462 in the M.2 socket?

[FilipeFreire]

Got it, I've attached it here.

Regarding resetting the adapter, I wouldn't know how to do it, but I can try searching about that and get back with the results.

[Khun_Doug]

Felipe,

The first thing I notice is you have a USB wireless device. I am guessing that you used that just to be able to get the PC on the network. So there is a bit more information, please remove the USB wireless, re-run the SSU and attach the results. You can replace it to get back on the network so you can post the output from the SSU. The second wireless is unlikely to be the cause of the problem, but it will be a bit useful to have that out of the equation.

I notice you have a VPN installed. Have you tried uninstalling the VPN to see if that makes any difference?

Finally, I see two things from the SSU. It appears your BIOS has a newer version available. Have you checked with the MSI software to see if the BIOS update is available? Perhaps use a browser and go to the MSI support page for your motherboard. The other thing I see is a newer version of the driver for the AC 9462. That driver would come directly from Intel. I would download the newer driver, then completely remove the driver that is installed, and then try the newer software. At the worst case it will not install and you can go back to the older version.

[FilipeFreire]

Hello Khun,

Thanks once again for your time. Understandable, sorry that didn't occur to me before. I did as you instructed and attached the results from the SSU below. I also downloaded the most up to date version of the BIOS and flashed it (although it did say that the version was the same).

After that, I proceeded to uninstal my VPN just to rule it out as the root of the issue. I then installed the most up to date drivers from intel and for this model, rebooted but still the Wi-Fi didn't work.

I uninstalled the drivers through the device manager, and proceeded to install the one recommended by MSI (since the version was different), rebooted the computer, but it still didn't connect.

Worth noting that, after uninstalling the VPN I was able to briefly see the Wi-Fi tile in windows 10 and see the available networks (lasted max 5seconds). But after that, the Wi-Fi tile disappeared again, and I wasn't able to reproduce that behaviour again.

[Khun_Doug]

Filipe,

I believe you are getting closer to resolving this problem. The latest SSU report does not indicate a hardware problem with the AC 9462. And the fact that you saw WiFi activate momentarily would reinforce that.

Would you open Settings, Network & Internet, click on Wi-Fi in the left column, and then click on Manage known networks. Remove all the known Wi-Fi networks from the list. Then go back to Settings, Network & Internet, and in the Advanced network settings click on Change adapter options. You should see the AC 9462 listed here. I would like you to right-click the adapter, and choose Disable, then right-click again and click Enable. Then right-click, and click Properties. You should see a Configure button, click it. The thing here is to get the AC 9462 setup such that it will recognize your wireless network.

Post back with the results please.

[FilipeFreire]

Hello once again Khun,

I tried to follow your instructions, but I'm afraid that the AC 9462 doesn't get listed in the "Change Adapter Settings" menu. I was able to disable it through the Device Manager menu. Once disabled, it does appear in the previous menu, but once I enable it again, it disappears, showing a Code 10 in the device manager.

[Khun_Doug]

Filipe,

Your report is curious because the last SSU you posted, the AC 9462 actually was active, no code 10 reported (at least that I saw).

Please go to Settings, Network & Internet. Scroll to the very bottom and there should be Network reset. Please use that to reset your networking. You will likely need to reboot after using this.

Also, have you ever used the networking Data usage to throttle or limit your data usage on this PC?

[FilipeFreire]

Dear Khun,

Strangely enough, I just booted my computer and the Wi-Fi adaptor suddenly began working after reinstalling the recommended driver from MSI (version 22.0.0.6). Although only for about 5min before failing to work once again. I couldn't believe my own eyes to be honest, even if for such a brief period.

After that, I followed your suggestion and proceeded to reset my Network. After the reboot, I was once again able to see the available networks, but once I pressed connect, the Wi-Fi tile in Windows 10 disappeared.

To answer your last question, no, I have not used that feature.

Seems like we're getting closer and closer!

[Khun_Doug]

Filipe,

Are you using any third party security software? Something that adds its own firewall and / or antivirus software? If so, it might be useful to uninstall it temporarily until this is finally resolved. It might be possible that type of software is causing some unexpected behavior.

Also, have you tried booting the PC into Safe Mode with Networking? The simplest method I can explain is go to Settngs, Update & Security, choose Recovery from the left column, and use Restart Now under Advanced startup. Once you see Choose an option, click Troubleshoot, Advanced options, and Startup Settings. Restart again and use option 5 for Safe mode with Networking. This runs a minimal configuration of Windows. The hope is that nothing will interfere with the wireless running.

I'm anxious to hear what happens!

[FilipeFreire]

Hey there!

Answering your questions:

1) The only thing I do believe might have changed those settings was the VPN, which is now uninstalled. I also don't have any 3rd party antivirus installed.

2) I did boot into Safe Mode with Networking, but the issue still persists.. I opened the device manager setup and the network adapter showed a Code 37 (Which according to Windows, means the OS couldn't initialize the device driver).

Any further ideas?

[Khun_Doug]

Filipe,

At this point I recommend getting in touch with the place that sold the PC to you, or even contacting MSI. Your problem is an intermittent, it works but then it doesn't work, and for no obvious reasons. It may be that the adapter went bad: hardware is known to break. The reseller or MSI may recommend you reset the OS to stock to see if that resolves the issue. The problem with that is everything that is not part of the OS needs to be reinstalled. I would allow them to assess the situation and see what they recommend.

[FilipeFreire]

Hello once again Khun,

Yes, I understand and agree. I was just hoping to fix this issue without doing so because I live in an island and bought my motherboard in a place far away, so it'll cost me to activate the warranty and I'm guessing I'll probably wait a month or so for it to come back to me...

Nonetheless, warranty exists for a reason

Thank you so much for your kind assistance, sorry to not share with you a happier outcome!

All the best.