Robbie.Knox Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I bought a laptop around August last year, and up until about October my onboard wireless and bluetooth worked fine, but since then I haven't been able to connect at all. This hasn't been a problem until now, as I normally use a wired connection but now I need to get the onboard wireless working. Now according to Acer eNet Management (I'm running Vista Basic by the way), the antenna hardware switch in my notebook is switched off. Now I've checked all the options in Device Manager etc, and they're all fine, but whenever I press the Bluetooth or Wireless buttons on the front of the laptop, all I get is ""No Wireless/Bluetooth Device", even though it appears fine in Device Manager. The only information I have on the wireless card from Acer eSettings Management is that it's a Broadcom 802.11g Network Adapter, running Driver Version 4.82.28.56. I've also checked the BIOS, but there's no option about any onboard wireless cards or anything. I've looked over the Internet for a while now and found nothing, so thought it was time to try here. I'd really appreciate it if someone could help. Thanks. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
S7un7 Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 It sounds like there is a switch on your laptop that has the wireless disabled. Look for something similar to what is pictured below. It's a simple switch that moves left and right, and is usually on the front or side. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589181373 Share on other sites More sharing options...
random_n Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 In Vista, there seems to be three controls to enable/disable wireless, and they all act mostly independently of each other. Since you have the first two covered (enabled in device manager with no "down arrow" over the icon, and the hardware switch), try clicking the battery icon in the tray, choosing Mobility Center, and toggling the wirelessness there. You could also check on ePower management, but that's just an extension of the control afforded by Windows' Device Manager (as far as I've seen). Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589181390 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie.Knox Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 Thanks for your replies. That's my problem though, I've gone to Windows Mobility Center and it says Wireless Off, because the device apparently isn't connected even though it comes up in Device Manager. The button for Turn wireless on is greyed out as well. @S7un7, I've tried that, it's on the front of my Acer Aspire, but as I said, it just comes up with a message saying "No wireless device". Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589181605 Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Uninstall and reinstall the drivers for the card. Also check ePower application to make sure that the device isn't disabled from there. I know on my acer you could turn off different devices (bluetooth, wireless, 1394, etc) from the ePower application. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589181703 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbie.Knox Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 Ok, I've had a bit more of a look around and apparently it's something to do with a process called wbutton.exe not installing. Now I've downloaded Launch Manager (which is what it's supposed to come with) for both XP and Vista, and searched in the zip folder before setup, and in the C:\Program Files\Launch Manager after installation, and I can't find it anywhere. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589181704 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rchurch Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I am wondering if you had any luck getting this resolved. I have an Acer 9810 and I swapped out the 3945ABG for a Broadcom BCM94321MC and all worked well for about a week. The switch on the front to enable/disable wireless seemed to work fine and performance was great. That is until a few days ago when I let the laptop go into hibernate mode and the card never woke back up. I use AT&T connection manager and it is telling me the radio is off. The card is enabled in device manager and everything looks good but when I try to switch it on, I get the "No Wireless Device" message. I tested the card in a Lenovo n100, which ships with the Broadcom, and the card is still functional. I also reinstalled the original 3945 and it works fine in the Acer so the laptop does not appear to have failed. I could really care less if the on/off switch functions on the laptop but I do need someway to power up the radio. I tried to hack the driver inf file to expose the radio control functionality that this driver installs normally in XP but even though it now has that option in device manager the radio does not come on - or at least Vista doesn't think it is on or is over ridding the setting. I checked the ePower settings as suggested by KC the card is powered. I also checked the settings suggested by random_n and it does not give me the option to enable or disable the card as it does on other Vista systems with a working card, instead the button is label "Network Settings" and takes me to the network control panel. I am still confused as to why it worked fine but now Launch Manager does not recognize the card. If you find a solution, please share. Link to comment https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/617474-acer-aspire-wireless-problem-broadcom/#findComment-589202100 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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