Intel 5350 Wifi and Win 7 64-bit on a T500

[Pexster]

Ok, I've searched and searched, tried everything, and I'm ready to give up!

I clean installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit on my T500 (2081-CT0) and now I have no Wifi. I've installed and uninstalled every driver and/or Wifi package for the 5350 I could find on both the Intel and the Lenovo sites and I can't get it running.

Device Manager will say my Intel Wifi Link 5350 is working correctly, but I see no Wifi in the Network and Sharing Center, and the Troubleshooter tells me I have some unknown adapter problem. If I try to manuallt connect to a wireless network, I get "An Unexpected Error Occurred." Big help, Microsoft!

I've tried running the Intel wireless diagnostic tool and it just tells me that I have an adapter problem.

The above was tried both with and without Access Connections installed (but mostly with it absent).

Arghh . . . is this just me or is this a known issue?

[Harryc]

If you hit FN-F5 on your keyboard, is the wireless radio listed and is it enabled? Is the wifi switch set to 'on' on the laptop itself?

[Pexster]

No, that wireless radio is not listed. Only my Bluetooth and Wireless WAN are listed. The missing Wifi has not been an issue at home (wired) nor on the road, as long as I have decent Verizon coverage. But when Verizon signals are weak or the network is slammed for some reason, I would like to have a Wifi option.

[jdhurst]

Maybe your wireless card is not good. I have a T61p with an Intel 3945 Wireless NIC and Windows 7 Pro 64-bit and it works a treat. If the wireless driver from Lenovo for your specific model for 64-bit does not install and work, I would suspect the card. ... JDH

[Pexster]

Thanks! I'm gonna give it one more try with a clean start and install from the Lenovo site. If that doesn't get me anywhere, I'll try replacing the card.

[Pexster]

OK, problem solved! My mistake was assuming that this was related to Lenovo, Intel 5350, or T500 which were the search terms I generally used. Turns out that Kaspersky Internet Security is the culprit and others have experienced the exact same problem. Suspending or turning off Kaspersky does nothing.

The solution is to run Repair on Kaspersky from the Windows Control Panel in order to get it to rescan the PC and apps. Tnen after a reboot, all is well.

There is NO indication ANYWHERE that Kaspersky is unhappy with the adapter. Luckily, some very persistent people have gone before me and sleuthed this out.

Thanks!

[Superego]

I had this exact same problem on my W500, and Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 was the problem too (Sorry I didn't see your post earlier!). I removed it, along with several drivers & programs (Access Connections, hotkey, wireless driver, etc.) and reinstalled everything with Kaspersky being the last, and it works fine now. Very frustrating!

[Windows7Guy]

Hello Pexster,

It is always best to check with the software manufacturer FIRST. They will tell you if they have tested the product and the version, as well as whether or not it will work with Windows 7.
Check out the Windows 7 Compatibility site: (There you will find out about hardware and software compatibility.)
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/compat ... fault.aspx
There is a pulldown from which you can choose "hardware" and "software".

There are also some great articles, instructional videos and such to help with your Windows 7 at our Springboard site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/default.aspx

In any event a lot of the times, Vista drivers will work in lieu of Windows 7 drivers, however, it's not 100%!

As stated previously, it's best to have the Windows 7 certified drivers installed.

Microsoft does have an official Windows 7 Support Forum located here http://social.technet.microsoft.com/For ... y/w7itpro/ . It is supported by product specialists as well as engineers and support teams. You may want to check the threads available there for additional assistance and support.

Thanks again,
John M.
Microsoft Windows Client Support