WLAN card BSODs, but needs update.

Have a Dell Inspirion 560 Win/7/64 with a Atheros 1525 WLAN mini card. Out of the blue, started getting sudden (and immediate) BSODs (too fast to read, but I caught IRQL in there). Would not complete boot in safe mode - stuck at classpnp.sys. Took out wireless card and computer starts and runs perfectly with absolutely no problems.

Did find a driver update for the card. Catch-22 is I can't run the update (it's an exe) without the card installed, but can't run the computer with the card installed. Of course, with the card removed, it doesn't show in devices, either.

What to do? Ideas? Tricks? I know cards/adapters are cheap, but I just don't want to waste this one if there is a way around the problem.

Would finding and then removing the "hidden/old" driver and sticking the card back in be worth a shot? or is that a bad idea? - Can that hurt more than help?

Thanks in advance!

 

If it is the driver that is causing the problem then take the card out. Download driver sweeper and use it to remove the old driver from the system.

Put the card back in and boot up. Windows should pick up new hardware and prompt you to install it.

Personally I dont think it is the driver. It sounds more like Hardware failure. if it still BSODs after you have uninstalled the driver then it is almost certainly a hardware fault.

If you want to attach the minidump files located in C:Windows\Minidumps and I will debug them for you.

 

Thank you, Tueur! I did a combination of things: Removed the old drivers manually then slapped the card back in and let it reinstall - then ran the update exe. There was also another update waiting in Windows...not to mention the service pack!! Computer's owner hadn't run any updates, I think, since they got the computer.

It was odd. Like you, we immediately suspected hardware, but after testing what we could on a bench, found nothing wrong. Very frustrating. Did NOT expect it to be driver related, so I guess we just got lucky.

Thanks again!