We have already seen how to solve limited WiFi connection problems under Windows 8/10. But sometimes your system may not be able to identify or detect a WiFi or wireless network. In some scenarios, this may be a hardware problem that you can check with the Device Manager (16). Here you should check whether your. Read moreWindows could not start the AutoConfig WLAN service. Right click the service and select Start, or with the service highlighted you can select Start on the left in the service description window. This might work, but you may get the following: 'Windows could not start the WLAN AutoConfig service on Local Computer. Once this is done, you now need to start the corresponding service (if not already started). To do this: 1. Open the Server Manager and click Configuration and then Services; 2. Click WLAN AutoConfig and click the Start button; 3. Now you can connect to your wireless network as you do with Windows Vista or Windows 7. The WLANAutoconfig.log file in Event Viewer (If not already compiled into to a CAB file) can be found and saved manually in the Windows Event Viewer - Applications and Service Logs-Microsoft-Windows- Wlan-autoconfig folder. The NETSH script below will output the the C: wlogs folder. WLAN-autoconfig Diagnostic Logging.
If you are a Vista or Windows 7 user, you may have experienced a problem where your wireless card will no longer work, even though drivers and hardware appear to be functioning fine. Here is how to fix it.
4 Steps total
Step 1: Identify the problem
When troubleshooting your lack of wireless connectivity, you just might run into this: 'The Windows Wireless Service is not running on this computer.'
If you do, check these first: a) Always the first step! Check your laptop for a wireless shutoff switch. This could be a blue Fn key sequence, or a physical switch location on the front or sides of the laptop, or in the case of some (HP's), a touch switch just above the keyboard.
b) Go to Control panelNetwork and Sharing Center. Select 'Change adapter settings', and check status of your Wireless Network Connection. If it shows a red X, and says 'Not Connected', right click the connection and select 'Connect / Disconnect.' If this works, great. If not, continue.
c) Go to Control PanelDevice Manager, open up your Network adapters, right click on your Wireless apapter and select Properties. On the General tab, verify the device is working properly. If the status is shown otherwise, you likely have a hardware or driver failure. Check the driver tab and possibly update your driver. Otherwise, there are may other posts on proceeding from this point, not related to the WLAN AutoConfig service. Please seek help there.
d) Assuming you are still having issues but things look fine so far, go to Start and type services.msc. You may need administrator privileges to proceed here. Sort the list of Services by name, and find the WLAN AutoConfig service. Verify that the service is shown as Startup Type: Automatic, and that the Status is shown as Started. If both are true, then I refer you back to step 1.c above. If not, then we are getting closer to the reason for this How-To. Likely you will find the Type as Automatic, and the Status blank (i.e. not started). Right click the service and select Start, or with the service highlighted you can select Start on the left in the service description window. This might work, but you may get the following: 'Windows could not start the WLAN AutoConfig service on Local Computer. Error: 0xc00ce558; 0xc00ce558' If you get this error, then it's time to get busy. You can also check the Dependencies tab and verify that all four of the main system components that the WLAN AutoConfig service depends on are in good shape.
Step 2: Verify Cause
At this point, we have ruled out a hardware failure and a diver problem, and found that the WLAN AutoConfig service is not launching properly. This took me a bit to find, but I found the answer provided by Barry Hubbard back in March of 2010. I will provide a link to his answer at the bottom. First though, lets discuss HOW this might have happened. I can think of only two possible sources: a) Some flavor of Malware (very troubling) b) A bad update to the OS
In the way of background, my problem started shortly after trying to track down a possible virus infection (suspected remnants from a Fake AV program), and running a bunch of updates (including Windows 7 SP1) shortly after not finding anything more than tracking cookies. I used Trend Micro, CCleaner's Spyware Checker, MalwareBytes, and SuperAntiSpyware - zilch, nada, nothing. Either it's a new virus with the ability to take control from TrustedInstaller (I am very concerned if so), or one of the system files was scrambled during an OS update. I will point to evidence of the contrary shortly.
First, lets look at the registry. Go to Start, and type regedit. Again, likely need administrator privileges to proceed. Check the following keys and make sure the 'Start' entry value is set at '3': HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/ControlSet001/Services/Ndisuio HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SystemControlSet002/Services/Ndisuio HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/CurrentControlSet/Services/Ndisuio
If one of the values is NOT 3, then change the value and try your wireless connection again. If this still fails, or the values are already set to 3, then it is time to go to Windows Explorer!
Select Start, then select Computer. Navigate to the following directory: c:WindowsL2Schemas.
Windows Wlan Autoconfig Service
Check the following system protected files for zero length (size of 0 KB): WLAN_policy_v1.xsd WLAN_profile_v1.xsd WLANAP_profile_v1.xsd
Microsoft Windows Wlan Autoconfig Service Server 2008 R2 Download
All three of these XML files are needed to launch the WLAN AutoConfig service. If one of them is zeroed out, you get the problem we are having where everything appears fine, but the service fails to launch.
Step 3: Repair the WLAN AutoConfig XML files
Okay, so we have found a corrupt WLAN AutoConfig XML file. First, you can (if you choose), use System Restore and attempt to fix the problem that way. In the case of a bad OS update, this should do the trick. If this is virus related, you have merely made a temporary fix as the true problem has now been put back to full strength.
Assuming you are going to skip System Restore, you will need to take control of the corrupt file(s) from TrustedInstaller. But first, find a Windows 7 install with a working wireless connection and copy the zeroed out system files to a thumb drive.
Go back to your problem child device, make sure the default Administrator account is enabled. Switch users to Administrator, and navigate back to the c:WindowsL2Schemas directory. Right-click the zeroed out file(s), select PropertiesSecurityAdvancedOwner. Click the Edit button, and change ownership to the default Administrator account. Be sure NOT to make the Administrators group the owner as this might create severe security risks for your computer. Go back to the Security tab, and click Edit to add the default Administrator to the Group or user names section. Give the default Administrator Full Control of the file(s). Now just copy and paste the file(s) from the thumb drive and replace the existing zeroed out file(s).
Once this is done, you will not be able to give ownership back to TrustedInstaller. So, to keep the files somewhat secure, go back to the Security tab on the replaced files and set the default Administrator's permissions to Read, and Read & Execute. Log out from the Administrator's account, and disable it.
Step 4: Rejoin the World of Wireless Wonders
Go back to services.msc, find the WLAN AutoConfig service, and start it up (refer to step 1.d above). You should see the service now listed as Started, and the wireless network icon should now appear in the System Tray. Welcome back, and many thanks to Barry Hubbard. Here is a link to his post on the issue:
As I mentioned above, I am not truly convinced that this was a Windows OS update problem. The chance is there, true, but looking at the files I found zeroed out, the Modified date was shown as back in 2009. This might not truly indicate anything where a virus is concerned as a truly sneaky bug might be able to mask this property. The fact that I have 20 laptops which have (for the most part) all downloaded and installed Windows 7 SP1, and only one had the issue - still, it's either virus or an update fluke.
More troubling to me, is the possibility that a virus can take a file away from TrustedInstaller and modify it. The whole purpose of the UAC and the creation of the TrustedInstaller persona was to prevent just this type of problem. But, that being said, black hatters are notorious for finding ways around just about all safeguards when they truly want to. Hopefully my posting this here (again, thanks to Barry), will help others recover from a somewhat perplexing wireless service problem in Windows 7, and likely Vista as well as both use the same service (XP uses Wireless Zero).
Published: Apr 22, 2011 ยท Last Updated: Apr 18, 2012
20 Comments
Pimiento
marinagg Jul 24, 2012 at 09:16am
Hi im missing the WLANAP_profile_v1.xsd could this be causing the problem? thanks
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 2, 2012 at 12:43pm
Following your trouble shooting directions I find that files HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/ControlSet001/Services/Ndisuio and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/CurrentControlSet/Services/Ndisuio have no details listed and no 'start' designation.
File HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SystemControlSet002/Services/Ndisuio has details and the start value shows and is set to 3.
How to I fix the first two files?
Datil
MarkT94 Dec 3, 2012 at 12:22pm
Ed, Only one of the HKLM keys needs to be set to 3. If you are still having WLAN issues, follow Step 3 above. You might have a corrupt XML file.
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 4, 2012 at 12:55pm
Thanks Mark. All of the files in the L2Schemas directory have Data. There are no zero value files.
I am able to connect with a cable but my wireless cannot connect..
I get the same error 'Windows could not start the WLAN AutoConfig service on Local Computer'
Any ideas. I do not have a system restore point that works.
Datil
MarkT94 Dec 6, 2012 at 12:40pm
Okay. Lets go back to ControlSet002 for a second. When you look at the Ndisuio key, you have the Start value set at 3, what is ImagePath set to? This should be a REG_EXPAND_SZ type, with value of system32DRIVERSndisuio.sys. You might also check the system32DRIVERS directory to verify the ndisuio.sys file is there. This file should be around 56KB, and the version I have installed is 6.1.7601.17514.
I just checked my current system, and I have entries in all three ControlSet registry keys. The keys look identical, as a matter of fact. You could export the data from ControlSet002, and import back in to ControlSet001 and CurrentControlSet. If you want to try these one at a time, I'd start with CurrentControlSet.
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 7, 2012 at 10:55am
I looked look at the Ndisuio key, the Start value is set at 3, The ImagePath is REG_EXPAND_SZ type, with value of system32DRIVERSndisuio.sys. The system32DRIVERS directory has the file, it is 56KB, and the version is the same as yours, 6.1.7601.17514.
I was able to export the the data for ControlSet002 but do not know how to import it back into ControlSet001 or Current controlSet.
Thanks for your help so far. I feel I am finally making progress.
Datil
MarkT94 Dec 7, 2012 at 07:41pm
From within Regedit, select the Ndisuio key within the ControlSet001 or CurrentControlSet key, then select FileImport from the menu bar. You should then be provided with a Windows Explorer windows, where you can navigate to the exported registry data file. Select the file, then hit Open.
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 7, 2012 at 09:40pm
I exported the Ndisuio key from ControlSet002 to a file called CS002.reg. When I import the file as above it to CurrentControlSet Ndisuio folowing your instructions it seems to work but no values appear in CurrentControlSet. I am mssing something.
Datil
MarkT94 Dec 10, 2012 at 12:19pm
Make sure the *.reg file has data in it (open with Notepad, etc.). If the file contents are good, I can only think it would be a path issue.
All else fails, you can manually add the keys.
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 11, 2012 at 01:16pm
Mark. I now have Data in all three Ndisuio directories in a sub file 'Linkage'
Below is the file from Text Editor that was imported.
Looks like there is data missing. The Linkage subkey looks about right. There should also be an Enum subkey (with 4 values in it, including the default), plus there should be 10 values (including the default) in the root of the Ndisuio key, one of which should be pointing to System32DRIVERSNdisiou.sys. You might need to retry your export, making sure you get all the values under the Ndisuio key.
Going back to look at my ControlSet keys, ControlSet01 has the the Enum and Linkage subkeys, ControlSet02 only has the Linkage subkey. CurrentControlSet appears to match ControlSet01.
Sonora
Ed Nicholls Dec 11, 2012 at 03:34pm
Mark; In all three control sets in the Ndisuio file I have only the following:
Name: ab(Default) Type: REG_SZ Data: (value not set)
plus the linkage sub-file.
Datil
MarkT94 Dec 11, 2012 at 06:37pm
Okay, that is probably your problem - the missing Enum subkey and entries under the root of the Ndisuio key.
Under Ndisuio, you should have the following, in addition to the Enum and Linkage subkeys:
The Enum subkey should have the following under it: ab(Default)REG_SZ(value not set) ab0REG_SZRootLEGACY_NDISUIO0000 OII IIOCountREG_DWORD0x00000001 (1) OII IIONextInstanceREG_DWORD0x00000001 (1)
I'll see if I can send you a copy of the Ndisuio.reg file, minus the Linkage subkey.