Troubleshooting Log: WiFi Toggle Missing in Settings

Issue: Option for switching on Wifi not visible in Settings

Reason: I had reinstalled kernel hoping it would fix GPU drivers.. but it seems that corrupted the wifi service. reinstalling linux-firmware package fixed it

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Final Solution (The Fix)

1. Enable USB Tethering on Phone and connect to internet

2. Reinstall Linux Firmware
   

sudo apt install --reinstall linux-firmware

1. Reboot system

sudo reboot

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Attempts and Troubleshooting

• Network Manager Status

  • `sudo systemctl status NetworkManager.service
  • which nmcli → no path returned
  • Result: service running but no wifi detected

• Force Restart Services

  • sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager.service
  • sudo systemctl restart NetworkManager
  • Result: no changes

• Enabling WiFi Radio via Terminal

  • nmcli radio wifi on
  • nmcli device wifi list
  • Result: error: no wifi device found

• Hardware & Driver Verification

  • lspci | grep -i wireless → adapter detected in hardware
  • lsmod | grep iwlwifi → error: driver not loaded
  • sudo modprobe iwlwifi → failed to load

• Firmware & System Check

  • ls /lib/firmware/iwlwifi-* → files present but not loading
  • sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  • sudo apt install network-manager
  • Result: no changes but now the command which nmcli works