Windows 8 laptop suddenly won't connect to wifi

I have a Dell e6400, and I was using it, connected to wifi and it was all working fine. I closed it and opened it back up about 10 minutes later and the laptop was no longer connected to wifi and would not connect to any network, doesn't connect to any of the 3 networks around me, passwords or no passwords, also doesn't connect to my phone hotspot. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling the wifi module/driver, the only difference it made was it asked for the password but it loads and still tells me it can't connect to the network. Any help would be great

2 Answers

1. Right click the Windows start menu area if it is Windows 8+. Otherwise (i.e. if the system is running a Windows 7 instance), press the start menu and type devmgmt.msc and press enter.
2. In the devices list, locate the wifi adapter.
3. Right click on the device name.
4. Click the Properties option.
5. Click the Advanced tab.
6. If available, click the Power Management tab.
7. Deselect 'Allow computer to turn off this device to save power'.
8. Click OK and reboot.

If you do not see the power management options, you have to check the power options and the selected power schemes.

1. Go to the Control Panel and Power Options.
2. Click the desired power scheme to modify it.
3. Click on the link 'Change advanced power settings'.
4. Scroll and locate the Wireless Adapter option and expand it.
5. Expand the Power Saving Mode.
6. Change the statuses to Maximum Performance.
7. Click OK and Reboot.

If you experience this while using a new operating system such as Windows 8.1 or 10, try considering applying the latest drivers and bios update Do not attempt to do bios updates if you are not familiar with it).

Based on my understanding, the main issue is that Wi-Fi won't reconnect, right? Were there any error message recorded in Event View? Path: Event View\Applications and Services Logs\Microsoft\Windows\WlAN-AutoConfig

First of all, please try to disable adapter and enable again to have a test.

If it works after re-enabled, we could try the following suggestion to have a test. Turn off Power Saving Mode of Wireless Adapter Settings in the Power Options dialog box. And, uncheck option “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” in Device Manager.

If the issue persists, please check for Windows update in control panel, install all available updates and reinstall compatible wireless network adapter driver form manufacturer website. Then try to boot into clean boot to have a try in case it is blocked by some third party applications or services.

Best regards.