WLAN Card Update - Lenovo

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slamothe55

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Feb 24, 2015
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Hey guys,

So I have a B50-45 Lenovo laptop with Windows 7 installed.

I tried upgrading the WLAN card to a card that is on the whitelist for this device (FRU 20200579) via this page here.

But when I put it in and rebooted, it said "unauthorized wireless network card is plugged in. power off and remove it"

Any idea why?

Thank you!
 
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I actually fixed the PXE message shortly after posting that in BIOS by changing the boot order back, not sure how that happen. Thank you.

As far as the BSOD, I have put the original card back in and also did a system restore and neither seem to have fixed the issue.

Its not even worth bringing to a tech, the computer is not worth that much. Was just hoping to increase internet speeds with the new card, but looks like I will have to do a fresh install of windows 7 and use the original card. Not sure I have many other options at this point.

Thanks again for all your help.
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I didn't click on it because it points to something called "redirect.vigilink.com", which I don't trust. Do you have a direct link to Lenovo's website?

Where did you get the WLAN card? Was it direct from Lenovo, a 3rd party site like Amazon or used from eBay or similar?
 
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There's something fishy about that ad. It says that it's compatible with the B50-80, but if you look in the manual the B50-80 is *not* compatible with FRU20200579. Also, I don't see FRU20200579 on the WLAN card itself, but 04X6023 instead. Also remember that fake or relabelled components show up on eBay fairly frequently.

If the eBay seller were domestic (are you in Hong Kong?), I'd take it up with the seller and if they give you trouble file a complaint with eBay. I generally find buying from overseas to be more trouble than its worth, with long wait times and return hassles.
 
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Idk all the numbers on the WLAN card are correct but it could be a problem still.

I'd buy another one from someone in the US and someone reputable but I can't find one to be honest.
 
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It could be relabeled. I'd contact the seller, and if they're uncooperative file a complaint with eBay. From what I hear, eBay usually sides with the buyer in disputes.

I put that FRU # into eBay's search engine and it came up with this: www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-AIO-PC-HORIZON-2S-WiFi-BT-4-0-Card-04X6023-20200579-433m-AC-Wireless-/

Unfortunately, I only got one result. It appears to be the same card, though taken from an AIO desktop. The seller is in the US. I'd contact him first, and see if s/he's willing to accept it back in case it doesn't work.

Before you do that, though, I'd try working with the seller from Hong Kong. If he doesn't respond, or is uncooperative, definitely take it up with eBay support. Tell them that he advertised it as compatible with your laptop, which it clearly isn't.
 
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Thank you, I just requested a return from the ebay seller and also sent a message to the second one you linked me to.

I appreciate the help, hopefully I can find a solution!

Thank you :)
 
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Little update on this....

So the first card I got a refund for from the buyer on eBay.

Second card, I contacted him and he told me the card will work in my laptop. So I placed my order.

Got the second card today, installed and still get the same message when booting.

Any idea what the problem could be? Now thats two cards that seemingly match up to the whitelist numbers, but neither one would work.

Thanks in advance if anyone has a clue.
 
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OK, two things come to mind. Firstly, we should probably verify your Lenovo model number. Press the Windows key and 'R' at the same time, then enter "msinfo32.exe" and then click OK. On the summary screen, look for "Model Name" and verify that it matches what you think your Lenovo model # is.

Secondly, it's possible you need a BIOS update to enable one of these wifi adapters. If you're upgrading an older model of laptop, it's possible that particular wifi card didn't exist at the time of it's release. You can go here:

http://support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds103269

to get the latest BIOS. Verify that Windows thinks your model number is B50-45 before applying the update.
 
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Okay so the model number was correct, and I updated BIOS.

Once updated I installed new card, and finally, it booted into windows with the new card in it!! Thank you

Now the issue is, with the new card installed and windows booted I cannot connect to a wifi network it tells me "no connections are available".

Any idea on this?
 
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First the obvious stuff...

When you first plugged in the wifi card, there should have been two, maybe three wires attached to the old one. Usually a white and black wire, and maybe a gray one. On the wifi card, typically the connection points will be marked with white and black triangles. Make sure those are connected properly, the white wire to the white triangle and black wire to the black triangle.

Also, look for a switch on your laptop to enable wifi. Sometimes it's a physical switch, sometimes it requires hitting the Fn key in combination with one of the function keys across the top of your keyboard. If it is one of the Function keys, it'll usually be marked with a blue radio tower.

It could also mean that the wifi adapter is disabled in Windows. Press the Win key on your keyboard and the 'R' key at the same time, then enter the word "control", then click OK. In the upper right hand corner is a search box. Type in the word 'network', then choose "View network connections" from the resulting list below. See if your wifi adapter shows up in this window. If it doesn't you may need to load drivers (more on that in a moment.) If you do see the adapter, right click on it and click 'enable'. If you only have an option to disable the adapter, just leave it alone and exit the menu.

If you need to load a driver, you may need to go to the Lenovo site and find the driver for your wifi adapter. It will probably be on the driver page for your laptop, but you may also need to go to the driver page for the machine that your seller had (the AIO Lenovo PC.) Try loading up the driver and see what happens...
 
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Okay so the wifi is enabled.

I looked at the network connections, and a wireless network is not there. Only wired.

I tried installing drivers from the one the card came out of, still does not work.

I feel like I'm striking out big time here. Really appreciate all the help.

Any other ideas?
 
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Check Device Manager and see if it shows any problems. Hit Win+R, type in 'devmgmt.msc' then click OK. Look under "Network adapters", and there may also be an "other" category. See if your wifi adapter shows up in either category, and if there's an error code or other info in the description box. It may also show up as 'PCI network adapter' or something very generic if Windows is having trouble recognizing it. It may also be marked with a yellow exclamation point.
 
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"The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)

There is no driver selected for the device information set or element.

To find a driver for this device, click update driver."

I've tried clicking update driver and it gives me "Windows could not find any driver software for your device"
 
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You've tried clicking while you have a wired connection, right? The "Update driver" button will try to download a driver from Windows Update, and if there's no network connection - it can't.

Let's verify the wifi adapter. In Device Manager, right click on the generic "Network controller" and select Properties. Click on the Details tab, and where it says "Property" select "Hardware IDs". Look for a line that looks something like this:

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_10D8&SUBSYS07D015AD&REV_00

Post exactly what yours says.

Also, when you installed the Lenovo driver did it unpack the install files to your hard drive? It may have dropped them in a C:\Lenovo or C:\Drivers.
 
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Looks like Linux users have a lot of problems with that Atheros card, but didn't see any issues with Windows. Let's try to force the driver to install. In Device Manager, right click on the "Network controller" and select Properties. Click on the Driver tab and press Update Driver. Don't click "Search", click "Browse my computer." Check the box that says "Include subfolders", then click the Browse button and select C:\Drivers then click OK. Then click Next and see if windows can find the wifi driver.
 
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