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    Is wireless physically installed? (Satellite 5205-S503)

    Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by VBAjedi, Mar 25, 2007.

  1. VBAjedi

    VBAjedi Newbie

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    My friend just handed me his Satellite 5205-S503 so I could "enable the wireless" for him. A quick check to Control Panel>Network Connections showed no Wireless Network option. Checked that the wireless switch on the side was on (it was, but the indicator light was not lit), then reinstalled the driver from his Toshiba restore CD. No change.

    Popped the hatch on the bottom where I'd expect to see a wireless card. . . it was empty except for the black wire and white wire that connect to the card (antenna wires, I think).

    So the question is, did this model come with any kind of internal/integrated wireless option? Or does the empty slot under the hatch mean that it doesn't have wireless capability at all? Every lappy I've ever had put the wireless card under a hatch where it could be accessed/removed. Do some laptops integrate the wireless card right into the motherboard? I would tell him that he doesn't have a wireless card installed, but he thinks he connected to a wireless connection "a while back", so I need to be sure before I call him an idiot! Ha ha.

    All I can gather from the Tosh. site is that this model came with "optional integrated 802.11b". . . great, thanks, very helpful. :rolleyes: Can't find anyplace to input the serial# to see how this particular one is configured.

    Any help would be much appreciated. . . my (somewhat undeserved) reputation as a computer geek is on the line here! :D
     
    VBAjedi, Mar 25, 2007
    #1
  2. moon angel

    moon angel Notebook Virtuoso NBR Reviewer

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    Check the device manager for network devices. It'll detect them even without the right drivers. If there are no wireless cards there then there is no wirelss card installed. It sounds like this model is available with wireless but doesn't actually have a card installed.
     
    moon angel, Mar 25, 2007
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  3. VBAjedi

    VBAjedi Newbie

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    D'oh. . . device manager. Right. I forgot that's able to see things that aren't properly installed.

    No wireless card there, so now I have to figure out how I'm gonna tell my friend that he was deluded when he thought he connected to the internet in the coffee shop. :D Maybe the coffee shop elves snuck over and plugged a CAT5 cable into the back of his lappie when he wasn't looking.

    Anyway, thanks for that!
     
    VBAjedi, Mar 25, 2007
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