My Windows 11 desktop and personal laptop cannot get online over Ethernet. Chrome reports `DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET`, and the same problem occurs in other browsers. Both computers work when connected directly to the BT Hub by Ethernet, but the desktop and laptop fail when using either of two TP-Link devices. Other devices, including a TV and a company laptop, work over the same network. I have tried multiple cables, Ethernet ports, TP-Link devices, and a USB Ethernet adapter, so the issue affects both PCs rather than one particular port or cable.
I suspected Norton 360, but the problem remained after disabling or uninstalling Norton and disabling Windows Defender Firewall. I have also rebooted the computers and router, factory-reset the router, restored Windows, reinstalled network drivers, run Windows troubleshooters and updates, reset TCP/IP and Winsock, flushed and renewed DHCP, tested IPv4 and IPv6, changed DNS to Google and Cloudflare, and tried Safe Mode with Networking. A factory reset of Windows is the only major step I have not attempted.
Running `ping google.com` returns "Ping request could not find host google.com," suggesting a DNS or network configuration problem. `ipconfig` also reports that some adapters have media disconnected, although I am not sure whether that is relevant. What should I check next, and is there a way to identify whether the problem is DNS, DHCP, the Ethernet network profile, or the TP-Link devices?
2 Answers
The “media disconnected” entries usually refer to adapters that are not currently being used, such as Wi‑Fi while Ethernet is connected, Bluetooth, or virtual adapters. They are not necessarily an error. Run `ipconfig /all` and look only at the active Ethernet adapter. It should have an IPv4 address, a default gateway, and DNS servers. Then test in this order: `ping 192.168.1.1` (or whatever address the hub uses), `ping 8.8.8.8`, and finally `ping google.com`. If the gateway fails, the issue is the Ethernet path or DHCP. If the gateway works but 8.8.8.8 fails, it is routing or filtering. If 8.8.8.8 works but the hostname fails, it is specifically DNS. Also check whether the TP-Link units are configured as access points or switches rather than accidentally running a second DHCP/NAT network.
The browser error is only a symptom; reinstalling Chrome will not help when `ping google.com` fails on multiple machines. First inspect the active adapter with `ipconfig /all`, then try `nslookup google.com` and `ping 8.8.8.8`. If name lookups fail while the IP ping works, temporarily set DNS on the active adapter to the hub’s address or a public resolver and verify that no VPN, security suite network filter, or manually configured proxy is still installed. If the IP ping also fails, changing DNS cannot fix it. In that case, use Windows’ Network reset as a final configuration reset, but make sure you know your Wi‑Fi passwords and VPN settings first.
That makes sense. I had been treating every “media disconnected” line as a failure, so I’ll check the address, gateway, and DNS values for the adapter that is actually connected and compare the results when connected directly to the hub versus through the TP-Link devices.
Since both computers fail through the TP-Link equipment but work directly from the hub, I would focus on the TP-Link configuration and cabling between the hub and those devices before resetting Windows. Check that the uplink cable is in the correct port, DHCP is disabled on the access points if the hub is providing addresses, and that the computers receive an address in the same subnet as the hub.