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I have just upgraded a Lenovo T420 from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.

After the upgrade I performed a "Reset this PC" with "Keep my files".

Periodically the wi-fi will die. No networks will appear in the list in the pane which appears when one clicks the icon at the bottom right.

The fastest way to fix it is to click the left-most button twice, which seems to disable/re-enable and automatically reconnect to the network.

I have checked the router. The problem is not manifesting on another Lenovo laptop upgraded the same way. I am using the latest available network driver.

So far I haven't performed a clean install due to the time it will take to copy files from the machine and back again (it would be great if "Reset this PC" allowed one to "Remove everything" except folders in the root of the PC, or specific "safe" folders).

What can I do to further track & resolve this issue?

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  • Did you find a solution? I've also got the Wi-Fi Not available problem on my Chuwi tablet after upgrade to the build 10586. However, I had a working driver for Broadcom 802.11n Wireless SDIO Adapter before in the preinstalled Windows 10.
    – TecMan
    Feb 17, 2016 at 19:33

4 Answers 4

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I had the same issue, and the fix is really easy, but I (and from what I've read on this, most others with this issue as well), was led down the wrong path by a misleading choice in the updates menu.

I looked online, and the consensus seemed to be to try updating your wireless network adapter driver before trying anything else, so I did. When the system prompts you to search for updates, it gives you 2 choices: "search this computer" and "search this computer and search online".

I chose the second option, thinking the broader the search, the more chances I stood to find an update. It searched for a minute, and then I got a message saying that I had the latest version available, and so I started looking elsewhere.

Finally, after about a zillion wrong answers, I called the Microsoft tech line out of desperation, and we had it fixed in 5 minutes.

When given the search choice, you have to use the "search this computer" option. A window will pop up that has 2 drivers in it; the one that came with the computer, and one that was installed when you did the 8.1 upgrade. For some reason, it downloads the driver, but doesn't install it. At this point, just click on the one at the bottom of the list and install it, and then restart your computer. Works like a charm!

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Maybe Windows Update replaced the WiFi driver and the new one is not 100% compatible with your model. Try installing the driver from Lenovo's site. To keep Windows Update from replacing it again, see this post of how to hide the relevant updates so they are excluded. In Windows 10, your PC or device is always kept up to date with the latest features and fixes. Updates are installed automatically, with no need to select which updates are needed or not needed. In rare cases, a specific driver or update might temporarily cause issues with your device, and in this case you will need a way to prevent the problematic driver or update from reinstalling automatically the next time Windows Updates are installed.

To prevent the driver or update from being reinstalled, a Show or hide updates troubleshooter from Microsoft is available that provides a user interface for hiding and showing Windows Updates and drivers for Windows 10.

This tutorial will show you how to hide or show Windows updates in Windows 10.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to hide or show Windows updates.

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    "This tutorial will show you". Your answer would be better if you provided a link to this tutorial ... "see this post" and a link to that as well. Without these links it's a very poor answer.
    – DavidPostill
    Oct 24, 2015 at 18:53
  • I'm using the latest driver from Lenovo for the ThinkPad 1x1 11b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI Express Half Mini Card Adapter. Still having the issue.
    – Aaron
    Oct 25, 2015 at 1:52
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The Thinkpad T420 is not listed on Lenovo's Windows 10 Compatibility Page, which would imply Lenovo is aware of some compatibility issues and isn't planning to address them. The driver page for the "ThinkPad 1x1 11b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI Express Half Mini Card Adapter" doesn't even claim compatibility with Windows 8.

If you need Windows 10, I would recommend upgrading to a new computer. If that's not an option, you could at least buy a newer network adapter to use with your existing computer.

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  • There is a (seemingly newer) Windows 7 driver (11/02/2015) on the driver page for the T420 at (support.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/… ). Though no compatibility was claimed for Windows 8, the laptop worked flawlessly on Windows 8 and 8.1, as it did on Windows 7 (not sure if it was a Lenovo or Microsoft provided driver though).
    – Aaron
    Oct 31, 2015 at 5:56
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I performed a clean install (to a VHD) and I am no longer seeing these issues. here is the device name and driver version for reference.

Device Name: 1x1 11b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI Express Half Mini Card Adapter
Driver Version: 2013.12.720.2015
Driver Date: 7/20/2015

I still have the original installation if we can test some way of properly cleaning up whatever failed after the upgrade.

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