Question Just got a new pc, and its not picking up wifi.

Jeffthespammer

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Dec 5, 2019
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So I just bought a used custom built pc online, and he reset it. When I took it home and turned it on everything worked fine, but it wont pick my wifi network. I looked at the network settings but it said it needed a ethernet cable. The guy I bought it from was using wifi so I know it can connect to it but it is not even scaning for networks now. Any help on this would be appreciated, and if anyone needs to know anything else just ask and I will tell you. Any help will be appreciated.
 
The ASUS Z87-PRO does have onboard Wi-Fi:

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz

1. Check to see if Windows identifies the network adapter:

Go to Settings / Network & Internet / View your network properties

You can also search "network" and click on View your network properties

If there is no entry named Wi-Fi, then Windows didn't identify the network adapter.

2. Check the BIOS to see if the onboard Wi-Fi may have been disabled.

3. Download and install appropriate drivers (wireless, etc.) from the Asus website:

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z87PRO/HelpDesk_Download/
 

SlugBugBuddy

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Jul 29, 2019
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Something you can do to see if the Onboard Wifi is working properly, is to go to the Windows Search bar and open "Device Manager" from the control panel. from there, expand the "Network Devices" option and see what it shows. in that list, you should see Intel I217V and maybe a bunch of WAN drivers, try and find a device that involves wireless connectivity. right click on it and click properties, then navigate to the "Drivers" section and click "update driver" then click "Search automatically for updated driver software"

This should update your Wifi's drivers, or even detect if they were never there
its very rare, but depending on the method he used to "reset" the PC, he may have deleted the proper drivers
 

Jeffthespammer

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Dec 5, 2019
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Something you can do to see if the Onboard Wifi is working properly, is to go to the Windows Search bar and open "Device Manager" from the control panel. from there, expand the "Network Devices" option and see what it shows. in that list, you should see Intel I217V and maybe a bunch of WAN drivers, try and find a device that involves wireless connectivity. right click on it and click properties, then navigate to the "Drivers" section and click "update driver" then click "Search automatically for updated driver software"

This should update your Wifi's drivers, or even detect if they were never there
its very rare, but depending on the method he used to "reset" the PC, he may have deleted the proper drivers
I looked in the device manager and I saw the ethernet driver and all the WAN drivers, but I saw none for wifi and when I tried to update them it said all of the drivers were up to date.
 

SlugBugBuddy

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Jul 29, 2019
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I looked in the device manager and I saw the ethernet driver and all the WAN drivers, but I saw none for wifi and when I tried to update them it said all of the drivers were up to date.
It could be an issue with the actual antenna for the Wifi, are the Cables coming out of the Antenna clearly labled which one is 2.4 and 5ghz? as well as the ports on the back of the Motherboard itself? if not, try both ports on each plugin, or try only using 2.4 or 5

Have you plugged your PC into an Ethernet and updated Windows Via Settings? after a PC is "Reset", all the framework updates are uninstalled and can't be reinstalled until a User permits it to with an internet connection

Also look inside the plugins on the antenna and see if the little copper wire coming out is bent at all, I know Coax cables are always touchy and need an aligned connection

Check device manager again after you've tried both of these things and let me know If/what changes

worst case scenario, you might need to buy another antenna, or you can have the guy you bought this PC from do it for you, seeing as it was DOA

if possibly it's a software error and nothing physical, a fresh install of Windows 10 always fixes most of those, although that requires wiping your PC and is usually a time consuming step
 

Jeffthespammer

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Dec 5, 2019
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The ASUS Z87-PRO does have onboard Wi-Fi:

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n
Supports dual band frequency 2.4/5 GHz

1. Check to see if Windows identifies the network adapter:

Go to Settings / Network & Internet / View your network properties

You can also search "network" and click on View your network properties

If there is no entry named Wi-Fi, then Windows didn't identify the network adapter.

2. Check the BIOS to see if the onboard Wi-Fi may have been disabled.

3. Download and install appropriate drivers (wireless, etc.) from the Asus website:

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z87PRO/HelpDesk_Download/
I did what you said and downloaded new drivers for the wifi and they installed right but I did get a window that said the device may not be present or could have been ejected/unplugged from the system.
 

SlugBugBuddy

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Jul 29, 2019
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I'm not certain where the motherboard is in my computer, and no the wireless adapter is not in device manager
The Motherboard is the largest Chip in your PC, it is what everything (your CPU, GPU, RAM, Hard Drive, ETC...) plugs into. the USB ports on the back of your PC are directly connected to your Motherboard. as in literally soldered right on. if you would like an image for reference, look at this: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z87PRO/
 

Jeffthespammer

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Dec 5, 2019
8
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The Motherboard is the largest Chip in your PC, it is what everything (your CPU, GPU, RAM, Hard Drive, ETC...) plugs into. the USB ports on the back of your PC are directly connected to your Motherboard. as in literally soldered right on. if you would like an image for reference, look at this: https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z87PRO/
Thank you, I found it.
 
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Have you tried to check if the Wi-Fi may have been disabled in the BIOS?

  1. Enter the BIOS by pressing the Delete key at startup (during POST).
  2. Switch the UEFI BIOS Utility to Advanced Mode from EZ Mode by clicking on the Advanced Mode button on the bottom. Ignore this if it already set to Advanced Mode.
  3. Click on the Advanced tab.
  4. Click on the Onboard Devices Configuration.
  5. Look for an entry named Wi-Fi Controller and see if it is Enabled. If it is not, then set it to Enabled.