A customer reports that their wireless laptop cannot connect after removing it from its carrying case. The laptop boots and the user is able to log in. Which of the following should be checked FIRST?

Laptops commonly feature a physical external switch or button that enables or disables the wireless radio at the hardware level, and this switch can easily be knocked into the off position when the laptop is placed into or removed from a bag. This is the most likely cause because the laptop was functional before being stored and the problem appeared specifically after removal from the case. Checking the hardware switch is also the simplest and fastest first diagnostic step, following the principle of checking physical components before software issues.

Device Manager would be appropriate if there was a suspected driver issue, but should be checked after confirming the physical wireless switch is enabled, as it is a software-level diagnostic step.

Available hard drive space has no bearing on wireless connectivity; insufficient disk space affects storage and application performance, not network adapters.

Laptop battery levels could affect performance if critically low, but the user was already able to boot and log in, making battery the least likely cause of a wireless connectivity issue.