My computer intermittently loses access to the internet, even though it can still communicate with other devices connected to the same network switch. Those other devices remain online, and Windows continues to display the connected-to-internet status. The problem occurs about once every 24 hours, and restarting the computer restores access. I'm using a wired connection through a 2.5Gb network switch with Ziply Fiber. The system runs an i7-7700K on an ASRock Z270 Killer SLI motherboard with 64GB of RAM. What could cause this, and what should I check when it happens?
3 Answers
You can try resetting the Windows networking components from an elevated terminal: netsh winsock reset, netsh int ip reset, ipconfig /release, ipconfig /renew, and ipconfig /flushdns. Then update or reinstall the Ethernet adapter driver and disable power-saving options for that adapter. If DNS is the only thing failing, test by pinging a public IP address directly and temporarily using a known DNS server, but since 1.1.1.1 also failed, this likely isn’t just a DNS problem.
Because the failure appears daily and restarting fixes it, check for scheduled router or DHCP behavior, parental controls, and network-adapter power or driver issues. Also try bypassing the switch temporarily by connecting the computer directly to the router. If the problem disappears, the switch, its port, or its 2.5Gb negotiation may be involved. Rebooting the switch is a reasonable first test, but the timing makes it worth checking router logs and DHCP lease settings too.
The available details aren’t enough to identify one definite cause. Since local devices remain reachable, the computer’s link to the switch is probably still working, while something may be failing between the computer and the router or beyond it. Check whether the issue happens at the same time each day, and capture diagnostics while it is happening. In particular, run ipconfig /all, then test both ping 192.168.1.1 (or your router’s address) and ping 1.1.1.1. If the router responds but 1.1.1.1 does not, the problem is upstream or related to routing. If neither responds, investigate the adapter, cable, switch port, or driver.
It happens roughly every 24 hours. I’m connected by Ethernet through a 2.5Gb switch, and I’ll run those tests the next time it occurs. Pinging 1.1.1.1 failed during the last incident, and a video that was playing began buffering until I restarted the computer.