Refurbished Acer AG15-31P-3947 has no network driver- stuck on "Let's connect you to a network"

Just purchased a refurbished Acer Aspire Go 15. Upon setup, got stuck on "Let's connect you to a network" page, because no networks showed up. I was able to bypass this page and get to device manager, which shows there is no network driver installed whatsoever. When I look up this laptop model on the acer website, the available network driver isn't accepted on the laptop (found it with another computer, downloaded to usb drive and moved it over). After attempting to add the driver, the Acer laptop says, "the style of .inf is different than what was expected." I'm assuming it's just the wrong driver but having a hard time figuring out what is. Any help is appreciated.

[Edited the thread to add model number to the title]

Accepted answers

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/728074/refurbished-acer-aspire-go-15-has-no-network-driver-stuck-on-lets-connect-you-to-a-network

Hi samcfadyen,

Before making changes in Windows, it’s best to confirm the basics:

Verify your router/internet
- Make sure the router is powered on, correctly cabled, and broadcasting Wi‑Fi.
- Check another device (phone/tablet) to see if it can connect to the same network.
- If no device can connect, restart the router or contact your ISP.
Run Windows’ built‑in tools
- Go to Settings > Network & Internet and launch the Network Troubleshooter to detect and fix issues automatically.
Reset the Wi‑Fi adapter & reconnect
- In Device Manager, right‑click your wireless adapter → Disable device, wait 10 sec, then Enable device.
- Select your Wi‑Fi network and enter your password again.

If Windows still can’t find the right driver after these steps, let us know your exact Aspire Go 15 model number (from the label on the bottom) so we can point you to the correct driver package.

All comments

Puraw

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/728074/refurbished-acer-aspire-go-15-has-no-network-driver-stuck-on-lets-connect-you-to-a-network

Hi samcfadyen,

Before making changes in Windows, it’s best to confirm the basics:

Verify your router/internet
- Make sure the router is powered on, correctly cabled, and broadcasting Wi‑Fi.
- Check another device (phone/tablet) to see if it can connect to the same network.
- If no device can connect, restart the router or contact your ISP.
Run Windows’ built‑in tools
- Go to Settings > Network & Internet and launch the Network Troubleshooter to detect and fix issues automatically.
Reset the Wi‑Fi adapter & reconnect
- In Device Manager, right‑click your wireless adapter → Disable device, wait 10 sec, then Enable device.
- Select your Wi‑Fi network and enter your password again.

If Windows still can’t find the right driver after these steps, let us know your exact Aspire Go 15 model number (from the label on the bottom) so we can point you to the correct driver package.

samcfadyen

Thanks @Puraw

I had already tried steps 1 and 2 you suggested with no success. I can't do step 3, because there IS NOT a wireless adapter installed. Sorry, by "network driver" I meant specifically the wifi one.

My computer model # is N23Q23 (I tried to go straight to acer support but (I assume) because this is a refurb, it said no support available for this model anymore)

Puraw

Hi @samcfadyen —The N23Q23 you listed is Acer’s internal series/platform code, not the retail model. Refurbished models still use the same driver pages as their non‑refurb counterparts — Acer doesn’t actually remove support just because the unit’s been refurbished. The catch is you must enter the correct model.

Do this:

Flip the laptop over and read the model from the white/black sticker — e.g., AG15‑51P‑53K1.
Enter that exact model at https://www.acer.com/support to reach the proper driver page.

And on the Wi‑Fi side — not detecting a driver doesn’t mean there’s no wireless card installed. In over a decade I’ve yet to see a Windows laptop ship without one, unless it’s been physically removed. Once we know the exact model, we can point you to the right WLAN package so Windows can bind it and get you online.

samcfadyen

@Puraw Okay the model number is AG15-31P-3947. (What I meant by Acer Support was chatting with someone from Acer, not access to drivers. Chat support is no longer an option for this computer, apparently.)

Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but when I go to the support link you sent, I get one result for someone else's issue (unrelated), and when I go direct to the drivers and manuals page, I get "Access Denied."

As I said before, I was able to get to the drivers page with the SN, but my computer did not like the available driver (I received the error message "the style of .inf is different than what was expected." when attempting to add it.) See screenshot- I tried both of these wireless LAN drivers

Screenshot 2025-08-13 081602.png

Screenshot 2025-08-13 080838.png

Screenshot 2025-08-13 080925.png

eGomes

Hi @samcfadyen,

Try this link:

https://www.acer.com/us-en/support/product-support/Aspire_AG15-31P/downloads?suggest=AG15-31P;1

samcfadyen

@eGomes , those are the same drivers I have already attempted to install… Any other ideas?

eGomes

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1351473#Comment_1351473

If you check the device manager (press Win + R, type: devmgmt.msc [Enter]), does it show any devices with errors or that aren't installed correctly?

Alternatively, you can use your smartphone's USB tethering feature and see if Windows Update can automatically install updates for your network devices.