I was using Proton VPN and tried connecting to a server, but it stayed stuck for about 10 minutes. Without stopping the connection first, I deleted the VPN and removed its files from my computer. Since then, my PC can connect to my router through both Ethernet and Wi‑Fi, but I cannot access the internet. I'm not very experienced with troubleshooting computers and would appreciate a detailed, beginner-friendly walkthrough for restoring internet access. My PC uses a NETGEAR A6100 USB Wi‑Fi adapter rather than a built-in wireless adapter.
2 Answers
The first thing to clarify is that connecting to your router is not the same as having internet access. Since both Ethernet and Wi‑Fi connect locally, the VPN may have left behind a virtual network adapter, routing rule, proxy setting, or kill switch. Try reinstalling Proton VPN, open it once, disable any kill switch or always-on setting, disconnect normally, and then uninstall it through Windows Settings rather than deleting its files manually. Restart the computer afterward.
If the VPN reinstall does not fix it, use Windows’ built-in network reset. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Advanced network settings > Network reset, choose Reset now, and restart when prompted. This removes and reinstalls network adapters and clears saved network settings, so you may need to reconnect to Wi‑Fi afterward. Also check that no manual proxy is enabled under Settings > Network & internet > Proxy. If the NETGEAR adapter stops appearing, reinstall its driver from NETGEAR’s official support page using another device if necessary.
That makes sense. I was mainly confused because Windows says I’m connected, but nothing online loads. I’ll try reinstalling it and removing it properly.