No AirPort card installed!??

Hi guys,

After switching off airport at Paris Orly airport I can no longer switch it back on.

After trying all advice in this thread I have now lost the Airport option on the network system preferences page (now only showing Ethernet and FireWire). Oh and still showing no Airport card installed when trying to switch airport on via the top menu bar icon 😟

Macbook Pro 13"

Version 10.6.8

Processor 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

9 months old

Help..!

btw all recent software updates downloaded by ethernet today.

I think in most cases this is a hardware issue - a short in the cable or connection - and you'll have to get it repaired. Bite the bullet, my friend. I wasted two weeks trying everything and a rain dance and it was a loose cable inside the machine.

I have an Early 2009 MacBook Pro 13" which has also suffered from the 'No Airport Card Installed' error message. It has been taken into the Apple Store, the Airport Card has been replaced and the problem has not gone away. They are now saying the display needs replacing (this is where the Airport Card sits) or the logic board at £300 and £350+ pounds respectively! This I am understandably not happy about for a laptop costing around £1,000 and only 18 months old and kept immaculately!!!

I don't seem to have received any goodwill gesture from Apple who have just said it's outside of warranty which it is but an item of this nature should not be have a product life of 18 months.

I would be interested to know if anyone else has had the same hardware issue with a 13" MacBook Pro or similar spec MacBook.

If you're under warranty have the card replaced (even though I think it's only a loose cable)

The official repAir centers will probably want to sell you a new card: they have to make a living ;)))

I'll be outside the garanteed period and have succeeded so far to make tha card "reappear" by pressing the dark plastic cover behind the screen hinge. This probably correcting temporarily the card cable connection problem.

When this does not work anymore, I'll open my MBP 13' myself and clean the connection.

I agree: this is not at all Mac-like: no acknowledgement of the prob and no solution proposed!

The hinge area is sensitive for two reasons: it's only covered by thin plastic (minimal protection when you carry your MBP in a flight case for ex: especially the hinge downwards!!!!

And above all: the AP card cable runs along the hinge area!

Mine "disappeared" every time -after transport in my bag- or closing the screen (potential movement also)

So: if under warranty: change card and request special attention for clean physical connection, and if not try to manipulate the cable/connection through the dark plastic. Or if courageous, open the bloody thing to check for loose cable!

PS: the card o course reappears after reboot once it has been lost.

I spent a week researching this problem when it happened to my 3-month-old MBP. I found dozens of entries here and on other support sites of the same issue. When mine was repaired, the receipt didn't say that they replaced the airport card. It said cable/connection/something issue. It probably is,as others have said, the wire that goes from the card to the motherboard.

Unfortunately, this makes me feel like I should get AppleCare even though I didn't with this most recent purchanse because I have always gotten AppleCare and never had to use it. Maybe I am tempting the fates.

Issue solved for me ! using https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1399798?answerId=6790644022#6790644022

@vg86 Thanks !

Just turn of (hold power button >shut down.

(prepare : Locate 4 button option,command,P,R)

After shut down then it turn on and hold down 4 key commend,option and P,R let it restart 3 time then release 4 button and you done.

I have Macbook pro 13' 2009 intel core duo 2.53 ghz, snow leopord 10.6.8.My airport card stopped working after 15 months of purchse, genius bar people replaced the card xor 120 dollars. it worked for 2 months and same problem,no airport card installed, had reinstalled OS for more than 10 times works for few days.I have made trips to apple store more than 10 times, they say it is soft ware issues, I have no software outside of apple store.It is very frustrating.Apple store is 1 hour drive.Each visit genius bar people take the laptop inside and do omething and airport card shows up to disapper in couple of days later. I do not want to visit there anymore they are not solving the issue.Will usb wifi adaptor work for Mac book pro?I will not buy any more apple laptops but want use this until I can.I will go back to PC laptops at least they are cheaper and afford to buy even warranty plans.

I have fiddled around with this problem for the longest time. Weeks actually - I have tried everything and been to the Apple store 3 times and everyone had a different idea of what is wrong. "No airport card" - yes I have an airport card ----my Computer says I don't have one..."your antenna is loose" No - it's not. PRAM - re-install - blah blah blah -- Forums are filled with this problem! After days of messing around - I stumbled onto the only thing that works and it only cost me $29.00.

Go to a computer store and buy the ASUS USB-N10 Adapter "Wireless-N" It's tiny - non-intrusive and it works like a charm.I think you have to cable in your MacBook to the internet to use the install but after that it works perfectly!! It's so tiny you can just leave it in.

Anyways - good luck. I hope this helps.

• I am working on a MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2008) that has lost its connection to AirPort Card (shows message "No AirPort Card installed") in the GUI when try to start AirPort.
• AirPort used to work.
• When booted off the network and using Apple Service Toolkit version 1.3.1 it shows the AirPort card is functioning with no errors.
• Therefore, I am assuming it is "Software" problem, rather than "Hardware".
• I did an archive install to Leopard 10.5.6, still an issue.
• I am copying user data to backup drive and will reinstall the OS completely!

Don't bet on it being a software problem rather than hardware. There seem to be many macbook pros that need to have some hardware replaced when this happens. I did a ton of research when mine started to do this and found lots of other people who all ended up getting Apple to fix it.

My AirPort completely shut off and would not turn on after I used the Linksys utility to change the configuration of my router. I tried to delete/reinstall it, but the only Interface option I could select were FireWire, Ethernet, Bluetooth, VPN, PPPoE, and 6 to 4.

Thanks to Pym Cantellow's post, I deleted the APPLEAIRPORT.KEXT file from the /system/library/extensions/ folder, rebooted my MacBook Pro, and...voila...I was able to go into System Preferences --> Network --> Create a New Service ...and added a new AirPort.

The only difference from Pym's original entry is that I did not get an error after rebooting. Thanks a ton Pym!!!

I also switched off my airport card to find that I cannot switch it back on. I've tried a few solutions found on forums but none are working.

BTW Genius bar's diagnosis was two parts: #1 it was probably not the card (because one test identified an airport card in the mbp). #2 then they said the problem was definitely the card (a test which rebooted to another user/system and resulted in the same 'no airport card' error). In my opinion having tried a few solns on various forums #1 it is a problem that has affected a lot of users so I'm suprised Apple doesn't have a more helpful set of troubleshooting/solutions available #2 I believe it is the card but I don't feel it should be, I have barely used this mbp = I come to the conclusion of poor quality. I've had enough lemony experiences so I will be switching to PC.

Macbook Pro 15" late 2008

Version 10.5.8

Processor 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

Minimally used 😟

@walkerkwalker

You think PC's are less "lemony"? Think again. You must be buying duds or refurbs because the quality with Apple is not what you'll find with Windows. I'm not impressed with your (lack of) decisions and critical thinking skills.

Just thought I'd throw my experience with this problem in the mix. I had the exact same "airport card not installed" message that would sometimes appear, and sometimes not (every 6 or 7 restarts)... In my case, it was the airport cable. I paid 20 bucks online for it (somewhat hard to find cheap) crossed my fingers and reinstalled it, and everything is working fine now. If you're out of warranty definitely fix this yourself unless you want to pay 15x as much at the apple store.

The guy I wa speaking to at pbparts.com said it's 50/50 between a messed up airport card or cable. Fortunately mine was the cheaper of the two.