The short answer: because manufacturers, Microsoft, and modern Wi‑Fi silicon stopped treating Windows 10 as the baseline for new wireless features — and when a vendor ships a driver targeted at Windows 11 (or uses the new Windows 11‑only driver model), that driver can legitimately fail to load or provide only degraded functionality on a fresh install of Windows 10.
Background / Overview
A loud, profanity‑colored TechPowerUp forum thread captured a common frustration: a user bought a new notebook, installed Windows 10, and the Wi‑Fi refused to work. Replies in the thread ranged from blunt advice to upgrade to Windows 11 or return the laptop, to technical claims that “Windows 10’s network stack is not set up for newer Wi‑Fi standards and Microsoft isn’t going to update it since it is EOL.”That push‑and‑pull — between an end‑of‑life operating system, new Wi‑Fi standards and new driver models, and vendor choices about which OSes they will support — is the real story behind the broken wireless in many new laptops. This article explains what changed, why you can see a working device on Windows 11 but nothing on Windows 10, and exactly how to diagnose and fix the problem (or decide when the only sane choice is to return the hardware).
This is a practical, technical primer for power users and IT pros who need to get a new notebook online for critical work without blind trial‑and‑error.
What changed: the technical reality behind “drivers don’t work on Windows 10”
Windows 10 support status (short, concrete facts)
- Microsoft officially ended mainstream support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025. After that date, Windows 10 no longer receives regular feature updates or the same level of ongoing development attention.
- End of support means Microsoft will no longer add new features to Windows 10; security updates and critical fixes are handled through specific extended programs but general development focus is on Windows 11.
New driver models and Wi‑Fi architecture: WDI → WiFiCx
- Windows 10 and Windows 11 don’t just differ cosmetically; Microsoft has introduced new driver frameworks and class extensions on Windows 11 for network devices.
- Microsoft documented a new Wi‑Fi WDF class extension (WiFiCx) that is designed for Windows 11. It gives driver authors a modern KMDF‑based path and new APIs for Wi‑Fi specific functionality. WiFiCx drivers are intended to run on Windows 11.
- The older WLAN Device Interface (WDI) and earlier wireless driver models remain present, but Microsoft places WDI into maintenance mode. New features will target WiFiCx going forward.
Silicon and standards matter too (Wi‑Fi 6/6E/7)
- New wireless chips (Wi‑Fi 6E, Wi‑Fi 7, 6‑GHz band support) introduce regulatory and OS integration requirements. Some features require both hardware and OS support (regulatory domain handling, 6GHz channel lists, DFS behaviors, WPA3 enhancements).
- Vendors sometimes ship driver packages that enumerate Windows 11 as the primary target while offering fallback support for Windows 10 only if they choose to. The presence of a driver package that claims Windows 11 only is not a bug — it may be an intentional design decision.
How manufacturers and vendors influence the outcome
- OEMs (Lenovo, HP, Dell, etc.) build recovery images and driver bundles for the OS the machine ships with. If a laptop ships with Windows 11, the OEM’s support site may only publish Windows 11 drivers for the wireless stack.
- Silicon vendors (Intel, Broadcom, Qualcomm) often produce unified driver packages for Windows 10 and Windows 11 for some adapters. For others — especially the newest chips — their documentation or SKUs may list Windows 11 as the primary supported OS.
- Some vendors continue to produce Windows 10 drivers for their Wi‑Fi chips; others focus future development on Windows 11 and may not provide full feature parity or testing for Windows 10.
Diagnosing the problem — step‑by‑step (practical checks)
Use these checks in order. They’re short, decisive, and avoid unnecessary reinstallations.- Check BIOS / firmware and hardware enablement
- Confirm the wireless adapter is present in UEFI/BIOS and not disabled globally.
- Some laptops have a physical or function‑key wireless toggle; ensure it’s on.
- Inspect Device Manager
- Open Device Manager and look for the Wi‑Fi adapter. Possible states:
- Device present and working (no action needed).
- Device present with yellow exclamation (driver error).
- Device listed as Unknown device or missing (driver not installed).
- Device absent entirely (hardware disabled in BIOS or dead module).
- Note the exact device name and hardware ID (right‑click → Properties → Details → Hardware Ids).
- Open Device Manager and look for the Wi‑Fi adapter. Possible states:
- Use netsh wlan show drivers
- Run: netsh wlan show drivers
- This shows the installed wireless driver provider, date, and capabilities. If the command reports “The wireless local area network interface is powered down” or “Radio status: Hardware On Software Off,” that indicates either missing driver or radio block.
- Check driver package and vendor support statements
- Look up the adapter’s model (from Device Manager or hardware ID) on the vendor support page to see whether the driver download lists Windows 10, Windows 11, or both.
- Examine the driver release notes — they often specify supported OS versions and known issues.
- Verify Windows Update / OEM driver presence
- Windows Update can deliver vendor drivers, but OEMs may only push Win11 drivers if the hardware shipped with Windows 11.
- Use pnputil to list installed driver packages: pnputil /enum-drivers
- To remove a bad package: pnputil /delete-driver oemXX.inf /uninstall /force (use caution and confirm the package name).
- Check for OS‑targeted driver model (developer step)
- Many driver packages include release notes that explicitly say “This package installs on Windows 11 only” or similar. If the vendor used WiFiCx (Windows 11‑only), the release doc will typically say so.
- Event Viewer and WLAN reports
- Generate a WLAN report: netsh wlan show wlanreport (creates an HTML report). Inspect for driver load errors and service failures.
Fixes and practical workarounds
Try these, from easiest to most intrusive.- 1) Install the vendor’s Windows 10 driver (if available)
- Use the adapter hardware ID to download the proper driver package from the OEM or chip vendor (Intel/Broadcom/Qualcomm).
- Prefer the OEM package first if the laptop manufacturer customizes firmware interactions.
- 2) Try the vendor’s “unified” driver package (Win10 + Win11)
- Some vendors publish packages labeled for both Windows 10 and Windows 11. If such a package exists, use it rather than a Win11‑only package.
- 3) Manual INF install
- If an installer refuses to run, extract the package (7‑Zip can extract many EXEs), then right‑click the .inf and choose Install, or use Device Manager → Update driver → Browse my computer → Let me pick → Have Disk → point to .inf. This can succeed if the binary driver files are compatible but the vendor installer was blocked.
- 4) Remove stale driver store entries (use pnputil)
- Old mismatched driver packages in the driver store can cause Windows to choose the wrong driver. Use pnputil /enum-drivers to find and remove offending packages, then reinstall the correct package.
- 5) Try a generic Microsoft driver
- For basic connectivity, Windows’ built‑in generic NIC drivers may provide enough to get online, letting you download a better driver.
- 6) Update BIOS / firmware
- Some new hardware requires the latest firmware or UEFI changes to support specific Wi‑Fi chips. Install BIOS updates from OEM recovery pages (using a wired connection or USB if necessary).
- 7) Consider Windows 11 (if supportable)
- If the laptop meets Windows 11 requirements and the vendor’s drivers explicitly target Windows 11, upgrading may be the simplest and most stable path. For critical work, test in a cloned image or on a non‑production machine first.
- 8) Use Linux as a diagnostic or fallback
- Boot a Linux live USB to see whether the Wi‑Fi hardware is recognized there. If Linux sees and uses the radio, the issue is almost certainly driver/Windows compatibility. Linux can also be a viable long‑term option for some workflows.
When a driver is legitimately “incompatible” — what that really means
- “Incompatible” can mean different things:
- The driver installer refuses to run because it checks for Windows 11.
- The driver can be installed but uses Windows 11‑only APIs and fails at runtime.
- The driver omits firmware blobs or power‑management paths required by the adapter on Windows 10.
- The driver depends on kernel frameworks not present (or present but different) on Windows 10.
- Vendors may ship a Windows 11‑first driver because they implemented WiFiCx features or because they don’t want to maintain older code paths. That’s a business decision, not a mysterious conspiracy.
- Not every new adapter is Windows 11 only. Many chipmakers publish drivers that support both OSes, and many users run new hardware on Windows 10 with vendor drivers. The situation depends on the exact adapter, vendor, and driver package.
Security and risk: why running Windows 10 on new hardware is increasingly risky
- Windows 10 reached end of support; security updates and feature work shifted to Windows 11.
- Running a critical machine on an EOL OS increases exposure to newly discovered vulnerabilities that Microsoft will not patch in the same way.
- New hardware that lacks Windows 10 vendor drivers may force use of half‑baked fallback drivers, increasing instability and potential security holes.
- For critical work, these risks are non‑trivial: data exfiltration, ransomware, or unreliable connectivity during important tasks are real consequences.
Buying and procurement lessons for critical systems
For business users buying machines for critical work, follow these rules:- Buy business‑class machines when you need long OS and driver support. Enterprise laptops (ThinkPad T/ X series, Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook) often come with long lifecycle driver support and explicit Windows 10 fallbacks for a longer period.
- Verify OS support before purchase: check the OEM support page for your model and confirm which OSes are fully supported and for how long.
- If Windows 10 support is required, insist the vendor provide tested drivers for the OS version you will run. If they only certify Windows 11, factor that risk into procurement decisions.
- Consider refurbished business laptops (2–3 years old) if long Windows 10 support and robustness are required — they often retain driver support and are better built than low‑end consumer models.
Debunking some forum claims and flagging what’s unverifiable
- Claim: “Windows 10’s network stack is not set up for newer Wi‑Fi standards and Microsoft is not going to update it.”
- Partially supported: Microsoft has shifted major driver model development to Windows 11 and explicitly introduced WiFiCx for Windows 11. The Windows 10 driver framework remains in maintenance mode.
- Caution: That statement is too broad if taken to mean no Wi‑Fi 6/6E/7 functionality will ever work on Windows 10. Many vendors continue to publish Windows 10 drivers for newer hardware, and some features will function on Windows 10 when a compatible vendor driver exists.
- Claim: “Return the laptop — ideapads are shit.”
- This is opinion, not a technical fact. Some Ideapad models are fine for many users; others use consumer parts and shorter driver support windows. Buyers needing long life and support should favor business lines.
- Claim: “Just put Windows 11 back on it and install OpenShell.”
- Technically sound: if the hardware supports Windows 11, installing it will often fix driver issues because vendor drivers target Windows 11. Using a Start menu replacement is a valid way to restore a Windows 10–like experience on Windows 11.
- Unverifiable claim example: “Microsoft won’t update Windows 10 network stack at all.”
- Cautionary language: Microsoft’s published lifecycle and developer docs confirm major new driver extensions target Windows 11; however, exact future patching decisions for specific Windows 10 components cannot be guaranteed beyond official lifecycle announcements. Treat statements that predict Microsoft’s future development priorities as probable but not absolutely certain.
Practical, minimum checklist to resolve a “Wi‑Fi driver doesn’t work on Windows 10” situation
- Confirm hardware is functional (BIOS, Linux live USB).
- Identify the adapter and hardware ID in Device Manager.
- Download and attempt to install the OEM driver for Windows 10 (or Intel/Qualcomm/Broadcom driver that explicitly lists Windows 10 support).
- If installers fail, extract and install the .inf manually.
- Use pnputil to remove bad packages and rebind the device to a correct package.
- Update BIOS/UEFI firmware.
- If no Windows 10 driver exists for that adapter, evaluate:
- Upgrading to Windows 11 (test first).
- Requesting a Windows 10 driver from the vendor (may be refused).
- Returning the laptop for one with Windows 10 driver support.
- Running Linux if it supports the adapter and meets your needs.
Final assessment and recommendations
The explosion of new Wi‑Fi hardware, a major OS lifecycle transition, and a fresh Windows‑11‑only driver model have created a realistic and increasing gap between new consumer laptops and legacy Windows 10 installations. The angry TechPowerUp poster’s experience — a new Ideapad, Wi‑Fi not working under Windows 10, and suggestions to “just install Windows 11” — reflects that gap.For single‑user or non‑critical scenarios, trying the vendor’s Windows 10 driver (or upgrading the OS) is usually the fastest fix. For critical work systems, however, the pragmatic approach is to purchase hardware that explicitly supports the OS you will run, or to standardize on Windows 11 if the vendor’s support window for Windows 10 is ending. Running an EOL OS on newly manufactured hardware leaves you with avoidable reliability and security risk.
If you’re facing this problem right now: follow the diagnosis checklist above, get the exact hardware ID, try the vendor driver package, and only after confirming no Win10 drivers exist, treat the situation as a driver‑model incompatibility. At that point, the realistic, risk‑conscious choices are to install Windows 11 (if supported and tested), return the device, or adopt a different OS that the hardware supports.
The blunt truth for enthusiasts and IT buyers alike: hardware and OS ecosystems evolve together. When the OS vendor shifts development focus, vendor driver choices follow — and that can make a completely functional brand‑new notebook behave like a brick when paired with an unsupported legacy OS.
Source: TechPowerUp Why the hell does the wifi driver not work??