@anon59854308 check your device settings in Windows. does this happen when the laptop is plugged in, or just on battery? Chances are, the wireless device is being shut off in power saving mode by Windows. quick fix, is to go into your power settings and check that Windows isn’t disabling the device on its own
I’d be shocked if it was your router. it can’t be that old, if it has a 5ghz network.
cant find the option for the power management.
i did receive from lenovo though
FIX 1
Static Discharge. We will use it to remove any electricity that is stuck in your device.
FIX 2
For this step you will need the Novo Button, but first you need to turn off your device. It is located on the left or right side of your device, usually near the Power button. It is in the form of a small hole with a curved arrow near it. You will need to use something like a paper clip or a needle to gently press it.
For Yoga devices this button is on the backside near the vents.
For Legion devices, press the Fn key and the Power/F2/F10 button to open up the novo button menu.
After you press the Novo Button you will see a small blue menu. Use your arrow keys to navigate down to BIOS Setup. When you enter the BIOS press F9 key on your keyboard to reset BIOS settings and then press F10 key to save and exit. When your device turns on check if the problem is fixed.
FIX 3
OneKey Recovery (OKR). This step will perform a System Recovery, reinstall the Operating System and reset your device to factory settings. Any software problems on the device will be eliminated. Please make sure your device is connected to the charger as it may take up to a few hours to complete and your device needs to have power supply all the time.
Before performing this procedure make sure to back up your data from all hard drives to an external storage device as all your files will be deleted from the device.
If you cannot turn on your device, visit a local service shop and ask them to backup your data. This will not void your warranty
To perform OKR turn off your device and press the Novo Button.
*** The ‘Novo-Button’ is located on the side a little hole or it can be located on the bottom. It needs to be accessed with a pin/needle*** (It is signaled by a bent arrow pointing to the left)
OR
*** You access The ‘Novo-Button Menu’ by Turning off your device and and start up press FN and “F2” key and Novo Button menu will be displayed
OR
*** You access The ‘Novo-Button Menu’ by Turning off your device and and press FN and the Star Button with the magnified glass key and Novo Button menu will be displayed
it’s in your control panel. If you tap the windows key and start typing “power” you should see an option for “power and sleep settings”.
Do you have the same problem with the wifi dropping, when you are plugged in to charge the laptop? Or just when operating on battery. just a hunch, but if you’re on power-save mode it may deactivate the wireless network adaptor.
note that the Static Discharge trick works if your laptop suddenly decides to no longer charge when you plug it in. Don’t ask me how I know that 
Apple can’t be serious, right???
So my laptop recently bit the bullet and crashed it’s final crash.
Bought a PC 2nd hand, and found out, it’s not set up for WiFi. Bought a 802.11n WiFi USB adaptor, but the PC refuses to find it. Currently the only way to connect it to the net is by connecting my phone and linking through USB tethering, which whilst works, isn’t a long term solution.
Anyone got any ideas on how to get a WiFi USB adaptor working when it doesn’t show up as available?
You have to identify the chip in the adapter and install the appropriate drivers for it (if your PC recognises that you’ve inserted the adapter in the first place).
That said, 802.11n is obsolete - you should really consider getting at least an 802.11ac adapter.
How old is this PC if it doesn’t even have a built-in WiFi adapter?
In any case, you ought to be able to download the drivers for it when you’re tethering your phone, although it shouldn’t need one.
Also, return the adapter.
It’s an old-ish custom build, so the previous owner had it connected via ethernet cable. Think they never thought about the need for WiFi.
Right, I thought it was an off-the-shelf box.
Either way, @Nikola is right, the adapter is ancient. I’m not even sure you could get working drivers for it on Windows 10.
I have a relatively new pc but had rubbish wifi in my upstairs study. I got a booster disk and connected via ethernet cable. It is now the same speed as my phone if I stand next to the router…
Would prefer not to have to go down the ethernet cable route as pc is set up in my room, so potential trip hazzad for the others (yes, I do consider them that dumb as to trip over an ethernet cable) hence why I’ve gone down the WiFi adaptor path.
What model is it, and what OS are you running?
Why do printers hate me?
Its a Dell, running Windows 10 Pro
I meant the WiFi adapter model.
I’m assuming the usb there would be a USB 2.0 ports as well.
Might have to get a usb2.0 wifi dongle as you might have bought a usb4.0 wifi dongle.
Why? If it’s running Windows 10 I doubt it doesn’t have at least USB 3.
Nah , I saw some old dinosaurs running windows 10 with only usb2.
If @aussielad paid money for a desktop that only had USB2, then I think he should return it.
A desktop I built in 2010 had USB 3.
