My wireless function key is not working in my toshiba satellite

Did you change the OS? There is a Windows driver you must install to activate the keyboard shortcuts. You should also be able to access the wireless driver control panel and activate it.

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

My Gateway Intel is not working with F12 it does have a wireless witch on the bottom right hand side , but it's broken? Is there anything I can turn the Wifi on with other then that?

Saylor Johnson said:

My Gateway Intel is not working with F12 it does have a wireless witch on the bottom right hand side , but it's broken? Is there anything I can turn the Wifi on with other then that?

Im guessing no, since the button is broken? Do you have a Warrenty? Take it to a local repair shop and ask them to fix the button

PhilFrisbie said:

Did you change the OS? There is a Windows driver you must install to activate the keyboard shortcuts. You should also be able to access the wireless driver control panel and activate it.

This is probably the right way to proceed. Track down the original CD containing your specific model's drivers or see if it can be pulled from the Toshiba support site directly.

fn + F8 or F12

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

This sounded stupid to me. I thought it was a joke or you were taking the mick. I've created an account on this site just to say Thank you this worked for me perfectly. I have no idea why. It must be a reset or something?

I'd reinstalled toshiba's value added package driver and wireless driver to no avail.

Seriously this is the answer if your F12 key isn't working and is stuck with wireless off.

THANK YOU!

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

I thought it sounded crazy also, but worked perfectly on my L655! Thanks!

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

Dear hasi_12,

I've had the problem with the hardware switch disabled thingy on my Toshiba recently after installing Ubuntu 14.04. (most FN keys down as well, including F12 (wifi switch).
This is my third day of searching for solutions. I found my way here and to your post and noticed it seemed familiar. So I tried it.
And I'm glad to tell you, I am now using wifi connection to post this appreciation message.
I remember that I was trying to do the same for a friend of mine who had an inoperable wifi hardware switch on his Compaq as well months ago. So I believe I've used this solution AT LEAST twice on (different machines).

so with all sincerety, THANK YOU for posting the solution.
(even if a lot of people would think you are trolling. )
IT WORKS people, twice in my case at least.
Thanks to mashud_16 for opening the question as well. most people would just like to search for the answer to someone else's question, me included, shamefully.

PS: for those having FN troubles, specially on a Toshiba, I have not yet solve it as of the moment,

The suggestion of removing battery and holding down button for 30 seconds absolutely worked for me too! Thanks so much!

I found a solution for people that have broken the physical wifi switch. The link below will show you how to bypass the switch. All it takes is a bit of electrical tape and some steady hands After a year of going crazy and reading dump people say have you tried the FN+F8 i final came across this (smart persons) link and it fixed the issue.

http://richarddouglasdenton.wordpress.com/2011/05/11/how-to-bypass-a-laptop-wireless-switch/#comment-66

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

This is a late response but I just wanted to say thank you for the excellent advice. My Toshiba Satellite wifi was disabled & nothing would resolve the problem. I tried every other online suggestion, obtained telephone advice from Toshiba (worthless) & even took it to my local Microsoft store who were unable to resolve the problem. I eventually tried the battery removal trick - with instant success. (I have to say that I'd seen this one work before, when I was training for an online job. The company-supplied HP laptop lost wifi capability & technical support instructed my trainer, via phone, to remove the battery & hold down the power button.) I was expecting to pay $$$ to fix the problem instead of which I managed to resolve the problem easily, painlessly & free of charge. :-)

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

I had tried everything I could think of or find online (using another device) short of total restoration to get my wifi back online on my less than a year old Toshiba Satellite laptop. I thought hasi_12's solution was ridiculous, but since nothing else worked I gave it a try. I still have no idea why BUT IT WORKED! Thank you so much for sharing the information!

TJGillard said:

hasi_12 said:

I have a solution that i found on the net. I had the same problem except, my satellite was brand new, and even when i would use the function keys, nothing would work. So, first disconnect your laptop from power, remove the battery, and press the power up button while holding it down for atleast 30 seconds. i know it sounds weird, but that's what i thought at first, and it worked. Ofcourse while holding down the power button, nothing will come on as there is no power source. after you're done, put the battery back on and connect the laptop to power, then switch on the laptop, your wifi should be working. Although, you should always have the battery atleast half, or connect the laptop to power when using wifi. however, that's how i dealt with it. Hope it helps and works. post back if it does

This sounded stupid to me. I thought it was a joke or you were taking the mick. I've created an account on this site just to say Thank you this worked for me perfectly. I have no idea why. It must be a reset or something?

I'd reinstalled toshiba's value added package driver and wireless driver to no avail.

Seriously this is the answer if your F12 key isn't working and is stuck with wireless off.

THANK YOU!

I too am having issues with the FN keys and auto connect. I was on the phone with tech support over my modem and had to turn off wifi in order to get a wired connection and it hasn't worked since. I have to open with FN+F8 and turn wifi OFF and then go back in and turn it on in able for it to work. Since this problem began it randomly asks to install bluetooth drivers. I believe a hard reset is in order for me as well! TIA!