Wireless connectivity problems can be quite common and are easily one of the most frustrating issues you will come across with your PC. However, there can often be a simple solution to WiFi connectivity issues and it is always best to rule out the most obvious first.

Below we discuss a few simple ways through which you can fix all your WiFi connectivity issues on a Windows 8.1 operating system:

How to fix WiFi issues in Windows 10?

1. Check that WiFi is enabled

Before reading on it is always worth ensuring that you have WiFi enabled on your PC or Laptop. Particularly on a laptop, users can often inadvertently toggle the WiFi from on to off – depending on the model you are using, this can be done via one of the function keys or a slider button on the front or side of your laptop.

More details on this are available in our article ‘Acer Wireless Networking not Working?’

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2. Restart the Wireless Router

Like the previous step, this will just ensure that the problem is not a simple issue, in this case with the Wireless Router. Wireless routers can often require a restart to clear any issues so ensure you try this before moving on to the next step. Test your PC WiFi connection on restart.

3. Clear the DNS Cache

The DNS cache can become corrupted over time and the best way to address this is to clear the cache. To do so carry out the following steps:

1. click on the Search icon on the Charms Bar (the name for the main Toolbar in Windows 8)
2. type Command Prompt in the Search Box
3. right click on the search result and select the Run as Administrator option
4. Type the command IPCONFIG /FLUSHDNS and press Enter
5. Type Exit and press Enter
6. Restart your PC and see if your WiFi issues are resolved

4. TCP/ICP Stack Settings

One of the primary reasons for WiFi connectivity issues is TCP/IP settings misconfiguration. This issue can be resolved through Window’s Net Shell utility. Just follow the steps set out below:

1. click on the Search icon on the Charms Bar
2. type Command Prompt in the Search Box
3. right click on the search result and select the Run as Administrator option
4. Type the command NETSH INT IP RESET C:RESTLOG.TXT and press Enter
5. Type the following commands (in order) to disable TCP/IP and then enable RSS:
6. NETSH INT TCP SET HEURISTICS DISABLED (press Enter)→
7. NETSH INT TCP SET GLOBAL AUTOTUNINGLEVEL=DISABLED (press Enter)
8. NETSH INT TCP SET GLOBAL RSS=ENABLED (press Enter)

5. Disable WiFi Powersave feature

Depending on your system settings, your WiFi Adapter may be turned off when it is in an idle state for a given duration. You can troubleshoot this problem through the following steps:

1. Press Windows Key + W together to launch the Start Search option
2. Type Network and Sharing in the search box and press Enter to open the relevant option
3. the WiFi Status screen will show when you select your WiFi Network 
4. Select the Properties button
5. In WiFi Properties click on Configure
6. On the Power Management Tab uncheck the “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power” option and then click OK

This is not a malfunction but a feature. Your laptop runs on a battery and therefore tends to switch off all power draining tasks when the laptop is idle. Your PC may also do this to prevent the CPU from overheating. Disabling the save power option overrides this.

6. Update Network Adapter Drivers

If you have recently installed, switched to, or upgraded to Windows 8.1, your Network Adapter Drivers may not have been updated. This would negatively impact the performance of your WiFi.

In this case, you can choose to either update the Drivers yourself, or use a Driver Update Tool.

Revert to previous Network Drivers:

1. On the Start Screen, type Device Manager and hit Enter
2. In the list of Driver categories, enlarge the Network Adapters to view all the items
3. Right click the Wireless Connection option and select the Update Driver Software option
4. On the next screen, click on the option Browse My Computer for Driver Software
5. Next, click on the “Let Me Pick From a List of Device Drivers on My Computer” option
6. On the Select Network Adapter option that follows, you will find a number of Device Drivers listed for this particular hardware
7. Select the Driver with the Manufacturer’s Name rather than Microsoft and click Next
8. Once the installation finishes, Restart your computer for the changes to take effect

If you prefer to use a Driver Update Tool to automate WiFi and other Driver updates, use the link below to download Driver Updater

Automatic driver update tools offer many benefits, the most important ones being:

• You can update device drivers automatically
• The software scans and updates all outdated or missing drivers at one go
• The tool picks the right drivers for your device and operating system, so you won’t have to worry about installing an incorrect driver by mistake
• Automatic driver updates are 100% safe

Driver Updater is one of the best driver update tools out there. Outbyte Driver Updater will give you access to a database of over 1 million drivers. It will regularly scan your PC, suggesting new driver versions to install. Driver Updater contains drivers for a variety of Windows devices. With just one click, you can update drivers in your system.

Step 1
Click here to Install and launch the app

Step 2
Scan all devices

Step 3
Install or update drivers automatically

 

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Troubleshoot networking and wifi drivers problems

Windows recently ended support for Windows 8