Surface Network Adapter Not Working
May. 27, 2019 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows 10
Jun 24, 2018 - Usually, this issue is related to the WLAN network card drivers. Either the drivers are not compatible, or they are corrupt. Updating to Windows.
“My computer suddenly today stopped connecting to WiFi and when I go to see at Device Manager at Broadcom 802.11n, it says ‘This device cannot start (Code 10)’.”
After the Windows 10 upgrade or update, like the Windows 10 Creators Update or the Anniversary Update, the speedily running machine and the new OS make our office work more efficient. But the wireless or Ethernet network problems still get on our nerves, such as unidentified network after Windows 10 upgrade, no WiFi available after the Creators Update, 802.11n WLAN adapter not working issue, etc.
When your Windows 10 runs into the 802.11n network adapter “This device cannot start (Code 10)” problem, you won’t be able to experience a high speed and smooth surfing on the Internet even if the network signal is detected. So today, let’s have a close look at how to troubleshoot the 802.11n network adapter “This device cannot start (Code 10)” problem on your Windows 10 laptop or desktop.
Top 3 Ways to Fix “This Device Cannot Start (Code 10)” of 802.11n Network Adapter on Windows 10
There are top 3 solutions you can adopt to fix the 802.11n network adapter issue in minutes to hours. Take your time following the steps, and if the previous one workaround didn’t troubleshoot the issue, try another one.
Way 1. Check 802.11n Network-related Hardware Device that May Cause the Issue
Faulty hardware can cause “This device cannot start (Code 10)” issue on your Windows 10 laptop or desktop. So before you get starting on the inner working of Windows 10, it’s better to check the 802.11n network-related hardware on your computer so that you can manually fix the issue caused by hardware devices.
1. Make sure your network card is right in its port. Also, clean the dust around the network card if you’ve used the computer for a long time.
2. Make sure the physical buttons controlling the WiFi is switched to ON.
3. Connect your 802.11n wireless network adapter to another computer that works properly to see if the adapter functions.
See Also:Fix WiFi Adapter Not Showing up after Windows 10 Creators Update
Way 2. Modify the Registry and Solve the 802.11n Code 10 Error
In this method, you are going to modify some values in Registry Editor, which is a collective data base and stores the important data of Windows. Note: To avoid your computer get stuck on other serious issues, such as black screen, blue screen, 100% disk usage, etc., it is necessary to back up the registry before any changes.
Here’s how to solve “This device cannot start (Code 10)” problem by modifying the registry:
1. Use Windows shortcut keysWin + R to launch the Run.
2. Type into regedit.
3. Hit the Enter key.
4. Follow the path below to expand the folders on the left side
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlClass{4D36E978-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}
5. On the right pane, navigate to values UpperFilters and LowerFilters.
6. Right-click and select Delete if the two values are available.
Note: If you don’t have the two values in the Registry Editor, and in this case, you can skip to Way 3 directly.
Way 3. Reinstall the 802.11n Adapter Driver to Fix “This Device Cannot Start (Code 10)” on Windows 10
Laptop Network Adapter Not Working
Incompatible 802.11n WLAN adapter driver can cause “This device cannot start (Code 10)” error after the Windows 10 upgrade or update. Outdated, missing or incorrectly configured wireless driver can also result in no WLAN access on Windows 10, slow Internet problem, “WiFi doesn’t have a valid IP configuration” or other network issues like this. To get the Internet connection back on track, you can go to Device Manager or use Driver Talent to reinstall the 802.11n WLAN adapter driver update for Windows 10.
If you have to use WiFi connection to fix the problem, the Device Manager is definitely not appropriate for you, so you can turn to the one-click solution, Driver Talent, to fix the code 10 error. Click the button below to get the driver directly and use a USB drive to load it to your computer.
Here are 3 easy steps to make it:
1. Click the Scan button to detect all the faulty drivers, including the 802.11n network driver.
2. Click Update or Repair to download and reinstall the best-matched driver, for example, the Broadcom 802.11n network adapter driver.
3. Restart the PC to make the changes take effect.
Note: Don’t forget to create a system restore point and back up the drivers before any system changes so that you can restore the system and the drivers once the computer runs into other issues.
See Also: How to Download 802.11n WLAN Driver for Windows 7
That’s it. If the tips above are still not working for fixing “This device cannot start (code 10)” of the 802.11n network adapter on your Windows 10, you might need to wait for a hotfix by Microsoft. If you have any questions on the 802.11n driver or the code 10 error, you can comment below or click the LEFT MENU for more support. Any Windows-10 related questions please go to our Windows 10 Issues and Fix section.
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The Surface Pro 3 is an impressive device. In my full review, I gave much personal praise for the all-in-one hybrid computer, though, like all things, there is room for improvement. One bug that I've seen a handful of times is being acknowledged by Microsoft now in their support forums.
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The problem in question arises when the Surface Pro 3 wakes up from sleep. In rare circumstances, the Wi-Fi and network connections driver are missing after the low power state using InstantGo (previously known as Connected Standby). The problem is easily solved by restarting the Surface, which takes only around five seconds, but it can be irritating and inconvenient.
Some users have had mixed success with downgrading and manually reinstalling the Marvel Wi-Fi driver that refreshed in the June update. Another user suggests altering the power plan by changing the wireless adapter power settings to max performance.
Putting aside temporary fixes, Microsoft support staff Josh_F is taking note of all the complaints:
'Thanks for sharing your experiences. If I understand correctly, after your devices sleep for any amount of time the network and possibly the Bluetooth devices no longer appear in Device Manager and this results in no network connectivity, etc.Your feedback, including suggested workarounds (successful or otherwise) has been shared. We are working to address this and will have an update available soon.'
The most difficult bugs are those that cannot be systemically reproduced, and that is the case here. Although I have seen this happen, even before the June update, it is a rare incident. That makes reporting and fixing such a problem a little trickier. However, it does look like the power saver settings for Wi-Fi may be too aggressive for the Surface Pro 3, resulting in the disappearing network.
A related connectivity problem arises when the Surface Pro 3 is on battery and the Wi-Fi gets throttled to just 6 Mbps, a far cry from the max speeds the hardware is capable of achieving. In that case too, Microsoft is recognizing the problem:
'Thank you for sharing your experiences while connecting to 802.11ac access points. We are working to resolve bandwidth limitations associated to certain access points.'
There's no time frame for said fixes, although next week is 'Patch Tuesday' and the Surface Pro 3 is expected to get a new firmware or driver update at that time. It is not clear if Microsoft can attenuate the problem in time though they are apparently now working on finding a solution.
Over the weekend, Ed Bott from ZDNet brought up these issues in his influential column, perhaps catching Microsoft's attention.
Source: Microsoft Support Forums 1, 2
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