Change to 1. Lowest (if your laptop stays in one room) or 3. Medium . Go to the Power Management tab.
Intel's official position is clear: there are no dedicated Windows 11 drivers for the 7260. The product has reached its "End of Life" (EOL) and drivers are no longer provided or supported. If you attempt to download the latest Intel PROSet/Wireless software, you'll find that it explicitly excludes drivers for the 7260 family.
Windows Update delivers an older “manufacturer-provided” driver. Fix: intel dual band wireless-ac 7260 driver windows 11
Even with the correct driver, the 7260 can be temperamental on Windows 11. Here are the top five problems and their solutions.
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: Reconnect your Ethernet cable or turn on your Wi-Fi and connect to your network. Your Intel 7260 should now be using the correct final drivers.
Intel has removed official download pages for many discontinued adapters. Change to 1
: Right-click the adapter in Device Manager -> Properties -> Power Management . Uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power . Frequent Disconnections
This is the single most important fact to understand: Go to the Power Management tab
Locate the for your specific laptop brand (Dell, HP, etc.) Walk you through a full clean install of the driver.
While a capable card for its era, its age is the central reason for the driver complications on Windows 11.