I've been having this odd problem for the past couple of days where my web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, and Edge) aren't connecting to the Internet at all. I keep getting the ERR_CONNECTION_RESET and ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR messages. It's really frustrating because I know my laptop is actually connected to the Internet since I can play online games without issue. Plus, my other devices like my phone and a different laptop connect just fine. I've tried a bunch of fixes, including changing my DNS, clearing cookies and cache, resetting my hosts file, turning off my antivirus and firewall, and checking that my date and time are correct. What else can I do to fix this?
4 Answers
Why don’t you try pinging google.com and then pinging 8.8.8.8 in the command prompt? It’ll help identify if it's a connection issue with your network or something specific to your browser.
It turned out to be the date and time that was off. Thanks for the help!
Have you tried updating your operating system? It’s possible that you’re not using TLS 1.3, which many websites are now requiring. Also, double-check that your system date and time are set correctly because that can mess with the whole connection process.
Make sure your date and time settings are correct. If that doesn’t fix it, you might want to power down your system, disconnect it from power, and replace the CMOS battery. After that, restart and reset your BIOS settings, including the date and time. If the date and time weren't the issue, think about whether you installed any VPN utilities recently; that can sometimes cause conflict.
I can boot into safe mode, so it’s probably not hardware or BIOS-related. I suspect it could be a corrupted driver or wrong user settings.
The ERR_CONNECTION_RESET and ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR errors usually indicate problems with website connections, but they stem from different causes. ERR_CONNECTION_RESET means the connection was abruptly cut off, often due to unstable internet, cached data issues, or antivirus interference. ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR occurs when the browser can't establish a secure connection. Make sure to clear your browser’s cache, disable any VPNs or proxies, and check your SSL settings. Restarting your router and updating your browser could also resolve it.
I followed your advice but realized I messed up the date and time settings because of a VPN I used. It changed my region unexpectedly. Still not working though. Any other ideas?
Sounds like you’ve tried a lot! You could check your browser extensions; some can really cause issues with secure connections.
Both pings worked for me!