Thinkpads Forum

I recently purchased eight T420 laptops to refurbish for distribution to colleagues during an upcoming trip to DRCongo. That trip begins next week so I'm running out of time to get these laptops functional.

Several laptops came without an operating system. However, I was able to successfully install Win7 Pro 64bit or Win7 Home 64bit on each laptop. That installation did not immediately give me wireless LAN access. So, I downloaded and ran n14w216w_64.exe to install that function. The worked on all the laptops except two (both T420 model 4236-FJ1). I subsequently tried every wireless LAN driver listed for the T420, but have not been able to get wireless LAN to work on those two laptops. I was, however, able to get Ethernet LAN to install and function on those laptops. Even after completing all the ThinkVantage updates, the wireless LAN function remains unavailable.

I then noticed that the network mini-card for those laptops is Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000. I tried (very cleverly I thought) switching out that card and using an Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 card from one of the other T420 laptops. And it worked! So, I purchased two more Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 cards to install in the 4236-FJ1. Those cards arrived today, but upon installation I get an error message at boot saying that an "unauthorized min-card has been installed" and that boot has been halted. Not so clever after all!

So, now I am back to square one. Can someone advise me how to get Wireless LAN working on those 4236-FJ1 T420 laptops with an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000 mini-card?

Thanks!
FRANK

In device manager, under network connections where your Ethernet device is listed, what comes up? Do you see the WLAN adapter by name or is "Network controller" listed? If the latter, right click the device, select properties; under the details tab, click Hardware IDs from the property dropdown. What is the first part of the hardware ID (e.g. VEN_8086&DEV_0085)?

theterminator93 wrote:In device manager, under network connections where your Ethernet device is listed, what comes up? Do you see the WLAN adapter by name or is "Network controller" listed? If the latter, right click the device, select properties; under the details tab, click Hardware IDs from the property dropdown. What is the first part of the hardware ID (e.g. VEN_8086&DEV_0085)?

Thanks for your quick response.

Network controller comes up in the Device Manger under "other devices" with a yellow exclamation point. Here's what is show under the hardware ID's tab:
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_00844&SUBSYS-1315806&REV_00
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_00844&SUBSYS-1315806
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_00844&CC_028000
PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_00844&CC_0280

Try this driver.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24652/

theterminator93 wrote:Try this driver.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/24652/

BINGO! It worked.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
FRANK

You are most welcome.