Unless someone recently spilled a latte all over it, we’re basically just taking a shot in the dark here. If nothing was spilled, you might want to try a quick driver refresh; just right-click your computer icon, head into Manage, and open the Device manager... locate Keyboards, right-click, and select Update Driver software. If that doesn't do the trick, try uninstalling it and then simply restarting your laptop. If none of that works... it's time for a repair shop, though the cost is still a bit of a guessing game. It could be as simple as a quick cleaning, or it might require a full replacement.
Try heading into the network settings on your devices and selecting the option to forget the connection, then give everything a quick reboot before attempting to sign back in
Not quite, though I’m more than happy to offer my help here free of charge; however, when it comes to formal education, that's where I start charging a fee 🙂
Isn't that really the whole point, though? To get him back online? Once he's connected to the web, I imagine that wireless driver will just slide right into place effortlessly. 😉
Donna Garcia said:For these laptops, I usually install them in this order: - Chipset - all that other Intel junk for HP - VGA - Audio - everything else: network, card reader, touchpad
I don't see how a LAN cable is going to help him if the OS doesn't even have a network driver?
But what if he actually does...
The order in which he installs the rest of those components really won't make much of a difference in his situation.
1. chipset driver 2. network controller 3. LAN driver 4. WLAN driver These are the specific components you need to install. Since things have likely become a bit tangled—much like trying to untangle a messy knot of holiday lights—where even Windows can't tell which device is which, I’d suggest performing a clean reinstall of the OS. It might be a smoother path forward. Before you start the installation process, try keeping the LAN cable plugged directly from your laptop into the router; having that hardwired connection active could make the whole setup significantly easier.
P.S. If you had mentioned which version of the OS you were running, we might have been able to offer some more tailored advice.
I should probably mention that VLC Media Player handles subtitles just fine for me, though honestly, everything else is pretty much irrelevant... just hit play and enjoy the show.
My entire hard drive is just overflowing with various software suites that have all earned perfect ten-out-of-ten reviews for being completely clean and reliable... I can't help but wonder, what on earth are everyone else doing differently if they're having such a hard time getting VLC Media Player to function properly?
Well, I think you might be trying to trick him just to get your way... 🙂
I’d suggest running CCleaner on both machines to clear out the junk, then setting up a separate user profile on each one.
Make sure you close out all your active programs first.
It’s likely that the installation process is leaving behind old cookies or leftover cache files, which can cause all sorts of headaches if you aren't careful.
feralowl said:Man, I was really hoping that wasn't part of the equation.. 😢 Now all I have to worry about is some technician at the repair shop deciding the fault is on our end just to dodge the warranty. Everything is completely backwards...
Don't worry, things will work out Just follow the steps I suggested. If you happen to know a decent local electrician, maybe treat them to a good cup of coffee, a soda, or some cookies, and they'll take care of you. And honestly, if they aren't specialists, they won't charge you an arm and a leg either. Like Peter Morgan3 mentioned earlier, it's a smart move to check how your other appliances are behaving around the house. If it turns out there actually is an issue with the electrical wiring, you can always grab a UPS to plug your computer into, and then you can finally just sit back and relax.
I follow your logic. But now... listen closely here -if you’re playing directly through a website without relying on any third-party software—just using a standard browser—it’s actually quite straightforward to mask your digital footprint by utilizing a proxy server (you can easily look that up) -in that scenario, you could even experiment with two different browsers on the exact same machine, despite sharing an IP address; I remember seeing this work perfectly fine back when people were using ZynGames
-now, if you're running things through a specific standalone program, a proxy is still your best bet, though the setup becomes a bit more involved -trying to force an IP change with certain cable providers can feel like a mission impossible, since they tend to hold onto your DNS settings for days at a time
even if you manage to swap it, you'll likely find both computers are still tied together... you won't gain much ground without a proxy
-ultimately, we end up looking at mobile data, which provides you with a completely separate IP address, so I suppose what you're actually hunting for is a third option altogether? -mobile internet is remarkably fluid; sometimes it's so dynamic that the IP address cycles itself several times within a single hour
Anything is possible at this point... you might want to get an electrician out there with a multimeter just to check if the current is actually flowing where it should be.
Even after you perform a factory reset, the device will likely keep suggesting those open networks unless you go into the settings and manually disable that feature.
If I recall correctly, there’s actually an option within your Wi-Fi settings that allows you to prevent the device from searching for any available networks at all