I've been troubleshooting this PC for more than four hours. Initially it could not connect to Wi‑Fi at all, but after running several Command Prompt commands, including ipconfig commands, it sometimes connects while still showing no internet access. Other times it refuses to connect altogether. I've reinstalled the network adapter, changed advanced adapter settings, and tried resetting Winsock. That briefly made all available networks disappear, although I managed to get them back. Windows Update also will not load, and commands such as ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew report that no operation can be performed because the network media is disconnected. I'm also unable to use Windows Explorer because it appears greyed out. What should I check next to determine whether this is a Wi‑Fi, adapter, IP configuration, DNS, or Windows problem?
4 Answers
Start with Windows’ built-in Network Reset, then restart the computer. If possible, test with a different Wi‑Fi adapter or a wired connection. That helps determine whether the problem is the current adapter or the network configuration. Since several settings and commands have already been changed, repairing or updating Windows may also be necessary.
Check whether the PC actually receives a valid local IP address. Run ipconfig and look at the Wi‑Fi adapter. An address beginning with 169.254 usually means the router did not provide an address through DHCP. Also compare the result with another device on the same Wi‑Fi and confirm whether the connection works elsewhere.
Test the connection in stages. First try pinging your router’s gateway address, then run ping 8.8.8.8. If the numeric ping works but websites do not, DNS is likely the problem; you could temporarily try 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1, or 9.9.9.9 as the DNS server. If even 8.8.8.8 fails, the issue is probably the adapter, IP configuration, router connection, or a damaged Windows network stack.
Make sure no VPN or VPN kill switch is installed or enabled. A kill switch can block all traffic even when the computer appears connected to Wi‑Fi. Also verify whether this is your own network, whether other devices have internet access, which version of Windows you are using, and the exact adapter and error messages. Those details will narrow down the cause much faster than repeatedly running reset commands.
I am not using a VPN at the moment, so that is probably not the cause.
Windows Update is not loading either, and the ipconfig commands say the network media is disconnected for Ethernet, Wi‑Fi, and the other listed connections.