Dead Realtek RTL8187B

Hello all. Greetings from Mexico.

I´m attempting to tune-up a friend's netbook.

Running XP Home

Wireless is Realtek RTL8187B and it is not seeing any networks at all (and I know my network is running, as are 3 or 4 nearby).

24 hours ago it was working more or less OK although a bit unstable and has now given up the ghost.

Reinstalled latest driver per Realtek's site; no result. Not a single network is visible.

Wired Ethernet works fine.

Any way to verify via software if the card is fried? (no way am I going to try and open the machine).

Thanks in advance...

Did you properly configure the required ailments that has to be assigned. Check out for the same. Other than that the driver issue may be not necessarily be solved buy reinstalling them. It may be that the previously installed files may not be letting to use the network appropriately. Click here for related answers to the query.