Help Needed: My Internet Only Works After Reinstalling Windows!
Asked by
CuriousTraveler42
I've been dealing with a frustrating internet issue after my PC experienced a sudden power outage due to a thunderstorm. Since then, every time the power goes out, I find myself unable to connect to the internet. Initially, I thought my old ethernet cable was to blame, so I got a new one, but it didn't help. I even tried a USB Wi-Fi adapter, which worked fine on another PC, but not on mine. After checking with a local repair shop, we found the ethernet port was likely fried, so I replaced it with a new adapter. Miraculously, I got internet access after a clean reinstall of my operating system. However, after another power outage recently, the same issue occurred—no internet connection, leading me to do a factory reset, which temporarily fixed it. I'm worried about what will happen if the power goes out again. I'm looking for insight into what's causing this problem and any possible solutions.
Answers
Have you tried reseating your hardware components? Sometimes just removing and reinserting can help with connectivity issues. It’s usually a simple fix if there’s a loose connection somewhere.
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You could use PowerShell to reset your ethernet. This script removes your ethernet device like it’s external, then it should recognize it again when you scan for devices. Just run the following:
$Name = "Ethernet"
$Devices = Get-PnpDevice | ? { $_.'FriendlyName' -Match $Name }
$Devices | % {
$PnPutil = "PnPutil.exe"
$RemoveDevice = 'Remove-Device'
$ScanDevices = 'Scan-Devices', 'Async'
Write-Output "Removing Device :: $($_.Name)"
& $PnPutil $RemoveDevice, $_.'PNPDeviceID' | Out-Null
}
Sleep -Seconds "3"
& $PnPutil $ScanDevices
CuriousTraveler42: Thanks for the tip! I’ll try this if the issue comes up again, but I'm doubtful it’ll help.
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Have you tried uninstalling all your network devices from the device manager? It can often resolve strange issues like this. Just open the device manager, locate your network adapters, right-click them and uninstall—don't delete the drivers. Then, select your computer name and scan for hardware changes to reinstall. This might fix the problem if the device still appears to be operating correctly but isn't actually functioning properly.
CableNinja93: I actually tried that, but it didn't make a difference for me.
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It sounds a lot like an internal hardware issue, particularly with your network card. You might want to disable the internal adapter through device manager to see if that allows your USB adapter to work. Sometimes, updates can cause these kinds of issues. Just a heads up—it’s not exclusive to laptops; it can happen with desktops too.
CuriousTraveler42: Unfortunately, my motherboard doesn't even have Wi-Fi capabilities.
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CuriousTraveler42: Yeah, I've done that already, but no luck.