windows 8 loosing internet conection? windows 7 fine?

danbim

as above we have 2 laptops in our house mine (windows 7 ) works fine, but my sons who is windows 8 constantly looses the connection , usually after 10-20 mins of use, its very frustrating and causing all sorts of problems when he is trying to do his homework can anyone advise not sure if its the laptop or windows 8 problem (laptop is acer brand)

WTFH

Is it windows 8 or 8.1?
What is the exact model of the laptop?
Are you both connected over wifi or wired?

Nilrem

In addition to WTFH's questions another one I'd ask is: Are they both in use in the same place at the same time?

My guess is one of the laptops is probably using a wireless adaptor that isn't quite up to the job (different adaptors can require very different signal strengths).

Basic things to do if using wireless.
Look at the signal strength with the laptops next to each other - if the W8 one has a weaker signal you may need to reposition the router or use a different wireless adaptor for it*.
Try to note if the signal loss is happening when certain apps are in use, or when something is going on in the house - for example does it drop when the kettle/tv/phone charger is turned on.



*I've got a bunch of wireless adaptors here (some built into laptops, some built into the PC, and a few USB ones), and they all get different signal strengths even if of the same "sort" (IE Wireless N), as they've got different antenna set ups.

poppellerant

The thing I would look into is the drivers and if you've got up to date drivers installed. Please don't be tempted to buy software found online to do this, as you can do this yourself with a bit of know.

Unfortunately I don't quite know the Windows 8 UI. But on Windows 7, go to the Start Menu and type in "device manager" and wait for Device Manager to appear then click on it. Now in Device Manager, click the arrow next to "Network adapters" to expand the list of installed network adapters. Find what looks like the name of your wireless adapter and double click it to open the device's properties window. Now click on the tab across the top called "Driver" and you should now have your driver version.

Post the complete name of your network adapter along with driver version. I will then see if you have the latest driver installed.

Stooby2

There is an issue with Windows 8 in the wireless adapter settings. If you Google "windows 8 losing wifi", there are a number of people with the same problem.

I fixed a friend's laptop with the same issue...try this first, if not, do the Google thing and work through the answers given..

Control Panel -> Network -> Adapters

Right Click On your WiFi Adapter -> Properties

Power Management Tab > uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off device"

---

That solved my friend's issues

KxMx

poppellerant wrote: »

The thing I would look into is the drivers and if you've got up to date drivers installed. Please don't be tempted to buy software found online to do this, as you can do this yourself with a bit of know.

Unfortunately I don't quite know the Windows 8 UI. But on Windows 7, go to the Start Menu and type in "device manager" and wait for Device Manager to appear then click on it. Now in Device Manager, click the arrow next to "Network adapters" to expand the list of installed network adapters. Find what looks like the name of your wireless adapter and double click it to open the device's properties window. Now click on the tab across the top called "Driver" and you should now have your driver version.

Post the complete name of your network adapter along with driver version. I will then see if you have the latest driver installed.

Control panel
System and Security
Device Manager (under "system")
Network Adapters


Or, Scroll from top right corner to bring up search and look for device manager. This will come up under settings not apps which by default is displayed first.

danbim

hi everyone I have followed the advise from stooby2 , I will try this first thanks everyone

poppellerant

danbim wrote: »

hi everyone I have followed the advise from stooby2 , I will try this first thanks everyone

To be honest I didn't know about that issue, mostly due to me never having used Windows 8 for more than 2 minutes. But with it being the simplest option, I would also encourage you to try that (possible) solution first.