the Dell 760 I purchased will only connect to my home wireless network with an ethernet cord

[Schlobohm6]

Is a Dell 760 Mini tower not wireless compatible? I purchased a refurbished one, and it will only connect to my home network hard wired. Do i need to buy a wireless adaptor? and how old is this machine?

 

[ThatVietGuy]

Well, that computer comes with an OPTIONAL wireless card. Obviously, if you don't have a wireless card you're not going to connect to a wireless network.

 

[hunter315]

Very few desktops come with wireless adapters preinstalled, and if it is, it is always as a card. If you want to connect it to your network via WiFi you will need either a WiFi expansion card or a WiFi USB dongle.

The Dell Optiplex 760 is Core 2 era so it is rather old, around 2008 based on the chipset it comes with. Core 2 were being phased out in 2009 so you have a computer that is about 5 years old.