Intel Dual-Band 7260 AC not detected - no Wifi

RKunz · ‎02-06-2016

My new Intel Dual-Band 7260 AC for desktop is not detected by Windows 10. When I originally installed it two months ago in my custom-build PC using an ASRock Z97 Killer motherboard (with Win 7 64 at the time), Windows 7 did not detect it. It took me two days of installing and uninstalling the software (drivers only and with ProSet), and physically uninstalling it a couple time, before it finally worked. It worked great for two months, even after upgrading to Windows 10 64. Then suddenly it dropped its connection a couple times over a week. Then suddenly it dropped for good. The 7260 was hidden and grayed out in Device Manager (but Bluetooth was not grayed out).

I uninstalled the device in Control Panel, and physically uninstalled it. I have installed the driver and installed and uninstalled the ProSet software numerous times but Windows never detects the card. It does add Bluetooth, but it won't see the card and so it won't give me Wifi. The 7260 is not listed (even hidden) in Device Manager. Under Bluetooth, 11 different things are listed, including Intel Wireless Bluetooth. Under Network Adapters, Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) and Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI) are listed, along with various Microsoft items and various WAN items grayed out. The 7260 is not listed. Yes, I have scanned for hardware changes but that never works either.

When installing the driver, a blue spinning icon pops up for several seconds then goes away. Nothing else happens so it is not clear whether the driver actually installs since there is no feedback. When installing the PROSet software, it completes with the message Success and asks me to reboot. I reboot when then can't find the PROSet software. It's not listed under Intel and I can't find it my searching in the Ask me anything field.

I have tried all logical steps, with all the installs of drivers new and old, with and without ProSet, pulling the power cord, rebooting, etc. but Windows does not see the 7260. I did nothing to make this happen, I was just reading news stories and checking email when this all started.

What do I do?

jbenavides · ‎02-08-2016

Hello Robstl,

As we understand, your Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for Desktop is not being detected in the system even though you have tried multiple troubleshooting steps. Please check the following items:

1. Make sure the adapter is connected according to the http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000007077.html Integration Guide for Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for Desktop.

2. Try using a different PCIe slot, or if possible, try the adapter in a different PC.

3. Contact http://www.asrock.com/support/index.asp ASRock > Support and make sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date.

4. If the adapter is detected at this point, https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/25683/Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-for-Windows-10 Download Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software for Windows® 10 compatible with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260, currently 18.32.0.

If the issue persists after the previous actions, please http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support.html Contact Support to engage a technical support agent in your region.

RKunz · ‎02-08-2016

Thank you for your reply.

1. The adapter is properly physically installed. It worked for two months (after a difficult installation), then WiFi quit suddenly.

2. Moving to the other PCIE slot did not change anything. The card is still not detected. As in the other slot, the BT light is on but the Linked/AC light is off.

3. I've always had the latest BIOS installed. It has not changed since I originally installed this card two months ago.

Bluetooth DOES work in both slots, but WiFi does not work in either slot and the 7260 card is NOT detected no matter what I do.

jbenavides · ‎02-09-2016

Given this situation, please engage our support center using one of the methods found at http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/contact-support.html Contact Support. A support agent will be able to provide further assistance about this condition.