How To Reinstall The Wi-Fi Driver In Windows 7

Windows 7 packs built-in troubleshooters to troubleshoot and fix common issues like the Wi-Fi connection. While the built-in Wi-Fi troubleshooter can fix many issues related to the Wi-Fi, at times, reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver is required to fix Wi-Fi problems.

If you are also running Windows 7 and encountering Wi-Fi issues like being unable to connect to a Wi-Fi network or frequent Wi-Fi disconnections, you may consider reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver.

This guide shows you how to reinstall the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 7.

Reinstall the Wi-Fi driver on your Windows 7 PC

Step 1: The first step is to download a fresh copy of the Wi-Fi driver released by your PC’s manufacturer or Wi-Fi adapter’s manufacturer.

You can visit your PC manufacturer’s website, search using your PC’s serial number or model number, and then download the Wi-Fi driver.

IMPORTANT: We cannot reinstall the Wi-Fi driver if you do not have the Wi-Fi driver available. So, unless you have the correct Wi-Fi driver for your Windows 7 PC, please do not proceed further.  Besides, once you uninstall the Wi-Fi driver, you might not be able to connect your PC to the internet over Wi-Fi.

Step 2: Once you have the correct Wi-Fi driver required for your Windows 7 PC, type Device Manager in the Start menu search and then press the Enter key to open Device Manager.

Step 3: In the Device Manager, expand the Network adapters tree to see your Wi-Fi adapter’s entry. If multiple entries are present, check your PC’s manual or System Information program (System Information > Hardware Components > Network > Adapter) to find your Wi-Fi adapter’s name and model.

Step 4: Right-click on the Wi-Fi adapter’s entry and then click Uninstall.

Step 5: When you see the following warning prompt, select the Delete the driver software for this device checkbox before clicking the OK button.

The wireless driver will be uninstalled and removed from your Windows 7 installation in a few seconds.

Step 6: Now, run the downloaded Wi-Fi driver, click Next/Continue, and then follow the easy on-screen directions (all you need to do is click Next a few times and then click Install ) to install the new Wi-Fi driver.

If asked to restart, please reboot your PC once. That’s it! You have successfully reinstalled the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 7.