If that wifi dongle still doesn't allow you to connect, then a closer look at the services(WLAN Autoconfig) and certificate (Is the certificate expired?) on the laptop. If that works I would then take a closer look a the wifi card and driver in the laptop.
(since the affected laptops all seem to be the same card and driver) For grins I would plug in a USB Wifi dongle to one of the affected laptops and use it to try and connect to the wifi.