Asus Laptop can't find wireless connections

I have an Asus K53E and my wireless Icon says "Not connected - no connections are available" !

Now what Ive got and what I've tried . . . .

1) Intel I3 2350M CPU, 8 gb Ram, X64 Windows 7 Home Premium, Atheros AR9285 Wlan

2) I've disabled and uninstalled the Atheros device and it's drivers ( as well as d/led new drivers) and the associated Asus Wireless Console 3 manager!

3) At start-up the little ladder looking icon for wireless connections has a blue spinning circle for a sec or two as if it sees a connection, but eventually reverts to a red X and give the above message, " Not connected - no connections are available" !

4) I've checked all of the network specific connection MS client, IPV4 etc . . .

5) I've scanned for spyware and for Virii, Eset Nod32 Smart Security 7 and Malwarebytes 2.0.2.1012 and although they found some insignificant virii and spyware ( after removal problem still exists) maybe those items detected removed or corrupted necessary files?

6) The device in device manager under Network Adapters says, " This device is working properly"

7) 3 Other laptops within range connect fine wirelessly, and with a short cat5 jumper directly to the all in one Comcast modem~wireless router this Asus K53E connects by Ethernet port fine!

8) The Atheros wireless adapter turns off and on fine( by Fn + Fn2) and is displayed as operating by the Asus Wireless Console 3 icon!

9) On a couple of my Google searches for this problem some people inferred the internal Atheros card may have failed and evidenced by an external Wireless USB device! I have access to one but have not yet tried it! Is it feasible/possible/probable this Atheros AR9285 Wlan card has failed?

10) Oh and when i click on troubleshoot the network problem, I get an error has occurred with the troubleshooter,
Path: C:\Windows\diagnostics\system\networking,
Error code: 0x8007045A
Source: Command line

Re-installing XML didn't change troubleshooting error!

11) Booting into safe mode with networking has the same results, "Not connected - no connections are available" !

Any thoughts or input gentlemen and or ladies?

thanks in advance

 

The main hatch exposes the wireless card. Have you physically checked the connections?

 

Ok I attached an external Wi-fi, RaLink (see pic),unit thru the USB port and voila I now can see available wireless networks when I left click on the stair/step icon!

Ok I click on MY wireless SSID and enter the correct key code 5 times and I get an incorrect key! I know it is the right key as I copied from the bottom of the router!

Hmmmm, I boot into safe mode with networking, I click on the stair step icon and enter the code! BANG I'm in! I update AV and spyware check for system up dates I'm connected no BLUE CIRCLE no RED X and no YELLOW EXCLAMATION POINT! It is connected using the ext wifi wirelessly!

Ok now that the password is stored, I log out of safe mode, reboot thinking the int Atheros module is bad, and problem solved. I'll either use the ext RaLink thru he USB port and/or order a new Atheros internal module.

Boot up normal, go to the stair/step icon left click see all BUT my SSID! ? I scroll down the wireless list of SSID's and at the very bottom is wireless SSID with a RED X saying incorrect network data ( see attached pic)! Booting back into safe mode with networking is the same result, MY SSD at the bottom of the list with a RED X ? How the hell did that happen?

Ok, either it's got a serious virus or VERY corrupt files, I'll re-install Windows7. I put in my Windows 7 DVD start a custom ( complete wipe and reinstall) of the OS but the Win7 install says there's no hard drive present again?!

When I boot up this Asus ( complete with the original error as above using int Atheros) I see my Toshiba Sata HD ( At first I though maybe it was gpat formatted and it was using UEFI but no) 750gb hard and it is in two partitions C: 450gb and D:300gb logical drive for movie/music storage!

I take the hard drive out and using a Sata to USB adapter connect to another laptop and run a couple different diagnostic programs and NONE of them see a formatted drive! GPART, ( a Linux formatting/partitioning program), shows and un-allocated 750gb drive! another program Partition Manager shows a drive with IO errors and Windows explorer says drive needs to be formatted!!

Yet when I re-insert this drive back into the Asus K53E it boots fine and windows explorer running on the Asus shows the Toshiba 750 gb as it was, with two partitioned drives C: and D:! How the hell is this possible?

I can't believe the Windows 7 Ultimate install DVD says no hard drive present which means I can't even reinstall the OS to fix/replace corrupted files!

Somebody shine a light here!



thanks chris

 

I would try a live DVD/USB stick with the latest Ubuntu on it for testing both the hard drive as well as the wireless card Download Ubuntu Desktop | Download | Ubuntu

 

Can we get some of that coffee in the background while we troubleshoot this?

Did you find out whether your drive was set up as GPT or MBR? Not that that should make any difference with your WLAN issue, which sounds like a network configuration problem.

 

coffee's gone, sorry for the dupe post, meaker checked the wlan unit connections were ok, josea used a linux gpart boot cd on another laptop and connected the asus hd from there as stated in "getting screwier" , and prostar thaqts what i thought but its not uefi bios or gpr formatted drive!

apologies for delay down to the beach for memorial day weekend and put this asus out of my mind.

if i haven't said it already thanks for the input guys

 

I suspect foul play with the drive, still. Not sure if that's some very sly malware or a very odd idiosyncrasy with the drive, but considering the wireless issue, I'm leaning towards the former.

Can you use something like Hiren's to "nuke" the drive where other programs have failed to recognize a file system?

 

Formatting in Linux and then back to NFTS is what i have done before to remove boot sector infections, seems as though Linux formats parts of the hard drive that windows does not!

Jesus Christ here, the viruses are getting ALOT more sophisticated and a REAL b i t c h to remove!

Anyhow between Linux and Windows7 and multiple removed hard drive scans I got the offending s h ! t off and the ASUS is back to SOP!

Either that or I lucked out with serendipity. This laptop had BS free spyware and Anti-virus and the offending proggies just walked right by!

Thanks for all of the input guys

 

There have been times where a partition was marked as RAW and it was a real pain to get a functioning NTFS file system back on it. Way to go on getting the system back online and working as normal!