Laptops For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

If your laptop has built-in WiFi but you add a new adapter that connects through the PC Card adapter or a USB port, you will need to remove or disable Windows drivers for the original unit. You should also make sure that you turn off the switch for the built-in unit to save battery power and to avoid the possibility of interference.

To disable the drivers, do this:

  1. Go to the Windows Control Panel.

  2. Double-click System.

    The System Properties panel appears.

  3. Choose the Hardware tab.

    The Hardware options appear.
    The Hardware options appear.
  4. Choose Device Manager.

  5. Click the + next to Network Adapters.

    The hardware managed there appears in a list.
    The hardware managed there appears in a list.
  6. Double-click the wireless component.

    Its properties are displayed.

  7. Click the Device Usage drop-down arrow.

    image2.jpg
  8. Select Do Not Use This Device (Disable).

    This instructs Windows not to use the drivers associated with it.

About This Article

This article can be found in the category: