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Step-by-Step Guide: Fixing Network Connection Problems

Having trouble with your network connection? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Network connection problems can be frustrating, but with a systematic approach, you can troubleshoot and fix them. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through the process of fixing network connection problems so that you can get back online in no time.

Check Physical Connections

The first step in fixing network connection problems is to check your physical connections. Ensure that all cables are securely plugged in and that there are no loose or damaged cables. Start by checking the Ethernet cable connecting your computer or router to the modem. If it’s loose, simply reinsert it into the appropriate ports. If the cable is damaged, consider replacing it.

Next, examine the power cables for your modem and router. Make sure they are securely connected to power outlets and that there is power running to both devices. If necessary, try plugging them into different outlets or using a different power cable.

Once you’ve checked all physical connections, restart your modem and router by turning them off for about 30 seconds and then turning them back on. This simple step often resolves many network connection issues.

Troubleshoot Your Network Settings

If checking physical connections didn’t solve your network connection problem, it’s time to move on to troubleshooting your network settings.

Start by checking if your Wi-Fi is turned on if you’re using a wireless connection. Look for the Wi-Fi icon on your device’s taskbar or system tray and ensure it’s enabled. If not, click on it and select “Enable Wi-Fi.”

Next, check if you are connected to the correct network. Sometimes devices may automatically connect to other available networks without user intervention. Open your device’s Wi-Fi settings and choose the correct network from the list of available options.

If you’re still experiencing issues, try forgetting the network and reconnecting to it. In your device’s Wi-Fi settings, locate the network you’re having trouble with and select “Forget” or “Disconnect.” Then, reconnect by entering the network password if prompted.

If you’re using a wired Ethernet connection, check your network adapter settings. Open the Network and Sharing Center on your computer and click on “Change adapter settings.” Right-click on your Ethernet adapter and select “Properties.” Make sure that all necessary protocols are enabled and that there are no conflicting settings.

Update Network Drivers

Outdated or incompatible network drivers can also cause network connection problems. To ensure that this isn’t the case, it’s important to update your network drivers regularly.

Start by identifying the manufacturer and model of your network adapter. You can usually find this information in the Device Manager on Windows or in System Information on macOS.

Once you have this information, visit the manufacturer’s website to download the latest drivers for your specific model. Look for a support or downloads section on their website.

Download the appropriate driver package for your operating system version and install it following the provided instructions. After installation, restart your computer to apply the changes.

Contact Your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

If all else fails, it may be time to contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for assistance. They can help diagnose any issues with their network infrastructure or troubleshoot specific problems related to your account.

Before contacting them, gather as much information as possible about your issue. Note down any error messages you’ve encountered or any specific circumstances under which the problem occurs. This will help them diagnose and resolve the problem more efficiently.

Call their customer support hotline or use their online support channels to report the issue. Be patient during this process as they may need time to investigate and provide a solution.

In conclusion, fixing network connection problems may require checking physical connections, troubleshooting network settings, updating network drivers, or contacting your ISP. By following this step-by-step guide, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle any network connection problem that comes your way. Remember to stay calm and patient throughout the process, and soon enough, you’ll be back online and connected with the digital world.

This text was generated using a large language model, and select text has been reviewed and moderated for purposes such as readability.

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Fix Wi-Fi connection issues in Windows

Troubleshooting network problems in windows.

If you can’t get email, browse the web, or stream music, chances are you’re not connected to your network and can’t get onto the internet. To fix the problem, here are some things you can try.

Things to try first

Try these things first to help you fix or narrow down the connection problem.

Run Get Help to troubleshoot and fix common connection problems. Right click the network icon in the right side of the taskbar and select Diagnose network problems or open  Get Help for Network & Internet

Make sure Wi‑Fi is turned on. Select the No internet icon  on the right side of the taskbar, and make sure Wi-Fi is turned on. If it isn't, select it to turn it on. Also, make sure  Airplane mode  is turned off.

Select Manage Wi-Fi connections ( > ) on the Wi-Fi quick setting, see if a Wi-Fi network you recognize and trust appears in the list of networks. If it does, select the Wi-Fi network, and they try to connect to it. If it says  Connected  underneath the network name, select  Disconnect , wait a moment, and then select  Connect  again.

Try connecting to a network on a different frequency band. Many consumer Wi-Fi routers broadcast at two different network frequency bands: 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These will appear as separate networks in the list of available Wi-Fi networks. If your list of available Wi-Fi networks includes both a 2.4 GHz network and a 5 GHz network, try connecting to the other network. To learn more about the differences between 2.4 GHz networks and 5 GHz networks, check out  Wi-Fi problems and your home layout .

Make sure the physical Wi‑Fi switch on your laptop is turned on. (An indicator light usually shows when it's on.)

Restart your modem and wireless router. This helps create a new connection to your internet service provider (ISP). When you do this, everyone that is connected to your Wi-Fi network will be temporarily disconnected. The steps you take to restart your modem and router can vary, but here are the general steps.

Note:  If you have a cable modem/Wi-Fi router combo device, you only need to follow the steps for the single device.

Unplug the power cable for the router from the power source.

Unplug the power cable for the modem from the power source.   Some modems have a backup battery. If you unplug the modem and lights stay on, remove the battery from the modem.

Wait at least 30 seconds or so. If you had to remove the battery from the modem, put it back in.

Plug the modem back into the power source. The lights on the modem will blink. Wait for them to stop blinking.

Plug your router back into the power source. Wait a few minutes for the modem and router to fully power on. You can usually tell when they’re ready by looking at the status lights on the two devices.

On your PC, try to connect again.

Narrow down the source of the problem

Connection problems can be due to a variety of reasons—problems with the website, your device, the Wi-Fi router, modem, or your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Try the following steps to help narrow down the source of the problem.

If the "Wi-Fi connected" icon  appears on the right side of the taskbar, visit a different website. If the website opens, there might be a problem with the specific website. If you can't connect to another website, go to the next step.

On another laptop or phone, try to connect to the same network. If you can connect, the source of the problem is likely due to your device—go to the section  Network troubleshooting on your device . If you can't connect to the network on any device, continue to the next step.

Check to see if there is a problem with the connection to your Wi-Fi router. Do this by using a ping test.

Select Search on the taskbar, and type  command prompt . The  Command Prompt  button will appear. To the right of it, select  Run as administrator  >  Yes .

At the command prompt, type  ipconfig , and then select  Enter . Look for the name of your Wi-Fi network within the results, and then find the IP address listed next to  Default gateway  for that Wi-Fi network.  Write down that address if you need to.  For example:  192.168.1.1

At the prompt, type  ping <DefaultGateway>  and then select  Enter .   For example, type  ping 192.168.1.1  and select  Enter .   The results should be something like this:

Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:  Minimum = 4ms, Maximum = 5ms, Average = 4ms

If you see results like this and are getting a reply, then you have a connection to your Wi-Fi router, so there might be a problem with your modem or ISP. Contact your ISP or check online on another device (if you can) to see if there's a service outage.

If the results of the ping test indicate that you are not getting a reply from the router, try connecting your PC directly to your modem by using an Ethernet cable (if you can). If you can connect to the internet using an Ethernet cable, it confirms the connection problem is due to the Wi-Fi router. Make sure you've installed the latest firmware and see the documentation for your router.

Network troubleshooting on your device

Run network commands

Try running these network commands to manually reset the TCP/IP stack, release and renew the IP address, and flush and reset the DNS client resolver cache:

At the command prompt, run the following commands in the listed order, and then check to see if that fixes your connection problem:

Type  netsh winsock reset  and select   Enter .

Type  netsh int ip reset  and select  Enter .

Type  ipconfig /release  and select  Enter .

Type  ipconfig /renew  and select  Enter .

Type  ipconfig /flushdns  and select  Enter .

Uninstall the network adapter driver and restart

If the previous steps didn’t work, try to uninstall the network adapter driver, and then restart your computer. Windows will automatically install the latest driver. Consider this approach if your network connection stopped working properly after a recent update.

Before uninstalling, make sure you have drivers available as a backup. Visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. If your PC can't connect to the internet, you'll need to download a driver on a different PC and save it to a USB flash drive so you can install the driver on your PC. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

Select Search on the taskbar, type  device manager , and then select  Device Manager  from the list of results.

Expand  Network adapters , and locate the network adapter for your device.

Select the network adapter, press and hold (or right-click), and then select  Uninstall device  > check the  Attempt to remove the driver for this device  check box >  Uninstall .

After uninstalling the driver, select Start  >  Power  >  Restart .

After your PC restarts, Windows will automatically look for and install the network adapter driver. Check to see if that fixes your connection problem. If Windows doesn't automatically install a driver, try to install the backup driver you saved before uninstalling.

Check if your network adapter is compatible with the latest Windows Update

If you lost your network connection immediately after upgrading to or updating Windows 11, it's possible that the current driver for your network adapter was designed for a previous version of Windows. To check, try temporarily uninstalling the recent Windows Update:

Select Start  >  Settings  >   Windows Update  >  Update history  > Uninstall updates .

Select the most recent update, then select  Uninstall .

If uninstalling the most recent update restores your network connection, check to see if an updated driver is available:

Select the network adapter, press and hold (or right-click), then select  Update driver  > Search automatically for updated driver software , and then follow the instructions.

After installing the updated driver, select Start  >  Power  > Restart  if you're asked to restart, and see if that fixes the connection issue.

If Windows can’t find a new driver for your network adapter, visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

Do one of the following:

If you couldn’t download and install a newer network adapter driver, hide the update that’s causing you to lose your network connection. To learn how to hide updates, see  Hide Windows Updates or driver updates .

If you could successfully install updated drivers for your network adapter, then reinstall the latest updates. To do this, select Start  >  Settings  >  Windows Update > Check for updates .

Use network reset

Using network reset should be the last step you try. Consider using it if the steps above don’t help to get you connected.

This can help solve connection problems you might have after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. It can also help to fix the problem where you can connect to the internet, but can't connect to shared network drives. Network reset removes any network adapters you have installed and the settings for them. After your PC restarts, any network adapters are reinstalled, and the settings for them are set to the defaults.

Select Start  >  Settings  >  Network & internet  >  Advanced network settings > Network reset . Open Network & Internet Status settings

On the  Network reset  screen, select  Reset now  >  Yes  to confirm.

Wait for your PC to restart, and see if that fixes the problem.

After using network reset, you might need to reinstall and set up other networking software you might be using, such as VPN client software or virtual switches from Hyper‑V (if you're using that or other network virtualization software).

Network reset might set each one of your known network connections to a public network profile. In a public network profile, your PC is not discoverable to other PCs and devices on the network, which can help make your PC more secure. However, if your PC is used for file or printer sharing, you’ll need to make your PC discoverable again by setting it to use a private network profile. To do this, select Start  >  Settings  >  Network & internet  >  Wi-Fi . On the  Wi-Fi  screen, select  Manage known networks  > the network connection you want to change. Under  Network profile type , select  Private .

Additional troubleshooting steps

Check your Wi-Fi settings

Wi-Fi adapter manufacturers might have different advanced settings you can change based on your network environment or connection preferences.

Check the Wireless Mode setting for your network adapter and make sure it matches the capabilities of the network you’re trying to connect to. If it doesn’t match, you won’t be able to connect, and the network might not appear in the list of available networks. The Wireless Mode will often be set to Auto or something similar by default, which enables connection for every kind of network that’s supported.

To find the wireless mode setting

In Device Manager, select  Network adapters , and then double-click the network adapter name.

Select the  Advanced  tab and look for a  Wireless Mode  setting. Make sure it’s set to the mode your network is using.

Wi-Fi profile settings

Windows uses the Wi-Fi profile to save the settings that are needed to connect to a Wi-Fi network. These settings include the network security type, key, network name (SSID), and so on. If you can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network that you could connect to before, it’s possible that the network settings might have changed or the profile is corrupted.

To fix this, remove (or "forget") the network connection, then reconnect to the network. When you forget a network connection, it removes the Wi-Fi network profile from your PC.

To forget a network

Select Start  > Settings  >  Network & internet .

Select  Wi-Fi , then select  Manage known networks .

Select the network you want to forget, then select  Forget .

Afterwards, select the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar and try to reconnect to the network to renew the network connection.

Check your home layout

Your Wi-Fi network might be affected by the network's frequency band, channel congestion, and/or signal strength.  For more info, see  Wi-Fi problems and your home layout .

Check for additional symptoms for the "No internet connection" icon.

There may be additional troubleshooting steps you can try, depending on which symptoms you're having. To view these steps, check out  Wi-Fi connection icons and what they mean .

Related topics

Setting up a wireless network

How to find your wireless network password

Analyze the wireless network report

Wi-Fi tools and apps

Make a Wi-Fi network public or private in Windows

Afterwards, see if a Wi-Fi network you recognize and trust appears in the list of networks. If it does, select the Wi-Fi network, and they try to connect to it. If it says Connected underneath the network name, select Disconnect , wait a moment, and then select Connect again.

Try connecting to a network on a different frequency band. Many consumer Wi-Fi routers broadcast at two different network frequency bands:  2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. These will appear as separate networks in the list of available Wi-Fi networks. If your list of available Wi-Fi networks includes both a 2.4 GHz network and a 5 GHz network, try connecting to the other network. To learn more about the differences between 2.4 GHz networks and 5 GHz networks, check out Wi-Fi problems and your home layout .

Run the Network troubleshooter. The Network troubleshooter can help diagnose and fix common connection problems.

To run the Network troubleshooter

Select the Start  button >  Settings > Network & Internet > Status . Open Network & Internet Status settings

Under Change your network settings , select Network troubleshooter .

Follow the steps in the troubleshooter, and see if that fixes the problem.

Restart your modem and wireless router. This helps create a new connection to your internet service provider (ISP).

When you do this, everyone that is connected to your Wi-Fi network will be temporarily disconnected. The steps you take to restart your modem and router can vary, but here are the general steps. ( Note : If you have a cable modem/Wi-Fi router combo device, you only need to follow the steps for the single device.)

If the "Wi-Fi connected" icon  appears on the right side of the taskbar, visit a different website. If the website opens, there might be a problem with the specific website. If you can't connect to another website, go to the next step.

On another laptop or phone, try to connect to the same network. If you can connect, the source of the problem is likely due to your device—go to the section Network troubleshooting on your device . If you can't connect to the network on any device, continue to the next step.

Check to see if there is a problem with the connection to your Wi-Fi router.  Do this by using a ping test.

In the search box on the taskbar, type command prompt . The Command Prompt button will appear. To the right of it, select Run as administrator > Yes .

At the command prompt, type ipconfig , and then select Enter . Look for the name of your Wi-Fi network within the results, and then find the IP address listed next to Default gateway for that Wi-Fi network.  Write down that address if you need to. For example:  192.168.1.1

At the prompt, type ping <DefaultGateway> and then select Enter .  For example, type ping 192.168.1.1 and select Enter .  The results should be something like this:

Type netsh winsock reset and select Enter .

Type netsh int ip reset and select Enter .

Type ipconfig /release and select Enter .

Type ipconfig /renew and select Enter .

Type ipconfig /flushdns and select Enter .

In the search box on the taskbar, type device manager , and then select Device Manager from the list of results.

Expand Network adapters , and locate the network adapter for your device.

Select the network adapter, press and hold (or right-click), and then select  Uninstall device  > check the  Attempt to remove the driver software for this device  check box >  Uninstall .

After uninstalling the driver, select the Start button > Power  > Restart .

If you lost your network connection immediately after upgrading or updating Windows 10, it's possible that the current driver for your network adapter was designed for a previous version of Windows. To check, try temporarily uninstalling the recent Windows Update:

Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & Security   > Windows Update  > View update history > Uninstall updates .

Select the most recent update, then select Uninstall .

Select the network adapter, select Update driver > Search automatically for updated driver software , and then follow the instructions.

After installing the updated driver, select the Start button > Power  > Restart if you're asked to restart, and see if that fixes the connection issue.

If you couldn’t download and install a newer network adapter driver, hide the update that’s causing you to lose your network connection. To learn how to hide updates, see Hide Windows Updates or driver updates .

If you could successfully install updated drivers for your network adapter, then reinstall the latest updates. To do this, select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates .

This can help solve connection problems you might have after upgrading from a previous version of Windows to Windows 10. It can also help to fix the problem where you can connect to the internet, but can't connect to shared network drives. Network reset removes any network adapters you have installed and the settings for them. After your PC restarts, any network adapters are reinstalled, and the settings for them are set to the defaults.

Note:  To use network reset, your PC must be running Windows 10 Version 1607 or later. To see which version of Windows 10 your device is currently running, select the Start button, then select Settings > System > About .

Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Network & Internet  > Status > Network reset . Open Network & Internet Status settings

On the Network reset screen, select Reset now > Yes to confirm.

Network reset might set each one of your known network connections to a public network profile. In a public network profile, your PC is not discoverable to other PCs and devices on the network, which can help make your PC more secure. However, if your PC is used for file or printer sharing, you’ll need to make your PC discoverable again by setting it to use a private network profile. To do this, select the Start  button, then select Settings > Network & Internet  > Wi-Fi  . On the Wi-Fi screen, select Manage known networks > the network connection you want to change > Properties . Under Network profile , select  Private .

In Device Manager, select Network adapters , and then double-click the network adapter name.

Select the Advanced tab and look for a Wireless Mode setting. Make sure it’s set to the mode your network is using.

Select the Wi-Fi network  icon on the right side of the taskbar, then select Network & Internet settings .

Select Wi-Fi , then select Manage known networks .

Select the network you want to forget, then select Forget .

Afterwards, select the Wi-Fi icon on the taskbar and try to reconnect to the desired network to renew the network connection.

Your Wi-Fi network might be affected by the network's frequency band, channel congestion, and/or signal strength.  For more info, see Wi-Fi problems and your home layout .

There may be additional troubleshooting steps you can try, depending on which symptoms you're having. To view these steps, check out Wi-Fi connection icons and what they mean .

Make a Wi-Fi network public or private in Windows 10

Check the basics on your PC

Make sure Wi-Fi is turned on.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, select  Settings , then select the  Network  icon.

Turn on  Wi-Fi .

Make sure your PC isn’t in airplane mode.

Turn off  Airplane mode .

Move closer to the router or access point if you can.

If you don’t see the network name at all, the router or access point might not be set to broadcast the network name. In this case, you’ll need to connect to it manually.

Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then select  Settings .

Select the  Network  icon, and then select  Hidden network .

Type the network name and select  Next .

Type the password and select  Next .

Follow any additional instructions to get connected.

The network will be added to your list of networks and will be available to connect to when your computer is in range of the network. To connect to the network, follow these steps:

Open  Connect to a Network  by selecting the network icon in the notification area.

Select  Unnamed Network , select  Connect , and then type the network information. The network will be added to your list of networks and will be available to connect to in the future when your computer is in range of the network..

Use the Network Troubleshooter

Let Windows try to help you fix the problem. Try running the Network troubleshooter to see if it can diagnose and fix the problem.

Select the  Start   button, start typing  Network problems , and then select  Identify and repair network problems  in the list.

Run network commands after using the Network Troubleshooter

The Network Troubleshooter (mentioned above) can help diagnose and fix common connection problems. After using that, try running the network commands below because the combination of doing these two things can help you get connected.

If your problem isn’t fixed after running the Network troubleshooter, try to:

Reset the TCP/IP stack.

Release the IP address.

Renew the IP address.

Flush and reset the DNS client resolver cache.

Here's how to run networking commands in a command prompt:

Select the Start  button, start typing cmd , right-click Command Prompt in the list, select Run as Administrator , and then select Yes .

At the command prompt, run the following commands in the listed order and then check to see if that fixes your connection problem:

Type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.

Type netsh int ip reset and press Enter.

Type ipconfig /release and press Enter.

Type ipconfig /renew and press Enter.

Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter.

Restart your modem and router

This helps create a new connection to your Internet service provider (ISP). When you do this, everyone that is connected to your Wi-Fi network will be temporarily disconnected.

The steps you take to restart your modem and router can vary, but here are the general steps:

Unplug the power cable for the modem from the power source. Some modems have a backup battery. So if you unplug the modem and lights stay on, remove the battery from the modem.

See if it's a problem with your modem or your ISP

Make sure it’s not a problem with your cable modem or Internet service provider (ISP). If it is, contact your ISP.

At the command prompt, type ipconfig . Look for the IP address listed next to Default gateway . Write down that address if you need to. For example, 192.168.1.1.

At the prompt, type ping <Default gateway> and press Enter . For example, type ping 192.168.1.1 and press Enter . The result should be something like this: Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64 Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=5ms TTL=64 Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 4ms, Maximum = 5ms, Average = 4ms

If the ping is successful and you see results similar to the results above, but you can’t connect to the Internet on your PC, there may be a problem with your modem or Internet service provider (ISP).

Check your network adapter

If you’re still having trouble connecting to a network, it might be related to your network adapter.

Try using the Network Adapter troubleshooter to automatically find and fix some problems. This troubleshooter will disable and re-enable the adapter, and try some other common repairs.  Select the Start  button, start typing Troubleshooting , and then select Troubleshooting in the list. Select View all  >  Network Adapter .

Update the network adapter driver. An outdated or incompatible network adapter driver can cause connection problems. Check to see if an updated driver is available.

Select the Start  button, start typing Device Manager , and then select it in the list.

In Device Manager, select  Network adapters , right-click your adapter, and then select Properties .

Select the Driver tab, and then select Update Driver .

Select Search automatically for updated driver software .

If Windows can’t find a new driver for your network adapter, visit the PC manufacturer’s website and download the latest network adapter driver from there. If your PC can't connect to the Internet, you'll need to download a driver on a different PC and save it to a USB flash drive so you can install the driver on your PC. You’ll need to know the PC manufacturer and model name or number.

Other steps to try on your router

Here are some things to check and try with your router if you’re at home and having trouble getting connected.

If you don't see the network name, sign in to your router and check to see if it’s set to broadcast the network name.

Connect your PC to your router using an Ethernet cable.

Open your web browser and type the IP address for your wireless router. (For example, 192.168.1.1 or 172.16.0.0—check the documentation for your router to find the default IP address.)

Sign in with your user name and password, then make sure an option labeled Enable SSID Broadcast , Wireless SSID broadcast , or something similar is turned on. This setting is often on a Wireless Settings page.

Check to see if your Wi-Fi network uses Media Access Control (MAC) address filtering for security. If it does, you’ll need to add the MAC address for your PC to the access list on your router before you can connect.

Select the Start   button. Start typing cmd  and right-click Command Prompt in the list. Select Run as Administrator , and then select Yes .

At the command prompt, type ipconfig /all . Write down the address that appears next to  Physical Address for your wireless network adapter. This is the address you’ll need to add to the access list on your router.

To add the MAC address to the access list on your router:

Sign in with your user name and password, then look for a setting that says MAC Address Filter or something similar.

Add the MAC address you wrote down for your PC to the access list and save your changes.

On your PC, try to connect to the Wi-Fi network again.

Look in the  Wireless Network  section. If Wi-Fi is on, the button should say  Turn wireless off .

Check and make sure your PC isn’t in airplane mode.

Select  Add , and then select  Manually create a network profile .

Type the network information.

If you want Windows to automatically connect when the network is in range, select the  Start this connection automatically  check box.

Select the  Connect even if the network is not broadcasting  check box, select  Next , and then select  Close .

Open the Network troubleshooter by right-clicking the network icon in the notification area and then selecting  Troubleshoot problems .

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Troubleshooting Windows 7 Wireless Internet Connection Problems

At present, the number of people using mobile devices like laptops, netbooks, notebooks and hand-held devices is growing. The smartphone trend also increased the number of people depending on wireless networks making the term “WiFi” or Wireless Fidelity well known to people the world over.

The Windows 7 OS offers more than what you need for your wired and wireless network needs however; there would be times that your network adapter doesn’t work properly. During these instances, all you need to do is to troubleshoot the problems. Windows 7 offers an efficient troubleshooting wizard that will help you identify the problem and solve it right away. Here are few simple steps that you can follow in order to solve your wireless network problem.

How would you identify that you don’t have internet access?

It is important that you know how to identify whether you’re connected to the internet or not. The initial signs are shown by Windows 7 right on your screen. The wireless connection signal indicator has a yellow exclamation mark whenever you don’t have connection to the internet. Keeping your mouse on the icon will show a pop-up message saying “No Internet access”.

Another sign is when any of the browsers you’re using can’t open or access websites.

Internet Connection Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting a wireless network internet connection on your Windows 7 machine doesn’t require you to be an expert. You simply have to learn how to use the troubleshooting wizard. The steps below will help you go through the process:

Once the wizard finishes detecting the problems, a list of the problems found will be listed.

When advanced problems are detected, it will be helpful if you search the internet for solutions of how you can fix it or seek help of a network expert (a friend/acquaintance) that you know to further fix the problem and make your machine connect to the internet again.

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How to Fix Your Windows 7 Network

Setting up and maintaining your home PC network is easier than ever before with Windows 7 –but that’s not saying much. Many networking issues still aren’t easily fixed from Windows 7’s control panels. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of common networking problems and their quick fixes.

Reset Your IP Address

If your system’s connection to a network is unreliable, or you’re getting IP address conflict error messages, try renewing your IP address. First, click on the Start button, navigate to the Command Prompt ( Start Menu, Applications, Accessories, Command Prompt ), right-click it, and select Run as Administrator from the menu. Then type ipconfig /renew , and press Enter . That should do it.

Renewing a system’s IP address using the ipconfig utility will renew its lease on an IP address and restore its connection to a network.

Flush Your DNS Cache

Whenever you type a URL into a Web browser, your PC asks your domain name service server (DNS server) to translate that URL into an IP address, and caches that information. That cache can occasionally become outdated or corrupt, which can cause Internet connection problems. To clear your DNS cache, open the Command Prompt with Run as Administrator, type ipconfig /flushdns , and press Enter.

Restarting a Windows 7 system will also flush its DNS cache, but if any applications (malware, perhaps) are altering the cache, flushing manually could help.

Reset Your Broadband Modem and Router

Your broadband modem’s connection to the Internet will occasionally become unreliable, and restarting it can fix that. The same trick also occasionally works for the connection between a router and a broadband modem.

To reset your broadband modem and router, disconnect their power cables and leave the modem and router off for 30 seconds. Don’t just press the power buttons–that can occasionally put modems or routers into standby mode rather than totally killing the power. Next, reconnect the modem’s power cable to restore its power. Wait a few moments for the modem to renegotiate its connection to the Internet and establish a solid link; then plug in the router. Once the router has completely booted up, follow the steps outlined earlier to renew your system’s IP address. You should then be good to go.

Configure Wireless Security

The vast majority of wireless broadband routers available today ship with their wireless security features disabled. This makes it easy for novice users to set up a wireless network in their homes or offices, but it also leaves your network vulnerable to prying eyes.

Although the exact procedure necessary to enable wireless security will vary from router to router, in general the steps required to access the pertinent options will be similar.

Assuming your router/gateway’s IP address is 192.168.1.1 and you’re connected to the network, open a Web browser on a system that is phsyically wired to your network and type 192.168.1.1 into the address field. You’ll then be prompted to enter the necessary credentials to access your router’s configuration menus (consult the manual for your router’s default username and password if you didn’t set them yourself. And if you didn’t set them yourself, change them right away to prevent unwanted tampering).

To prevent unwanted users from accessing your wireless network, be sure to enable some sort of Wi-Fi security.

Once logged into the router, you’ll see a number of tabs or links to various control panels. Click on the Wireless tab or Wireless Security tab. On the resulting screen, you should see an area where you can set the Security Mode, with options like WEP, WPA, WPA2, and others listed. If you have relatively current wireless devices that support the standard, we recommend enabling WPA2 Personal on your home network because it offers stronger encryption that other methods. If your devices don’t support WPA2 , try WPA, or as a last resort WEP (the weakest available encryption method). You’ll then have to set the encryption type (TKIP or AES; either one is fine) and then define a wireless password or key. Make the password/key something that would be difficult to guess and include letters, numbers, and special characters. Save the settings and reboot the router; at least a basic level of Wi-Fi security should now be in place.

Open and Forward Ports

Some applications require that certain network ports be opened and forwarded to the correct PC for some of their functions to operate across the Web. Game servers are a great example: If the correct network ports aren’t opened and requests on those ports aren’t forwarded to the correct PC, inbound traffic on them will never make it through your firewall.

As always, though the exact process necessary to forward ports will vary, the steps required to access the pertinent options within any router will be similar. Check out our guide to port forwarding for more information.

In our example, incoming UDP and TCP traffic on ports 8888 – 8889 will be forwarded to the computer with IP address 192.168.1.115.

Connect your PC to the network, open a Web browser and type your router’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1; check your manual to be sure) into the address field. Log in with your name and password, then find the NAT (Network Address Translation), Firewall, or Port Forwarding menu.

You’ll need to create a ruleset that tells your router which protocol to use (UDP, TCP, or both), defines the port range you want to forward, and specify to which IP address the traffic on those ports should be forwarded to. For example, if the machine running the application you are troubleshooting has an IP address of 192.168.1.115, put that string into the IP address field. Save the settings to enable the rule, then reboot the router to finish the job.

Put a System in a DMZ

Sometimes port forwarding isn’t enough and you’ll have to give a system unfettered access to the Internet. In those cases, the machine can be placed in a network DMZ, or demilitarized zone. Putting a system in a DMZ means all of its ports will be accessible from the Internet; such a situation is very dangerous, so don’t take that step unless it is absolutely necessary.

Let’s assume that your router IP address is indeed 192.168.1.1 and that you’re connected to the network. Open a Web browser and type 192.168.1.1 into the address field. Log in to your router and find the NAT (Network Address Translation), Firewall, or DMZ menu (the DMZ options will be under a menu with one of those names).

When you’re on the DMZ configuration menu, you’ll need to enable the DMZ and specify the IP address of the system you’d like to place in the DMZ. Enter the IP address, save the settings, and reboot the router; that system should now be in the DMZ.

Update Network Drivers

Like any other peripheral in a Windows PC, the network controller requires drivers to operate. Those drivers tell the operating system how to use a device and occasionally need to be updated to resolve issues or add new features and capabilities.

Updating network drivers in Windows is usually done in one of three ways: through the Windows Update software, by downloading and running an executable installer, or by manually choosing a driver through Device Manager. When possible, use the first method: Updating a driver through Windows Update is easy and automatic. Unfortunately, manually installing a driver through Device Manager is a bit more complex.

If you’ve downloaded a driver for your network interface card from the manufacturer’s website and the file contains nothing but some .inf or other nonexecutable files, you’ll need to manually install it using Windows Device Manager. To do so, click on the Start button and type Device Manager in the search field. Press Enter to open the Device Mananger, find Network Adapters in the list of devices in the system, right-click on your network controller, and select Update Driver Software from the menu.

In the new window that opens, click on the Browse my computer for driver software button; then click on the Browse button and navigate to the folder where you placed the newer driver you downloaded. Click the Next button, and the driver should install automatically.

Disable or Add Exclusions to Windows Firewall

Windows 7’s built-in firewall constantly asks you to allow or deny an application’s access to your network. If you’ve mistakenly blocked an application and want to unblock it (or the other way around) you’ll have to manually change some settings in the Windows Firewall control panel.

You can block or allow a program’s access through the Windows Firewall in the Allowed Applications control panel.

Click on your Start button, type Allowed Applications in to the search field, and press Enter. In the resulting window, all of the applications installed on the system that were flagged by Windows Firewall will be listed. If there is an application communicating through the Firewall that you now want to block, click the Change Settings button at the top of the screen, then scroll through the list of programs until you find the application, and disable it from accessing the Internet over Home/Work or Public networks. Conversely, if you’d like to allow a program that was previously blocked, find it on the list, and select the appropriate boxes next to the entry.

Scan Your Network for Attached Devices

With so many connected devices now on the market, there may come a time when you want to scan your entire network to see exactly what devices have obtained IP addresses and are consuming resources. Your router may be able to check the status of connected clients, or you could use a third-party application that will more comprehensively scan an entire range of IP addresses to find and obtain information on the connected devices.

Many free utilities are available that will scan a network, but we’re partial to one called Angry IP Scanner . Simply download and run the executable–the program doesn’t even need to be installed. Enter the IP range you’d like to scan, click the Start button, and a few minutes later you’ll have a list of every active IP, what the ping time was for the device, its hostname, and which ports it has open. Right-clicking on an active device in the list will reveal more details; it will also allow you to ping the IP address and connect through a Web browser or FTP client.

Diagnose Internet Connection Issues

Finally, one problem that may be beyond your immediate network: Is your Internet connection unstable–and you can’t figure out why? A couple of utilities built into Windows 7 may help. Ping and tracert (traceroute) can help you find out if your Internet issues are with your home network or with your ISP–or somewhere in between.

The ping tool can be used to continually ping an IP address to check for connectivity problems.

Performing a continuous ping on a known good website (we like to use google.com) will allow you to constantly monitor a connection and see if packets are being lost or the connection is dropping. Open a Command Prompt window ( Start, All Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt ), type ping google.com –t , and press Enter. Your system will then start continually pinging the Google website. If the connection is stable and reliable, you shouldn’t see any errors, just replies from the IP address with ping times and other data. If, however, if the connection between your PC and Google is broken for whatever reason, ping will report that there was no response from the server.

Tracert is another useful tool that will list the route and measure transit delays of packets across a network. To use Tracert, open a Command Prompt window and type tracert google.com . This will essentially map out the path from your PC to a Google server, listing the IP addresses of the servers and switches in between. Usually your packet’s first few hops will start in your home network, then go through your ISP’s network, and then eventually find their way to google.com. If the packet doesn’t make it out of your network, the problem is inside your network; if it doesn’t get past your ISP’s network hubs, your ISP probably has a network outage or equipment failure (yes, a busted Internet connection isn’t always your fault).

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Error 651 | explanation and troubleshooting

When it comes to computers at home or at work, it’s difficult to find a way around Windows. The operating system made by Microsoft is included for free with most PCs, which makes it a convenient option for private and professional users. In terms of features and performance, the various Windows versions leave little to be desired for if it weren’t for the suddenly appearing errors , that can rarely be decoded based on the error message alone.

Among these cryptic notifications is Error 651 . While it’s best known in the context of Windows 7, Error 651 also poses a problem for newer versions like Windows 8 and Windows 10 when a LAN network connection is being established. What’s behind this Windows error and how can the connection problem be solved?

Windows Error 651: What’s behind it?

Solution 1: restart the network device and pc, solution 2: reinstall network adapter drivers, solution 3: replace current version of the file raspppoe.sys, solution 4: use manual settings for speed and duplex mode, how to troubleshoot error 651 in windows 7 and 8.

Even if your computer is correctly connected to the router or modem with a network cable, there’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to connect to the Internet. Incorrect configurations, for example, or old or missing drivers on a system could lead to error messages. A typical network problem of this kind is Error 651, known from the Microsoft systems Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. It looks something like this:

In newer versions, like Windows 8 and Windows 10, Error 651 is usually due to a problem with the network adaptor , which is where the hardware of the PC meets that of the network device. Concretely, the culprit is usually a driver that was incorrectly installed, is out of date, or is completely missing from the network adapter.

Error 651 can also be traced back to RASPPPOE ( RAS PPP o ver E thernet), especially in Windows 7. This universal driver , which is saved in the system file raspppoe.sys, is often used in place of the official driver from the manufacturer of the network device. If this file is damaged, it may result in connection problems.

Error 651 in Windows 8 and Windows 10 only comes up when trying to establish a connection with a LAN cable . Wireless connections using WiFi are not affected by the problem, meaning that you can fall back on your WiFi connection in case you encounter this error.

Troubleshooting Error 651 in Windows 10 – a how-to guide

Running into connection error 651 is an indication that communication between your PC and your DSL router or DLAN adapter has been interrupted . Unfortunately, since there can be different reasons for this, there isn’t a universal fix for the problem. However, the following four approaches offer you a good shot at tackling Error 651 in Windows 10.

Before you look into drivers or concrete network settings, you should try restarting your devices . This means disconnecting your router or DLAN adapter from the power source and reconnecting it after around 30 seconds .

If you’re still having connection problems, you can also try restarting your computer . To do this in Windows 10, open the start menu using the Windows icon, click the “ On/off ” button, and then click on the option “ Restart ”:

Drivers play an important role in network communication. If a device is connected to your PC with a LAN cable, the network adapter has to be equipped with an appropriate and up-to-date driver package. Windows 10 takes care of this automatically, but there’s always the possibility that the driver software is out of date or damaged or even that it’s missing entirely. In this case, reinstalling your network adapter drivers is the quickest way to solve any resulting problems, such as Error 651.

You’ll need administrator privileges to install or de-install system drivers!

The individual steps for reinstalling your network adapter drivers are as follows:

• Open the control panel using the start menu (Windows icon).
• Select “ Device Manager ” from the list of control panel elements.
• Open the entry for “ Network Adapters ” by clicking on the arrow icon.
• Right-click on Ethernet Connection , which is responsible for establishing LAN connections, and select “ Deinstall .”
• Afterwards, restart Windows 10. As soon as the system is running again, it will automatically load and reinstall the driver software you just deleted. Alternatively, you can download the driver for the adapter directly from the manufacturer’s website and install it manually.

As mentioned above, Windows sometimes uses the universal adapter RASPPPoE to set up network adapters, meaning that the file raspppoe.sys is another possible culprit behind malfunctions in network hardware . So if your connection failed with Error 651, it could be that this file is damaged. If you have a second Windows device where the LAN is working as usual, you can replace the damaged raspppoe.sys with an intact version. To do so, follow these steps:

• Open the directory \ Windows\System32\drivers on the working Windows PC.
• Copy the file named raspppoe.sys (right-click and “Copy”) onto any external storage device such as a USB stick or external hard drive (right-click and “Paste”).
• Connect the storage device to the computer with the 651 error. Open the directory \ Windows\System32\drivers and replace the raspppoe.sys file with the one from your storage device.
• Re-start Windows 10.

If you don’t have access to the raspppoe.sys file (in order to copy and delete it), you can give yourself the necessary authorization, as long as you’re an administrator or have administrator privileges. You can do so via the following steps:

• Right-click on the raspppoe.sys file.
• Choose the menu item “ Properties .”
• Click on the “ Security ” tab.
• Change the access authorization for your user account.

If you haven’t had any success with the first three solutions, you can also try to manually adjust the settings for broadband connections. Specifically, this means setting the transmission rate for LAN connections to at least 10 Mbit/s (full duplex) - in Windows 10, it’s possible to go up to 100 Mbit/s or even 1 Gbit/s.

In order to manually define the network speed, follow these instructions:

• Open the Control Panel using the Windows start menu.
• Choose “ Network and Sharing Center ”.
• Click on “ Change adapter settings ” in the menu on the left side.
• Right-click on the LAN connection that’s causing the 651 error and choose “Properties” from the pop-up menu.
• Choose the “Configure” button and then go to the “Advanced” tab.
• Select the entry “Speed and Duplex Mode” from the list and then set your desired value (min. 10 Mbit/s full duplex).

This error in LAN connections isn’t specific to Windows 10. Users of Windows 7 and 8 will also be familiar with the problem, which can stem from communication difficulties between the PC’s network hardware and the router or modem. If you use one of these operating systems and run into Error 651, you can try the solutions we discussed above for Windows 10. Error 651 in Windows 8 and 7 can frequently also be solved with these four methods :

• Restart the network device and/or computer
• Update and/or reinstall the network adapter’s driver software
• Replace the current version of the file raspppoe.sys
• Manually define the maximum broadband speed

As of January 14, 2020, Microsoft no longer offers official support for Windows 7, meaning that technical support and security updates are no longer available. Paid support for companies is still available until 2023. If you are not a paid business customer, we recommend updating to a newer version of Windows . Learn more in our article on the end of support for Windows 7 .

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