About a month ago the option to turn on the internet or bluetooth completely dissapeared. So far I have tried to re-enable a few things in device manager under network adapters (I have forgotten the name of it, and it no longer appears on my computer). I have tried to shut down my computer, restarting it in every way I could find. I have restarted my internet and used the network reset button a few times. Any help is much appreciated!
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Hi,What is the exact model name of your laptop? Did you disable the WiFi combo card in the BIOS? Or is there a switch to disable it?
Dell XPS 15 2016 9550? This model does not officially support Windows 11.
Restart your computer and press F2 when the Dell logo appears. Check in the BIOS to see if WLAN/Wireless is enabled and if the card appears in the system information. Also check F12 → Diagnostics.
The model is Dell xps 15 9550. I don't know anything about computers but I don't remember doing anything out of the usual before the issues started so I don't think I disabled anything. Is this the correct place? The boxes were already ticked.
Device Manager → View → Show hidden devices. Under Network adapters, Bluetooth, and Other devices, look for any unknown or grayed-out devices. Then, click Action → Scan for hardware changes.
Download the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers for the Dell XPS 15 9550 from the Dell support website on another device and transfer them via USB. Install the chipset driver first, then Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; then restart your computer. The Dell drivers are listed for Windows 10 but may also work under Windows 11.
If Device Manager still shows nothing, open Terminal as administrator and run:
pnputil /scan-devices
Then check Device Manager again.
If no card or "Network Controller" appears, Windows 11 may not be able to enumerate the card despite BIOS detection.
Don't forget to run the Dell hardware diagnostics beforehand using F12.
And because you have little experience, you installed an operating system without help that isn't suitable for your laptop. I understand that, of course.
For the heck of it, when you're in Windows, try hitting FN+PrtScr. It's a keyboard switch that turns wireless transmitters on or off. Give it a tap, wait a few moments, and then see if your wireless turns on.
The behavior of the key combination is not universal. It varies based on the manufacturer and the hardware. On some hardware, the keystroke does act like a hardware switch and disables the hardware itself, causing Windows to not see the hardware. That's why I suggest to people to try the keystroke and see if it helps.
Some consumer laptops treat that keystroke as an "airplane mode" toggle. But some Dell laptops give it a dual purpose and it not only toggles airplane mode but also toggles the hardware.
On the BIOS screen you showed, the first setting under Wireless says "Wireless Switch". You should highlight that and see what choices there are.
That BCM2045A0 is your Bluetooth controller. You can download the Windows 11 driver for it and install it yourself. If a Windows update broke it, that would likely fix your Bluetooth at least.
What do you see when you open that Network Controller entry? If you can find its model, you can manually install the driver again
LLMs say this is a BCM43602. Manual driver install is probably going to be your best bet.
You can either download these drivers on another system and move it with a usb stick, or you can use your phone with USB tethering for Internet access on this PC
this happened to me. i had to turn off my pc and turn off the power switch on the psu. wait a minute and then start it back up again. i see you're on a laptop.
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