I’ve got my girlfriend’s Toshiba laptop here, and the packaged diagnostic software says the wireless communication switch it is off.
I’m pretty savvy, but I have no idea what this is or how to turn it on. Any dopers know the answer?
I can’t help it if I was born without the ability to spell. :smack:
On my Toshiba the wireless switch is on the right side, near the back of the computer. It’s a very small switch, and some sort of light (in my case a small orange one) comes on when it’s on.
I assume we’re talking about a built-in wireless connection, and not one that you’ve plugged into a slot.
Thanks! I found it (on the front left, but the idea holds). I could not imagine a hardware switch, and had been looking in Settings.
What is the point of that switch anyway?
Well, if you’re on an airplane and you want to make sure it’s turned off, or you want to save your battery power (wifi is expensive!), or you want to eliminate it as a possibility for security problems, then depending on software to do that for you probably isn’t the best choice. That’s why. 
I stand corrected.
You’re not the only one.
When my wife got her new Toshiba laptop, i set it up on our wireless network and could not understand why i couldn’t connect to the internet, despite the fact that all the network settings seemed to be correct and and my signal strength was Excellent. It was all rather frustrating until i finally discovered the switch.