A Laptop Won't Pick Up a Wireless Signal

1. Find and press the wireless adapter on/off button located on the laptop or press the wireless adapter on/off hot keys specific to the make and model of the laptop and confirm the wireless adapter is enabled. If the computer still does not find wireless networks, proceed to the next step.
2. In Windows, click the 'Start' button then click the 'Run' box and type 'services.msc' and press the 'Enter' key. In the 'Services' window that appears, find the 'Wireless Zero Configuration' service and if it has not started, then click on it once to highlight the service. Click the 'Start' link. If the computer still does not find wireless networks, proceed to the next step.
3. Connect the computer to a network by plugging one end of the network cable into the computer and the other end of the network cable into a network port on a network switch, router or network socket that has Internet access.
4. Click the 'Start' button then click 'All Programs,' then 'Accessories,' then 'System Tools,' then 'System Restore.' Click the 'Next' button in the window that displays. On the calendar that appears, select a date prior to the date the laptop failed to find wireless networks, then click the 'Next' button. Click the 'Next' button again to proceed with a 'System Restore.' After the 'System Restore' and reboot, if the computer still does not find wireless networks, proceed to the next step.
5. Click the 'Start' button then click the 'Run' box then type 'devmgmt.msc' and press the 'Enter' key.
6. Click the 'Network Adapters' header in the 'Device Manager' window to expand the network adapter section then right-click on the wireless network adapter and click 'Update' in the menu that appears.
7. Reboot the computer. If the computer still does not find any wireless networks then go back into the 'Device Manager' and right-click on the wireless adapter and click 'Uninstall.'
8. Reboot the computer and let Windows XP automatically find and install the wireless adapter driver. If the computer still does not find any wireless networks, then download the most current wireless adapter driver for your computer from the laptop manufacturer's web site and save the file to the laptop computer. Then double-click on the driver file and follow the installation instruction prompts in the window that appears. Reboot the computer and test to confirm that the computer can find wireless networks.