Problem with my Wireless LAN on Notebook VGN-NR10E

[enoe]

My apologies if this is not the right forum for this post (Please do let me know if there are other alternatives).

Today my Notebook VGN-NR10E started having serious problems with the Wireless LAN.

No wireless connections are recognized by the Windows Vista desktop toolbar utility and if I click on the option "Diagnose why Windows cannot find any additional networks" the following message appears:

THIS COMPUTER DOES NOT HAVE A WIRELESS NETWORK ADAPTER INSTALLED AND CONFIGURED

In the VAIO Smart Network Software that runs in my computer at Start Up there always use to be an icon for the LAN, MODEM and WLAN. Now the WLAN icon has disappeared no matter if I move the WIRELESS LAN switch ON and OFF in the front panel of my VAIO.

I looked into the Device Manager and effectively there are no Wireless adapters displayed.

I checked into the C:\WINDOWS\Drivers folders and found the following drivers installed:

* Wireless LAN Driver (Atheros) 7.2B - 7.2.0.215
* Wireless LAN Driver (Intel) 11.1.1 V - 11.1.1.16

The next thing I tried was to reinstall the WLAN drivers using the VAIO Recovery Center but after a successful reinstall the problem remained.

I also noticed that for some unfortunate reason my computer was configured to install all the windows updates automatically!! Before facing the problem the Windows Update utility installed the following fixes in the system:

* Definition Update for Windows Defender - KB915597 (Definition 1.24.5399.0)
* Update for Windows Mail Junk E-mail Filter [January 2008] (KB905866)
* Security Update for Windows Vista (KB941644)
* Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - January 2008 (KB890830)
* Update for Windows Vista (KB943302)
* Update for Windows Vista (KB943899)
* Update for Windows Vista (KB943411)

My last option was then to use the System Restore Utility in Windows to restore my computer to the previous state before installing the updates. After several minutes of restore Windows cancelled the process reporting an unexpected error that prevents the system to be restored to the previous point. THAT WAS REALLY FRUSTRATING.

I would like to ask for any advice, ideas, recommendations that could help me to troubleshoot this problem with my VAIO notebook. Also if you know or any other support alternatives either trough SONY or Microsoft I would be very grateful to know.

I was thinking in using the Recovery Disks to restore the complete system to its factory settings but I found that my disks are lost somewhere and I don't know if it would be possible to obtain new recovery disk from Sony...

Many thanks in advance for your help.

[pl01]

also after installing Wireless Switch Setting Utiilty, Vista wouldn't start until I attempting to repair the problem, which didn't work, but surprising it booted up ok after i restarted.

[Thalamus.]

My Vaio is VGN-NR10E, don't believe i have bluetooth enabled, well I've not enabled it. Where is it located and I'll check to make sure

Hi pl01,

the NR10E does not have bluetooth capabilities so no need to worry..

I'll pass this onto Sony and see if they can offer any solution.

[pl01]

thats great. thank you for your help

[Thalamus.]

You're welcome..

[FOATTES]

I've had my VGN-NR10E for about 2.5 years, and last night I started experiancing exactly the same problem with my wireless LAN connection.

Does anyone have any ideas?

My problem is identical to the one mentioned earlier in this post.

Thanks in advance.

[albirch92]

I have the same problem with my VGN-FW21L - I was running through all the updates I'd been too slack to install recently - firstly the Microsoft ones, then the Sony ones. When I "upgraded" the Bios I got BSOD, since then the Wifi has disappeared from the device manager list. Any drivers I install tell me they are already installed or that I don't have the hardware required. The Fedora dual boot also can't find any sign of the wifi adaptor so I presume it's either dead hardware or the bios has done something silly.

I've had a look in the Bios, but it's the simplest I've ever seen, there's no way to turn anything on or off.

I reinstalled, from the original backup made after purchase, that didn't help.

Pretty stuck now.