Broadcom Wireless Card not found in Vista help please?

I have a compaq v6000 laptop running Vistaand was using the wireless network yesterday and when I restarted my computer the wireless card disappeared from the device manager. It's like the card was never there. I downloaded the drivers for my computer off the HP website but still won't show up in device manager. Computer says I need to install a wireless card. I know its a broadcom wireless card just not which one. I contacted the Compaq and they said I would have to send it in for repair, that its either the motherboard or the wireless card. They said it would take ten days to get the computer to them and back to me and with college I don't think thats possible. Computer is still under warranty. Is there a way for me to fix this. Problem seems to have solved itself. Like magic, haha. I had a friend look at the computer and he started the computer in safe mode and then restarted. When the computer restarted it found the hardware and reinstalled the drivers itself. Anyone know why it would act like this and should I send it in for repair anyways? Thanks. After I restarted the problem came back. Computer is Compaq v6120us. I contacted the place I bought the pc and they told me its a problem with these computers and that the motherboard is the problem and I will have to send it in for repair. I'm in college so that is out of the question for now. Would my best option be to buy a usb or pci adapter until I can send it in.

Public Comments

1. hii there!!! the best way to confirm it is switch to win xp pro to make your life more happier!!! give a try!! good luck!!
2. I'm a total newbie at this and not sure how much help I can be, but my new (and first) Vista laptop "forgets" it has wireless capability at starting up or waking up on occasion. I also cannot find a way to get it to look at itself again, but by shutting down and restarting - which takes forever - it will usually work properly after that. I've worked around the problem by keeping Windows Mobility Center running on my laptop and disconnecting from the internet then turning the Wireless Network off. I've also set it "NOT" to connect automatically. Then I put it to sleep and connect manually when I want to access the internet. Connecting automatically seems to either crash my Windows or lose my wireless adapter frequently. Shutting down takes forever. Hope this helps you or gives hints to someone who actually knows how this stuff works. I'm wondering if buying more memory will help? I do have a relatively inexpensive machine. SORRY - this is an edit, after following my own advice to you, I shut the internet off, put the laptop to sleep - and Windows crashed anyway - of course, it called itself an "Unexpected shutdown". I'm still clueless.
3. I have a Compaq Presario V6000 (6210US actually) with the broadcomm wireless card also. I've had the computer since March and its worked fine up until last night. Last night I closed the monitor and when I went to use the computer again, it didn't want to connect to the internet. I noticed the wireless indicator was orange...its normally blue. I contacted HP and we went through several things including a complete system reformat. That seemed to work and then when I restarted my computer...Same problem again. Every now and then it works...which leads me to believe its a problem with the motherboard and not the card. That or I have a loose connection somewhere other than the 2 wires that connect to the wireless card. I really wish I knew what was causing this.