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Emmakobby

6 Posts

1964

January 29th, 2023 13:00

MISSING WiFi And Bluetooth Drivers For Dell 3542

Inspiron 3542

Inspiron 3542

Hi DELL,

I have been going through so trouble to install my Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers.

First I thought it was a problem with my windows 10, so I reached out to Microsoft ( which was far easy). They assisted patiently and found out that everything is fine. They said that problem is from DELL!

Now, my service tag is expired and i have been trying for ages to reach dell support!! 

WHY DO I NEED A SERVICE TAG FOR A SIMPLE DRIVER???????

I just need my WI-FI to work. Period.

filbert

4 Operator

 • 

1.8K Posts

February 1st, 2023 10:00

Did you download the drivers from the page I linked?

You have not explained how the installations fail.

  • Do you receive error messages?
  • What are those errors, quote them exactly or post screenshots here.
  • Does Device Manager show any errors for unrecognized devices or other?
  • Did the wifi and Bluetooth ever work on this laptop? If they did, did anything happen prior to this failure?

You said you performed a clean install of Windows. Did you install the chipset driver(s)? If you did not, do so now, then check Device Manager. 

If that doesn't help, try this:

  1. Disconnect the AC adapter.
  2. Disconnect the battery.
  3. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to discharge any residual electricity.
  4. Reconnect the AC adapter
  5. Boot the laptop
  6. See if Device Manager shows the wireless adapter and Bluetooth. Note that Bluetooth entries may not appear in Device Manager unless you have Bluetooth enabled in settings (that's the way it is on my laptop).

If the wireless adapter still doesn't appear in Device Manager, it's possible that this is a hardware problem. In that case, do this:

  1. Disconnect the AC adapter.
  2. Disconnect the battery.
  3. Press and hold the power button for 30 seconds to discharge any residual electricity.
  4. Remove the wireless card.
  5. Clean the wireless card's contacts with Q-tip or microfiber cloth and 99% alcohol.
  6. Moisten a microfiber cloth with 99% alcohol, wrap it around a thin piece of a gift card or credit card or similar and gently insert it into the motherboard's wireless card's slot to clean its contacts.
  7. After everything is dry, reinsert the wireless card.
  8. Reconnect the AC adapter
  9. Boot the laptop
  10. See if Device Manager shows the wireless adapter and Bluetooth. Note that Bluetooth entries may not appear in Device Manager unless you have Bluetooth enabled in settings (that's the way it is on my laptop).

Dell's manual has instructions on how to remove and replace the wireless card.

Whenever touching components or working inside a computer, wear a grounded wrist strap, also called anti-static wrist strap, ESD wrist strap, or ground bracelet. It's a cheap and sensible precaution. Rest the laptop on an anti-static mat or at least a reasonable alternative such as corrugated cardboard.

filbert

4 Operator

 • 

1.8K Posts

January 30th, 2023 13:00

  1. Go into Device Manager and manually uninstall drivers for WiFi and Bluetooth devices.
  2. Reboot
  3. Connect Ethernet cable
  4. Run Windows Update, which may install the required drivers automatically. 

If that doesn't work, you can download and install required drivers from this Dell page. 

Emmakobby

6 Posts

January 30th, 2023 17:00

Hi Filbert, 

Do you mean drivers showing under network adapters in device manager? I have 10 showing: PPTP, SSTP, PPPOE, Network monitor, L2TP, IPV6,IP,IKEV2, Realtek PCle controller.              NO BLUETOOTH showing.

filbert

4 Operator

 • 

1.8K Posts

January 31st, 2023 06:00

In Device Manager under the View menu, select Show hidden devices. You may then see a Bluetooth group, such as this:

filbert_0-1675176411982.png

Uninstall everything in that group. If there are still Bluetooth items remaining under Network adapters, uninstall them, too. Then, do the rest of what I suggested.

Emmakobby

6 Posts

January 31st, 2023 10:00

I did what you said under View>>View hidden devices, but Bluetooth doesn't show at all.

The network drivers are showing under network adapters.

filbert

4 Operator

 • 

1.8K Posts

February 1st, 2023 07:00

Download and install required drivers from this Dell page. 

Emmakobby

6 Posts

February 1st, 2023 09:00

I have done that through their official website, and I do not have updates, drivers or whatsoever.

I have done the most in fact: I did a clean OS install, did recovery OS update via Microsoft. I went on third party websites to get the specific drivers for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth but they all FAILED to install as the official driver downloaded from DELL website. I have done tunnel checkup via CMD  and everything is fine there. I have watched tons and tons of YouTube videos and followed instruction among other things yet the driver won't install.

Emmakobby

6 Posts

February 2nd, 2023 12:00

It worked! My man! I followed your steps and found the problem. The network card was not having proper contact, so i follwed the steps to remove, clean gently and reinstall it and when i booted the PC viola!!! I didnt have to install any drivers, the wi-fi just installed and picked up.

DELL really needs to employ experts like you. 

 

Thank you so so much!

John harper

346 Posts

March 9th, 2023 02:00

You can identify the problem using Device Manager, which you can access by:

Opening the Control Panel Window
Selecting and double-clicking System
Clicking Device Manager
In Device Manager check if there is an exclamation point, a yellow triangle, or a question mark against your Dell device. If there is, there is a problem with your Dell device.

 

Regards,
John

Lutay

1 Rookie

 • 

33 Posts

June 27th, 2023 01:00

You can use any trustable driver update software. Advanced driver updater is one of them. It finds and detects missing and outdated drivers from your pc. There are many more promising software available so choose and use according to your needs & requirements.

krishan91

1 Rookie

 • 

37 Posts

June 29th, 2023 12:00

I understand that you are having trouble installing the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers for your Dell 3542. Here are some steps you can take to try to fix the problem:

  1. Check your service tag. Make sure that you have entered the correct service tag when you are trying to download the drivers. You can find your service tag on the bottom of your laptop.
  2. Try a different browser. Sometimes, the drivers may not download properly if you are using a particular browser. Try using a different browser, such as Google Chrome or Firefox.
  3. Try a different download location. Sometimes, the drivers may not download properly if you are downloading them from a particular location. Try downloading them from a different location, such as the Dell support website or a third-party driver download site.
  4. Use a driver updater. There are a number of third-party driver updaters available that can scan your computer for missing drivers and install them for you. These updaters can be a good option if you're having trouble finding the drivers yourself.
  5. Reset your BIOS. If you've tried all of the above and you're still having trouble, you can try resetting your BIOS. This will reset all of the settings on your computer to their default values, which may fix the problem.

Here are the links to the Dell support website and a third-party driver download site:

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