My computer periodically loses access to the internet, but 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 icon. The problem seems to happen about once every 24 hours. I'm using a wired connection through a 2.5Gb network switch with Ziply Fiber, and the computer runs Windows on an i7-7700K system with an ASRock Z270 Killer SLI motherboard. What could cause this, and what should I check when it happens?
5 Answers
Restart the network equipment one piece at a time, starting with the switch and then the router or fiber gateway if needed. If the switch is unmanaged, it can occasionally lock up even while some local traffic continues. Testing the computer directly on the router or gateway, temporarily bypassing the switch, is a useful way to isolate it.
You can try resetting the Windows networking components from an administrator terminal: `netsh winsock reset`, `netsh int ip reset`, `ipconfig /release`, `ipconfig /renew`, and `ipconfig /flushdns`. After restarting, verify that IPv4 is set to obtain an address automatically unless you intentionally use static settings. Also check the adapter’s power-management options and disable any setting that allows Windows to turn it off.
Router parental controls or a device-specific schedule could block only this computer, so check those settings even if the timing seems like a computer fault. If other devices stay online and the PC loses even direct IP pings, though, a bad Ethernet adapter, cable, switch port, or network driver is more likely than DNS alone.
Since it happens at roughly the same 24-hour interval, check for scheduled DHCP lease renewals, router or ISP maintenance, adapter power-saving behavior, and anything scheduled on the computer. Look in Windows Event Viewer around the failure time for network adapter or TCP/IP errors. Updating or reinstalling the Ethernet driver may also help, especially if the issue started after a driver or hardware change.
The fact that local devices still work suggests the computer’s Ethernet link and local network are still up, but its route to the internet may be failing. When it happens, open Command Prompt and test both `ping 1.1.1.1` and `ping 8.8.8.8`. Also run `ipconfig /all` and check whether the default gateway and DNS servers are still present. If the IP pings fail, it points more toward the gateway, switch, adapter, or ISP path than a browser problem.
I tried pinging 1.1.1.1 when it happened and it failed. YouTube also stopped loading until I restarted the computer.