How to Fix IPv4/IPv6 ‘No Internet Access’ Error

Since the invention of the internet, a lot of advancements have been made. A lot more computers have been interconnected, leading to newer protocols and technology to enhance exchange and protection over the web. Despite these strides, a lot of PC users still find some difficulty connecting to the internet. This could be simple reasons like a cable connection or restarting your router, but in some cases, it is because of the internet protocol. Particularly for this case, the ‘IPv6 connectivity: no internet access’ has been a common problem for several users both on Wi-Fi and when using a LAN cable. When this occurs, such users lose any kind of connection to the internet. This article will look into the cause of this problem and give working resolutions.

IPv6 is the latest internet protocol aimed at replacing its predecessor, IPv4. The stated error can be detected from the status of your current connection. Open Run (Windows key + R) > Type ncpa.cpl > OK > Right-click on your connection > Status. Here you will see a connection and the internet protocol you are connected through. No network access means: No DHCP server was detected, and no link-local address assigned. This is different from ‘No internet access’ that means that a DHCP server was detected but, no link-local address assigned. You can type ‘ipconfig /all’ into the command prompt to see your current network settings. Troubleshooting’ your network connection will likely not yield any results. All you might get is that your settings are configured correctly but the device is not responding. This error means that your PC was not able to successfully pass the requirements for the ipv6 internet protocol needed for exchange and protection hence it was not allowed to complete the internet connection.

Why do you get the ‘IPv6/IPv4 Connectivity: No Internet Access’ Issue?

This can occur for several reasons. IPv6 is the next generation of routing and offers many improvements over IPv4, including a virtually unlimited number of addresses. Unfortunately, there exists a huge installed base of networking equipment that is not capable of communicating via the IPv6 protocol. ‘IPv6 Connectivity: No Internet Access’ is normal; only a very small number of ISPs allow it and those aren’t usually enabled by default. Here is an approved list of ISPs that provide IPv6 internet connection. Your ISP or your router might therefore still be configured for IPv4, while your PC is trying to connect through IPv6 hence the conflict. Your router could even be able to assign an IPv6 address but your ISP is not able to, hence the lack of internet connection.

If you can get an internet connection via IPv4, then you should be able the browse the web unless your drivers are faulty. If you have only IPv6 as the only connection, there is a chance IPv4 is disabled. Your LAN or Wi-Fi/WLAN drivers might also be the problem in this case. To narrow down the problem to either the PC or to the router, try connecting other devices to the same network and see if they work. Below are some known working solutions to this problem.

What Specifically Causes the IPv4 No Internet Access Error on Windows?

There are quite a few causes to check out regarding this problem. All networking problems are generally caused by various factors and it can be quite useful tracking down all possible causes. Each cause can be connected with a possible method used to resolve the problem so make sure you check out our shortlist below!

Solution 1: Update your network drivers

The best way to update your network drivers is to go online to your computer or device manufacturer and download then install your drivers manually. For Dell users, you can go here to download your drivers. HP users can go here. You can also update your drivers over the internet via device manager. However, since your computer has no internet connection, you can only use the first option.

1. For the Dell users, go to their support website here
2. Click on support, go to ‘drivers and downloads’
3. If you are visiting the website for the first time, you will get a screen to enter your service tag. Otherwise, your browser cookies will show the recent products you browsed. There are three ways to get your drivers. One is to use the service tag, the other is to automatically detect your system and the other is to manually search for your drivers. We are going to use the fastest; using a service tag.
4. Check the bottom of your laptop, or in the battery compartment. You should get a sticker labeled “service tag (S/N).” Type the 7-character alphanumeric code into the dell website support page and click submit.
5. Dell will load the product related to the service tag. From this page, you can choose to detect updates automatically or find your drivers by yourself. Click on the ‘Find it myself’ tab.
6. Expand the network section and download your drivers. If the update does not run automatically, double click to run it. Follow the prompts to finish the installation and restart your PC.

Solution 2: Change HT Mode

HT (High Throughput) Mode is a useful feature but, to resolve the problem, its settings should be changed. It has recommended by several users on forums and this has done wonders for their Internet connection. Make sure you try it out below!

1. Use the Windows + R key combo which should immediately open the Run dialog box where you should type ‘ncpa.cpl’ in the bar and click OK to open the Internet Connection settings item in Control Panel.
2. The same process can also be done by manually opening the Control Panel. Switch the View by setting at the top right section of the window to Category and click on Network and Internet at the top. Click the Network and Sharing center button to open it. Try to locate the Change adapter settings button at the left menu and click on it.

   

3. When the Internet Connection window opens, double-click on your active Network Adapter.
4. Then click Properties and click the Configure button at the top of the window. Navigate to the Advanced tab in the new window which will open and locate the HT Mode option in the list.

   

5. Change it to HT Mode 20/40 or a similar-looking option. Restart your computer to confirm the changes and check to see if the problem persists.

Solution 3: Release and renew your IP configuration

Assuming your device was not properly allocated an IP address or the allocation was terminated; releasing the current address and renewing it and allow you to complete a connection. To do this

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run
2. Type cmd and hit enter to open the command prompt
3. In the command prompt window, type ‘ipconfig /release’ and press ENTER.
4. Once the prompt returns, type ‘ipconfig /renew’ and then hit Enter.
5. Type Exit and press ENTER to close the window.

Solution 4: Reset Winsock

“netsh Winsock reset” is a helpful command that you can use in Command Prompt to reset Winsock Catalog back to default setting or its clean state. You can try this method if you are experiencing the inability to connect to the Internet on IPv4.

1. Search for “Command Prompt” by typing it either right in the Start menu or by pressing the search button right next to it. Right-click the first entry which will pop up as a search result and select the “Run as administrator” context menu entry.
2. Additionally, you can also use the Windows Logo Key + R key combination to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “cmd” in the dialog box which appears and use the Ctrl + Shift + Enter key combination to run Command Prompt using administrator privileges.

   

3. Type in the following command in the window and make sure you press Enter after typing it. Wait for the “Winsock reset completed successfully” message or something similar to know that the method has worked and you haven’t made any mistakes while typing. Check to see if the issue persists.

netsh winsock reset
nets int ip reset

 Solution 5: Disable IPv6 to force your PC to use IPv4

IPv6 is not likely to be essential for the next few years. Your internet problem might therefore not be about IPv6. Unless you need IPV6 for something, you can try forcing windows to use IPv4 instead. Windows *can* and will use (preferred) IPv6 if all of your other equipment and your ISP does. I would try connecting with IPv4, which is supported by older equipment and all ISPs AFAIK. Here is an approved list of ISPs that provide IPv6 internet connection. To disable IPv6 manually:

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run
2. Type ncpa.cpl and hit enter to open the networks connections window
3. Right-click on your connection and select “properties”
4. On the networking tab, scroll down to ‘Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6)’
5. Uncheck the checkbox on the left of this property, and then click OK.
6. You might need to restart your computer

You can also use the tools from Microsoft to do the above automatically. Go to this page here and download the ‘Prefer IPv4 over IPv6 in prefix policies’ utility and run it. This will make IPv4 as default over IPv6. To disable IPv6 completely, use the ‘Disable IPv6’ utility. These actions can be reversed by using more utilities from the same page.

 Solution 6: Disable all Firewall and Antivirus Software

Anti-viruses like AVG and McAfee have been notorious for this problem. Some of these firewall programs might have been installed automatically along with other software. Try disabling their firewall settings from their interfaces. The best idea would be to completely uninstall these programs.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open Run
2. Type appwiz.cpl and hit enter to open programs and features
3. Look for McAfee, AVG and other firewall and antivirus programs
4. Right-click on the program you want to uninstall and select “uninstall”
5. Follow the screen prompts to finish uninstalling

You will probably need to remove any residual files of the antivirus or firewall programs. You can view the steps here to uninstall McAfee. You can also download Revo Uninstaller Pro free trial from here. Install it, run it, search for residual files and remove them.

Solution 7: Reset your IP settings using the Microsoft NetShell Utility

You can skip the trouble of manually resetting your IP configuration by using this tool from Microsoft to reset your network.

1. Download the NetShell IP reset utility from here
2. Run the file. Click on Next.
3. The troubleshooter will create a restore point and then reset your IP.
4. Press Next to restart your PC.

Solution 8: Block IPv6 incoming connections on Apple Airport

If you are using the Apple airport router, you can try changing IPv6 mode to tunnel and then block incoming IPv6 connections.

1. Start the Airport Utility;
2. Select the Airport Express;
3. Click “Advanced”;
4. Select IPv6;
5. Change IPv6 mode to “Tunnel”;
6. Check “Block incoming IPv6 connections”;
7. Configure IPv6 automatically.
8. Restart your computer

It is also advisable to keep your router from interference from things such as microwaves that run on the same frequency. If your internet requires extra login information (account/username + password), make sure you have the updated login information and that it has been entered correctly. When everything else fails, you can do an OS reset in Windows 10, or a re-installation in Windows 7. Here is an article on a related internet connection problem.

Solution 9: Reinstall Networking Drivers

Having the latest drivers installed is very important when it comes to networking and we highly recommend you update them as soon as possible as it can resolve the IPv4 no Internet access problem almost immediately. Follow the instructions below to proceed with that!

1. First of all, you will need to uninstall the driver you currently have installed on your machine.
2. Type “Device Manager” into the search field next to the Start menu button to open the device manager window. You can also use the Windows Key + R key combination to open the Run dialog box. Type devmgmt.msc in the box and click OK or Enter key.

   

3. Expand the “Network Adapters” section. This will display all network adapters that the machine has installed at the moment.
4. Right-click on the wireless network adapter you want to uninstall and select “Update driver“. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the networking device.

   

5. From the next screen which will appear asking you How do you want to search for driver software, choose the Search automatically for updated driver software option.

   

6. Click Next and check out whether the problem has finally been resolved on your computer.

Solution 10: Make Sure the DNS and IP Addresses are Obtained Automatically

If you have tweaked some of these settings in the past, you may want to consider returning everything to how it was before to resolve this problem. On the other hand, if you haven’t configured these settings before, you might want to try and use other DNS addresses such as Google’s DNS address available for free.

1. Use the Windows + R key combo which should immediately open the Run dialog box where you should type ‘ncpa.cpl’ in the bar and click OK to open the Internet Connection settings item in Control Panel.
2. The same process can also be done by manually Control Panel. Switch the View by setting at the top right section of the window to Category and click on Network and Internet at the top. Click the Network and Sharing center button to open it. Try to locate the Change adapter settings button at the left menu and click on it.

   

3. Now that the Internet Connection window is open using any method above, double-click on your active network adapter and click on the Properties button below if you have admin permissions.
4. Locate the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) item on the list. Click on it to select it and click the Properties button below.

   

5. Stay in the General tab and switch both radio buttons in the Properties window to “Obtain an IP address automatically” and “Obtain DNS server address automatically” if they were set to something else.

   

6. Keep the “Validate settings upon exit” option checked and click OK to apply the changes immediately. Check to see if the same error appears after running the network troubleshooter!

Solution 11: Uninstall McAfee

To be honest, McAfee antivirus sometimes acts more like malware than a tool that should protect you from it. It causes various errors on people’s computers even long after it has been uninstalled because of its leftover files and registry entries. This networking problem is one of such errors and it can be solved by performing a clean uninstall of McAfee antivirus.

1. Click on the Start menu button and open Control Panel by searching for it. Alternatively, you can click on the gear-like icon to open the Settings tool if you are a Windows 10 user.
2. In Control Panel, set the View as setting to Category at the top right corner and click on Uninstall a Program under the Programs section.

   

3. If you are using the Settings app on Windows 10, clicking on Apps should immediately open a list of all installed programs and tools on your PC.
4. Locate McAfee Antivirus in Control Panel or Settings and click on Uninstall or Remove.
5. You should confirm any dialog boxes which may appear asking you to uninstall McAfee Antivirus and follow the instructions which will appear in the uninstallation wizard.

   

6. Click Finish when the uninstalled completes the process and restart your computer to apply the changes.

To clean up the remainder of the files left by McAfee, you should use the McAfee Consumer Product Removal Tool (MCPR) which can be used easily by following the instructions below:

1. Download the MCPR tool from McAfee’s official website and double-click on MCPR.exe file you just downloaded. It should be in your Downloads folder by default but you can also open it by clicking on the file at your browser Downloads page.
2. If you see a security UAC warning asking you to choose whether you allow the app to make changes to your PC, click Yes, Continue, or Run, depending on which version of Windows you have installed.
3. At the McAfee Software Removal screen, click on the Next button and click Agree to accept the End User License Agreement (EULA).

   

4. At the Security Validation screen, type the security characters exactly as shown on your screen (validation is case-sensitive). Click the Next button. This step prevents the accidental use of MCPR.
5. After the removal process finishes you should see the Removal Complete pop up which means that McAfee products have been removed successfully from your computer.

   

6. However, if you see the Cleanup Unsuccessful message, the cleanup has failed and you should restart your PC and try the whole process again.
7. Restart your computer after the process finally finishes and check to see if McAfee Antivirus is removed from your computer. Furthermore, check to see if you are still experiencing the IPv4 no Internet access issue on