I purchased a Compaq Presario F500 laptop about 7 months ago with Vista Home premium.

Last week however, the wireless has stopped working. The switch on the front of the laptop has a light next to it. Orange for Off and Blue for On. No matter where the switch is now set, the light is always orange and so the wireless turned off.

Also, in control panel is the shortcut to HP Wireless Assistant. This will not open.

The problem was only noticed when I switched on the computer last week. Obviously I have been unable to access any wifi networks.

Yesterday, the laptop recognised that new hardware had been installed (it hadn't) and installed the drivers etc and the wireless adapter worked!!!

I created a restore point in case it happened again 

It did!

The next time I switched on the laptop, the wireless assistant and the problem with the adapter was back.

I left it on but the new hardware installed window did not reappear.

I restored to the point I had created but that did not fix the problem.

 
Can anyone help?

 

I have a problem with contacting HP/Compaq about this (even tho the laptop should still be under warranty) as I just emigrated to Australia from the UK (where I bought the laptop) so am not sure how this would affect the warranty, if at all.

 

 

 
 

This exact same problem happened to me yesterday and unfortunately I have yet to find a solution. Could it be a driver problem or problem with the HP software? Reason I say this, first time I noticed it, I thought perhaps I'd flicked the wireless Lan switch off which I hadn't. But when I did flick it off HP WLan Assistant told me I'd switched it off. Nothing when I put it on again but at least it would register when it was off. Looking in device manager all sign of the wireless card was gone and with the exception of the off message no sign of anything from HPs WLan assistant.

After restart I didnt even get the "WLan off" message so I assumed the wireless adapter had died completely. Numerous restarts, search for new hardware, yada yada and nothing. Then this morning its working again, although I must add I didnt get the found new hardware, it just turned blue half way through the boot process.

Like you I have left UK so although still in warranty (mine is 5 months old I think) fixing this, if its hardware, will be complicated. Please let me know if you find anything. I will do some research myself and see if Compaq reply with anything.

Hi That actually happened to me too except that I got the "windows is installing new hardware" icon in the system tray. The wireless adaptor then worked until next boot up and it hasn't worked since - hence my posting.

I ended up contacting the Asia-Pacific side of HP by email and they told me to try the usual - download and install drivers and recover laptop to factory settings etc but nothing worked.

They told me (from the the serial and product numbers) that the laptop is still under warranty and so I can get it fixed at no cost. I mentioned that I bought the laptop in the UK but it does not affect the warranty in any way.

I called HP on the phone, they gave me a case number and told me the address of my nearest HP service centre in Canberra. I took it there yesteday and expect to hear from them early next week....

Will let you know how I get on. 

Yeah, I just had my day of grace - adapter worked fine and this morning nothing. I would be considerably more cross if I didnt have another (USB) adapter with me but I dont much like the sound of having to take the laptop in for fixing...purely out of hassle. Oh well, I guess these things happen - but strange that it would happen at the same time, and to expats too. I guess HP dont want us leaving the UK...
 

The exact same thing happened to me today - my Compaq Presario F527's wireless stopped working.  When I try to open the HP Wireless Assistant absolutely NOTHING happens - I once got it to open and it said the WLAN was disabled, however it wasn't showing up in the device manager so I couldn't enable it.  What the heck!  Does anyone have any more information on this?  Thanks.

Best thing to do is start your machine in safe mode, by tapping f8 as the machine boots up from cold.... then select safe mode

 

Then when in safe mode start a system restore back to an appropriate date

 

good luck

Just a thought - Do you use the automatic install feature?   I changed my settings to include not just Windows but other programmes too and now I've changed it back because I was being offered all kinds of downloads for my programmes including drivers - I'm a great believer in if its not broke, don't fix it. 

 Maybe you've unintentionally downloaded drivers for the wifi and these settings aren't working.  I was offered drivers for my wifi and I didn't install them.

I'm doing tech support for a friend and have encountered exactly the same problem with the Compaq Presario F572US wireless adapter.

As far as I can tell, the adapter is dead.  Windows can't see it, changes to the drivers and operating system have no effect, and safe mode and system restore do nothing to resolve the issue.

Evidence suggests that this problem is probably relatively widespread, and the result of a bad batch of motherboard controllers or some other integrated component.  I find it especially strange that this problem has happened to multiple people at the exact same time:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/archive/index.php/t-197091.html
http://www.techsupportforum.com/networking-forum/networking-support/190784-please-help-internal-network-adapter-problems-compaq-presario-f572.html

All of the standard methods of addressing wireless problems don't seem to be working, and Compaq hasn't been any help.

Any thoughts on my ideas?

 
-BC

Just thought I should update a little.

Adapter still not working. Oddly enough, it will periodically (no more than once a week) remember it exists and start working. Any kind of restart, sleep etc will make it disappear again. Interestingly, I noticed it came to life when the HP Assistant popped up with one of its reminders about updating software which would suggest the problem is with the HP Wireless software, maybe.

Currently using a USB adapter as too lazy to go get this fixed although I'm sure this is software problem, hmmmm.  

try going into device manager, right click the wlan card, goto properties and untick the box that relates to allowing windows to turn off the device to save power

 

just a thought, may or may not work

 

good luck

if windows doesnt see the card and u have reinstalled the o/s etc, only thing u can check is to make sure the device is enabled in the BIOS.  If it is then its an obvious h/w fault and will need to be repaired

Well, I guess misery loves company ;-)

I'm having exactly the same problem with my mother-in-law's F572.  The problems started right around the same time as the original post for this thread.  I've exhausted the phone options with HP (flashing BIOS, updating drivers, etc.).  I've even replaced the wireless card with a new one that HP sent to me -- still nothing but an amber light and Vista shows no hardware for the built-in card.  If there are no other suggestions, it looks like HP will have me send the computer back to them.  I was hoping they would let me take it to some authorized service center here in Northern VA, but the last person I talked said they couldn't do that.

 Sure hope someone has a fix...
 

Update - after troubleshooting the problem with HP over the phone (flashing BIOS, resetting card, system factory restore, REPLACED wireless card) I am STILL having the same problem.  The HP Wireless Assistant doesn't show up when I click on it - i feel as though my computer has amnesia!  What the heck?  This is so frustrating, what a piece of crap computer.  I got mine from Office Depot around August... anyone have similar purchase dates?

Katie  

Join the club!!!... I bought the same machine about the same date at Office Depot too!!!. and I have the same problem. My conclusion is that is a problem with both VISTA and the computer.. good luck..

Rafael

Yikes! you replaced the card and it still doesnt work! I am being decidedly unhelpful by not doing anything about it and using an old external adapter I had although I can update a little on my last post and report that the little bstard doesn't work at all anymore. I had thought before it might be software related or down to some conflict as it had started working again after HP update flashed up a reminder but it stopped doing that as well now. Like others here, HP Wireless Assistant refuses to run (without error message, it just doesnt respond, nor does it appear in task manager), there is no wireless adapter in the BIOS...basically it just isnt there anymore. Incidentally, I also got mine in August but not from Office Depot.

Has anyone managed to resolve this issue, either by replacing the card or some other means? Problem seems to be growing. See following...

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/index.cfm?action=showthread&threadid=308850&forumid=18

 Note, that one chap there had his system board replaced as well.

Anyway, if you google compaq presario f500 wireless adapter we're third on the list, woot!