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I'm having problems with my wireless connection. My laptop can't seem to detect any connections, saying only not connected - no connections are available. But that's impossible, as my neighbor laptops could detect the wireless modem we have and all the other random connections floating around. If I connect my laptop to the modem with a wire, Luckily I can get internet, but when I unplug it, same problem persists. please help..thanks

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Good follow‑up to ’s pointers. Because can use Ethernet but the laptop shows “no connections available,” the problem is usually local to the laptop’s wireless subsystem (software/service layer or the radio hardware). Below are targeted checks that often catch issues people miss and that extend the advice already given.

Check Windows services and the adapter’s visible state: open Services (services.msc) and confirm the WLAN AutoConfig (or Wireless Zero Configuration on very old Windows) service is set to Automatic and is Running. Open Network Connections (ncpa.cpl) to confirm a wireless adapter is present and Enabled (not greyed out). Use Device Manager with View → Show hidden devices to reveal ghosted adapters or duplicates that can block the real device.

Quick command checks (run in an elevated command prompt):

netsh wlan show drivers
netsh wlan show interfaces
netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid

These report whether Windows sees a wireless radio, the radio state, driver vendor, and nearby SSIDs.

Look outside Windows next: boot a Linux live USB (Ubuntu, Mint, etc.) and confirm whether wireless networks appear. If they do, the fault is in Windows/configuration; if not, it’s almost certainly hardware (radio module, antenna, or a BIOS/UEFI radio block). Also inspect the router for MAC filtering or per‑client blocks and check Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → WLAN‑AutoConfig → Operational for driver/error messages.

If the module isn’t visible even after the above, a reseat of the internal wifi card (if accessible) or contacting the laptop maker for repair is the usual path; take ESD precautions and note warranty implications. If a software cause is identified, avoid full OS reinstall until these diagnostics are complete—driver/service logs, netsh output, and the live‑USB test usually point to the right next move.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

So based on your troubleshooting so far, it seems that you are definately having a problem with the Wifi adapater on the laptop since you can connect via wire and your neighbors laptop works on your network.

Some things to check..

Laptops allow the ability to shut the wireless off in the BIOS. Check if you have a setting to enable it.

Many laptops have a button or a function key to press while the comptuer is on to enable or disable the wifi. Make sure its enabled

While in Windows, go to Device Manager, do you see the Wifi Nic listed? At this pint, since its not working, go ahead and right click to uninstall. After rick click the computer name at the top of the list and rescan. Sometimes, this works when a device is malfunctioning.

next, make sure that you have the latest device drivers. Check on the vendor's site.

If all of this is completed and you still cant get it to detect the wireless network, there is either something wrong with the wireless controller, or something else in the OS is causing this problem.

At this point, you may want to buy an inexpensive usb wifi adapter and call it a day.

Or, you may want to try to repair the OS, or reinstall the OS and see if a clean fresh copy of Windows does the trick.

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