Is my wireless card broken?

[holidaysong]

The problem: When I load up my computer, the wireless internet works fine for about 5 or 10 minutes and then disables itself all of a sudden. The WiFi light on my laptop just goes off and I'm unable to enable it in my network connections. When I restart the computer the wireless internet is again working fine but will again disable itself after about 5 or 10 minutes. The internet works fine when I plug the computer into my modem though.

The question: Is my wireless card banjaxed? If it is, how much would it cost to replace it?

[dahamsta]

Sounds like it. Is it a card or onboard? If it's a card, take it out and put it into another machine; if the same thing happens, it's the card. If it doesn't try reinstalling your drivers. Or vice versa, if you don't have another machine to hand.

[holidaysong]

Unfortunately it's built into the computer. Would opening it up and changing it myself be a big deal or would I be better leaving it into a PC repair shop?

[dahamsta]

Built-in doesn't necessarily mean it can't be replaced. Is it a desktop or a laptop? How new is it? Modern (<2-3 years) laptops and some desktops have the wireless built right onto the motherboard, in which case you'll probably need to buy a plugin card. Replacing a motherboard generally isn't cost-effective.

[holidaysong]

It's a Dell laptop that I got three years ago this month. I found this (http://support.euro.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dsn/en/document?c=ie&dl=false&l=en&s=gen&docid=16332F52585B367AE0401E0A5517117B&doclang=en&cs=) page on dell.ie that explains the exact problem I'm having. Hopefully once I've downloaded and installed this driver it'll do the job. :)

[dahamsta]

Excellent!