{"id":1692,"date":"2015-04-20T10:21:09","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T09:21:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.hovatek.com\/?p=1692"},"modified":"2022-08-15T22:19:03","modified_gmt":"2022-08-15T22:19:03","slug":"how-to-fix-a-windows-pc-that-wont-connect-to-the-internet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-a-windows-pc-that-wont-connect-to-the-internet\/","title":{"rendered":"How to fix a Windows PC that wont connect to the internet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/bpyeki\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows-pc-wont-connect-to-wifi-internet.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1693\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/bpyeki\/uploads\/2015\/04\/windows-pc-wont-connect-to-wifi-internet.png\" alt=\"fix a pc that wont connect to internet\" width=\"620\" height=\"348\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In our previous articles on Windows PC internet problems, we discussed how to reduce heavy data usage (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/laptop-consuming-a-lot-of-data-mb-solved\/\">https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/laptop-consuming-a-lot-of-data-mb-solved\/<\/a>\u00a0) \u00a0and how to enable disabled Wi-Fi (see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-wi-fi-disabled-by-windows-mobility-center\/\">https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-wi-fi-disabled-by-windows-mobility-center\/<\/a> ) . In this tutorial, we&#8217;ll be looking at a case where you cant even connect to the internet on your Windows PC despite having an internet connection; common causes and effective fixes.<\/p>\n<h3>How can I tell if my Windows PC has internet access?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Navigate your mouse to the system tray (bottom right corner)<\/li>\n<li>Hover over the network\u00a0icon (it might be white network bars if using Wi-Fi or a Screen + Adapter cable if using a modem or cable)<\/li>\n<li>You should see &#8220;Internet access&#8221; if you have or &#8220;No internet access&#8221; if you don&#8217;t (see an example in the image below)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/bpyeki\/uploads\/2015\/04\/system-tray-internet-access.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1694\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/bpyeki\/uploads\/2015\/04\/system-tray-internet-access.jpg\" alt=\"system tray internet access\" width=\"528\" height=\"49\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>What could cause a Windows PC not to connect to the internet?<\/h3>\n<p>Common causes of not having internet access despite having a source or connection are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0No data plan: If you don&#8217;t have some sort of data plan (be it by purchase or tweak) then you wont have internet access despite having a connection<\/li>\n<li>MAC\/IP address blocked or blacklisted: If your PC&#8217;s MAC \/ IP address has been blocked or blacklisted by your Internet Service Provider then you might not have internet access<\/li>\n<li>Power saving mode: Sometimes, implementing power saving modes or settings could hinder internet access<\/li>\n<li>IP address conflict: If more than one device in a network gets assigned or has the same IP address, it could result in no internet access for one of or all affected\u00a0devices<\/li>\n<li>Firewall settings: A firewall configuration could be blocking internet access for the program in question<\/li>\n<li>Corrupt or missing network adapter\u00a0drivers: \u00a0If there&#8217;s a problem with the drivers of the network adapter in use, this could translate to a problem with internet access<\/li>\n<li>Weak signal: A weak signal could make an internet connection so slow that its practically non-existent<\/li>\n<li>Bad PC port: Connecting a modem or cable to a faulty PC port could be a problem<\/li>\n<li>Adapter misconfiguration: A misconfigured adapter is the most common cause of no internet access<\/li>\n<li>Software error: The PC, router or modem in use might have encountered a software error<\/li>\n<li>Crashed application \/ auto-start item: A crashed application which has firewall control (e.g Antivirus) could be the problem<\/li>\n<li>Disabled adapter: If the adapter is disabled, it simply wont work<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How do I fix a Windows PC that wont connect to the internet?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p>Some effective fixes to employ are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ensure you have an active and compatible data plan<\/li>\n<li>Restart the PC, modem or router as this could help fix temporary OS crashes \/ errors<\/li>\n<li>If you get the &#8220;attempting to connect&#8221; message for long then its possible your PC has been blacklisted. contact your ISP or the router&#8217;s Admin<\/li>\n<li>Ensure the PC is set to the High Performance power plan<\/li>\n<li>If you suspect an IP address conflict, change yours using the following steps: Launch command prompt as admin &gt;\u00a0Type ipconfig \/release then press Enter &gt;\u00a0Type\u00a0ipconfig \/renew\u00a0then press Enter &gt; Type\u00a0netsh int ip reset c:\\resetlog.txt\u00a0then press Enter<\/li>\n<li>Check the application under Windows firewall settings to be sure it hasn&#8217;t been blocked ; Control panel &gt; System and Security &gt; Windows Firewall &gt; Allow an app or feature through firewall). You could disable Windows Firewall as a diagnostic step (You might need to do this from your Antivirus<\/li>\n<li>Install the latest network adapter drivers by downloading from your PC manufacturer&#8217;s website<\/li>\n<li>Re-install network Adapter drivers using the following steps: Device manager &gt; Network adapters &gt; Right-click the adapter &gt; Select Uninstall &gt; Click Action at the top &gt; Select Scan for hardware changes<\/li>\n<li>If you have a weak signal then you best change location to get a better coverage or change ISPs<\/li>\n<li>If you&#8217;re using a modem (USB stick) or cable then try changing the PC port its connected to<\/li>\n<li>Diagnose the adapter for configuration error using the following steps :\u00a0Network and Sharing center &gt; Change adapter settings &gt; Highlight the adapter in use &gt; Click \u00a0Diagnose this connection at the top . Alternatively, you could right-click the network icon in the system tray and select Troubleshoot problems<\/li>\n<li>Restart the PC, Modem or router (whichever applies) to clear OS errors<\/li>\n<li>If this began after installing a software or changing some settings then uninstall the software or revert the settings. In extreme cases, consider doing a system restore (see\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-do-a-system-restore-on-a-pc\/\">https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-do-a-system-restore-on-a-pc\/<\/a> )<\/li>\n<li>Ensure the adapter is enabled; \u00a0Network and Sharing center &gt; Change adapter settings &gt; Right-click the adapter &gt; Select Enable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Why is my internet connection so slow?<\/h3>\n<p>The fault could either be from the source of the internet connection or you have too many applications connecting to the internet at a time (or at least some heavy downloading \/ uploading being done by one or more apps)<\/p>\n<h3>How do I avoid heavy data usage on a Windows PC?<\/h3>\n<p>The major data consumers are auto-update apps like Windows update, Antivirus, Toolbars etc. It could also be due to malware. Follow this guide @\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/laptop-consuming-a-lot-of-data-mb-solved\/\">https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/laptop-consuming-a-lot-of-data-mb-solved\/<\/a>\u00a0if you want greater control over your data usage<\/p>\n<p>Hovatek&#8230;.just a button away!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; In our previous articles on Windows PC internet problems, we discussed how to reduce heavy data usage (see https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/laptop-consuming-a-lot-of-data-mb-solved\/\u00a0) \u00a0and how to enable disabled Wi-Fi (see https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/how-to-fix-wi-fi-disabled-by-windows-mobility-center\/ ) . In this tutorial, we&#8217;ll be looking at a case where you cant even connect to the internet on your Windows PC despite having an internet [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[818],"tags":[80,126],"class_list":["post-1692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-laptop-desktop","tag-tutorials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hovatek.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}