Chosen Solution
So I’ve been fighting the wi-fi “no hardware installed” bug for sometime, on my early 2011 15" MBP. I tried replacing the drivers to no avail. Wi-fi is not available when booting to the OS X restore CD, nor at the boot drive selection screen (holding “option” at power on). I still have bluetooth connectivity. I recently bought a replacement wi-fi card from iFixIt, and that also did not resolve the issue. The computer is out of warranty. I’ve run out of ideas. Does anyone have any advice?
Of course you remembered to enable the airport interface via SystemPreferences:Network after installing the new one, and turn it on. Try holding N key down for Network boot (I’m not certain wireless support is loaded at restore or option boot). Check in System Profiler:Network or Wi-Fi to see if the OS detects the card. It’s possible the connection is not complete…remove and inspect the card connector for corrosion, or defects. If none of that helps contact iFixit Customer Support directly (this is the volunteer help forum). ‘‘If this answer was helpful please remember to return an mark it Accepted.
I know this is an old thread, but if anyone finds it, it sounds like replacing the ribbon cable is the way to go: http://warrantyvoidifremoved.blogspot.co… Why does the wifi only work intermittently?
