Finding and downloading the correct WiFi Drivers for Windows 7 may not be a straightforward process. This is because different laptops will have different wireless cards and generic WiFi Drivers often will not work.

Laptop manufacturers may provide WiFi Drivers on their website sorted by model number. You can simply visit the manufacturer website, search for your laptop model and the proceed to the download section and select your operating system.

You will then be presented with a list of all the current Drivers available for your laptop model. Select and download the Driver file you require, this is generally in zip format. After downloading the file you will then need to unzip it to get access to the executable file. Click on the executable file and follow the on-screen instructions to install WiFi Drivers for Windows 7.

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You can also find the WiFi Drivers through the hardware ID. Let’s take a look at steps to download Drivers using hardware ID.

1. Click on the Start button
2. Select Control Panel
3. Select Device Manager

A Device Manager window opens listing all the components and Drivers installed on your specific system. You will see a yellow exclamation mark if there are problems with the Drivers for any individual component. The device may not be named and may just be referred to as “Unknown Device” in Device Manager. If the Wireless Card does not find the corresponding Drivers installed, your system may show it as “Network Controller” under “Other devices” where you will see a yellow exclamation mark beside it, indicating there is a problem.

4. Select the Unknown Device and right-click to go into Properties
5. Within the Properties window, select the Details tab.
6. Select the Hardware ID from the drop-down list
7. Take a note of the first entry on the list. The hardware ID will look something like: “PCI/VEN_111E3&DEV_1212&REV_01”
8. You will then need to copy the full hardware id and do a web search for WiFi Drivers. There are a number of Drivers’ database websites that offer Drivers by hardware ID. You can simply copy and paste the hardware ID into the search box and you should find the Driver for the device in question.
   * Make sure you are using a trustworthy website and if at all unsure, you can use an automatic  driver update tool
9. Download the relevant Driver file and install WiFi Drivers for Windows 7
10. Restart your system

If you find the above procedure too time-consuming or are concerned about security issues, you can opt for a driver update tool that automates the process of installing and updating Drivers for you.

You simply install the Driver update utility, and it will run a scan of your system searching for missing, corrupted or out-of-date Drivers. The tool will then present you with an option to install the Drivers. Upon confirmation, the tool will download the required WiFi Drivers from the Internet and install them for you.

If you do not have any wireless connection due to Drivers issues, you can use a wired connection to install the Driver updates or the Driver Update Tool. If this is not an option for any reason, you will need to copy the files onto a media device from another PC or laptop and transfer them to the computer in question in question.