Computer won't find adapter

[smitty10]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought the D-link DWA 556 wireless adapter. I tried installing it but the computer couldn't find it in the device manager. I tried 3 different slots and I had the same problem each time. I've heard of other people having this issue as well but I haven't found a solution.

I called tech support and he said that my motherboard must not be compatible with the card. I don't think this is the case but it was the only advice he could give me. I have an MSI P67A-G45 board. I removed all drivers from my previous card before installing the DWA 556 because I heard they can clash with each other.

If anyone has this card and has experienced problems like this, please let me know how you fixed it!

Thanks for your help.

EDIT: I have fixed my problem, please read the solution I posted below if you have the same issue as me.

 

[steimy]

Looking at the motherboard & adapter, i do not see where you should have any compatibility issues as long as you are sticking it in one of the PCI-E X16 slots. What operating system are you running?

 

[smitty10]

I'm running Windows 7. I checked the compatibility on the windows website and it said it's compatible. Oddly enough, I'm running the DWA 552 right now without problems and windows says it isn't compatible.

The box says I can use any PCIe slot (x1, x4, x8 or x16). I tried x1 and x16 and neither worked.

I don't seem to understand why windows finds the 552 but not the 556.

 

[steimy]

Wish i knew, Windows can be a strange animal sometimes.

But i will throw out some idea's i read.
http://www.dlink.com/products/default.aspx?pid=DWA-556&tab=3

Go to the FAQ and look at the last question on the list, it goes through the install and how to update the drivers.

 

[smitty10]

Thanks for your help, steimy.

I seem to have fixed the problem. If anyone else has the same problem as me, try the solution I found below.

Solution: http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=23391.0

Driver: http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/15297-latest-atheros-modded-driver-for-windws-7-vista-and-winxp/

The adapter seems to be working well so far and my speeds are over 20mbps. Signal strength is excellent.

 

[steimy]

Glad to hear you were able to sort it all out, was it the driver specifically that were causing the problem? Just out of curiosity.

 

[smitty10]

My guess would be yes. I tried several times to install the D-Link drivers (from the CD and their website) and I kept getting BSOD (blue screen of death). I read on one of the links above that the d-link drivers are not very good and it would be better to get them from the chipset manufacturer, Atheros.