Fix: Windows 10 Loses Internet Connection

By Kevin ArrowsUpdated on April 25, 2024

Kevin is a certified Network Engineer

After the launch of Windows 10, a majority of Windows users began shifting their operating systems to the latest version. Users have reported losing internet connection after installing Windows 10. This is quite interesting, as Windows 10 is the successor of all previous Windows versions and should be the best of all. We know that this issue will be resolved over time, but it is quite a headache for those users who need to be connected throughout the day.

Although sometimes Windows indicates that the system is connected to the internet, it does not function properly. Attempting to fix this issue automatically proves unsuccessful, leaving the problem unresolved. In this guide, we will attempt to resolve this issue

Reason behind the problem: ‘Losing internet connection after installing Windows 10.’

One of the common causes of this problem is the absence or corruption of the Windows Socket API (Winsock) within the Windows registry. Sometimes, a registry key related to Winsock might become corrupted due to certain viruses. As a result, it causes the internet to shut down. The TCP/IP configuration can also be one of the main culprits behind this issue.

Another factor that may contribute to this problem could be the corruption or improper installation of network card drivers.

Solutions to Fix the Problem of Losing Internet Connection after Installing Windows 10.

There are multiple causes behind this problem; therefore, there might be multiple solutions to fix it. Follow these methods to get your internet working again on Windows 10.

Method #1: Resetting Winsock and TCP/IP.

Resetting the Windows Socket API can do the trick in a majority of cases. You will also be required to reset the IPv4 and IPv6 protocols to regain your internet connection. To accomplish all of this, follow the steps below.

1. Open the Command Prompt (Admin) by right-clicking on the Start menu and selecting it from the list. Alternatively, you can use the Win + X keys on the keyboard and choose it from the list.

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2. Type the following commands inside the Command Prompt, pressing the Enter key after typing each one. You can also copy and paste the commands by right-clicking inside the Command Prompt and selecting “Paste.

Commands:

Netsh winsock reset catalog.

netsh int ipv4 reset reset.log

netsh int ipv6 reset reset.log

Reminder: Press ‘Enter‘ after typing each line.

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3. After the process is complete, reboot your computer and check if your internet connection is working properly.

Method #2: Updating Network Adapter Drivers.

Sometimes, after the installation of Windows, compatible drivers are not installed by the system due to a lack of support for that particular adapter. Therefore, downloading and updating your adapter drivers manually from the manufacturer’s website can solve the problem.

1. Download the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

2. After the drivers have been downloaded, navigate to your Device Manager > Network adapters and right-click on the one you are using for your internet connectivity. Select “Update Driver Software” from the top menu.

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3. Inside the update window, click on ‘Browse my computer for driver software‘ and select the appropriate driver you downloaded onto the hard drive. Then, click the ‘Next‘ button. After the process is complete, reboot your PC and check for any issues.

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Method #3: Uninstall the App.

It is possible that a third-party application may be preventing you from connecting properly. Therefore, it is recommended that you uninstall the Intel PROSet/Wireless Software application if it has been installed on your computer.

Comments

Missy Nov 18, 2015

Window 10 security update yesterday..no problems previously. We have Internet..problem states network protocols are missing, Windows sockets registry is missing?????

K. Arrows Author Nov 18, 2015

Do a system restore to an earlier point in time when it was working. see steps here: http://appuals.com/best-guide-configure-system-restore-in-windows-10/

Johny Dec 20, 2015

Thanks! Works perfectly

Kim Jan 10, 2016

I downloaded Windows 10 on to my computer last weekend was very sorry I did it I lost internet called Microsoft Windows they wanted $200 to correct the situation anyways I tried method number one and it worked thank you so very much.

K. Arrows Author Jan 10, 2016

Welcome.

Robert Dunnicliff Jan 25, 2016

Lost my internet after a windows update. Method #1 above worked great and it was really easy. Thanks!

K. Azim Feb 4, 2016

Method #1 worked like a charm. Thank you! Can’t believe Microsoft would do such a poor job on updates going out to every windows user that make windows 10 machines go completely dark for networking. Was such a frustration until I found your solution. Next time I’ll buy a MAC.

joe perrott Feb 7, 2016

good morning i,m a little lost as far what commands to type in are they the one,s nctsh windstock reset catalog or resetting global ok.?

K. Arrows Author Feb 7, 2016

Follow steps in the listed order.

David Feb 15, 2016

I have a Dell desktop and also get this message.
My solution has been to disconnect the Router ( Belkin N300 Ethernet Connection), reconnect it and reboot the computer and it works every time.
I am not a computer expert and am appalled that Windows have put out software that has this common fault. We users are not all computer buffs, nor do we want to have to fiddle around with computer settings.
Microsoft should sort this out – it is their software.

Joao Romao May 23, 2016

Method #1 worked like a charm for me with the first line command “netsh winsock reset catalog” only and after rebooting . Thank you! Is it recommend to enter the two flwg commands anyway?

Veronica Jun 10, 2016

Method #1 works for me, but I have to keep resetting Winsock every few hours! It’s tedious and inconvenient. Why is this happening? How can Winsock get corrupted every few hours? Please help!

kritikisto Apr 20, 2020

Thanks! “Method # 1: Resetting Winsock and TCP/IP” worked for me!

Mike U Aug 3, 2020

I’ve tried every suggestion I could find. What finally worked for me was to uninstall the app “Intel PROSet/wireless Software.”

Shane Warren Author Aug 4, 2020

Thanks for sharing, it has been added to the post.

Byl Sottile May 12, 2022

I’ve had this problem for a few weeks now.. not a clue why. I stumbled on to something else that worked. I just loaded the latest Win10 update. (2022.5x may, 2022 update); previous updates had the same outcome; internet lost after reboot.. I am suspect of my motherboard, however the solution that worked for me is this:

First completely shut down the computer, I mean all the way down to off. Then flip the power switch on the back of the PC, then unplug the power cord.. On some computers, you’ll hear a very slight click; it’s a capacitor discharge on the power circuit on the mother board (where the surge suppression happens on startup. I leave it unplugged until I hear that click, or wait about 10 seconds. Then re-plug in the power cord, flip the on switch on the Power Supply, then boot your system.

One of the first messages you will see after it’s up and you’re logged in, on the right hand side of the monitor you’ll see a curious system message saying “Do you want to allow computers on your network to recognize you?” say YES, and within a minute, you’ll be able to fire up a browser and go somewhere successfully, but note, the little GLOBE you see where the internet icon is in the right side of the task-bar, will not convert from Globe to I-Net icon.. but as soon as I loaded up a website, and success, I’ll see the globe change to the inet icon.

Everything works. My guess is, it may be partially my own issue, I’m running an early generation Ryzen AM4 motherboard, for about 3 years, and it’s been in two different computer cases during this time. It’s quiet probably that the motherboard (and the Intel Network chip may have started to fail. It happens at every reboot these days.. Pain in the arse being frustrated with the reboots for weeks now, but this solution is working for me.. I’d suggest if you have this issue, give this a try and see if it works. In the next coming week I’m building a full Ryzen 9 system with 128GB of Ram, and two larger SSD cards for storage. I will note whether this issue reoccurs on the new system. (there will be a clean OS.. not 11, (I don’t update OS’s until at least 18 months after release, my experience with microsoft is they always put products out before the full beta test is completed, and lots of bugs and mistakes are found; I run a system in a recording studio, I cannot allow my business to be halted because Microsoft got careless (They should leave the OS market and make Linux is only kernel, with their gui (or any other) and run all windows software in direct mode, not interpreted.. (this is my wish..oh well) best luck.. nothing is more frustrating that spending hours figuring out why windose is failing to do it’s basic stuff.. connect to everything. Thanks folks.

Muhammad Zubyan Author May 12, 2022

Interesting, I think I can try to resolve your issue. However, I think you might have tried it already I can still suggest something so it might help someone else having this issue. I think disabling the fast startup should fix this issue for you because fast startup doesn’t allow some services and drivers to restart correctly and as you mentioned power-cycling the PC fixed your issue so this has the potential to fix your issue as well. Here are the steps:-

1. Press Windows + R key, this should open the Run program. Now type “powercfg.cpl”.
2. On the left pane, click on the option called “Choose what the power buttons do”.
3. Now click on the option on top “Change settings that are currently unavailable”.
4. Now make sure the option called “Turn on Fast Startup (Recommended)” is not checked, if it is then simply uncheck it and restart your computer properly.

Hope this helps!

Byl Sottile May 13, 2022

That setting is not set, we disabled that a while ago. (Turn on Fast Startup) is not checked. I’ll keep you posted if I find something else.
thank you very much for such a quick reply.. you’re gold

Muhammad Zubyan Author May 13, 2022

Your welcome! Please keep me updated.

Byl Sottile May 14, 2022

I Do have one other nagging issue; have not been able to isolate it or reproduce it. In the recording studio I use USB3.0 to connect to a pro audio PreSonus 192 8-16 channel DAC, and also use a PreSonus Audio Box 96 for desktop speakers, I do not use the on-board audio. Lately over the last month or two, I get spurious dialog box popup when I’m using the USB to audio devices.. just realized it is happening to both PreSonus DACs. This dialog only comes up when I’m playing something thru VLC or thru my DAW (my case is Cakewalk); when either is running (or both) I’ll see what seems to be a ‘Audio channel profiler’ that is going thru all audio channels and testing what are the available bit-depths and sampling rates. It will sometimes happen while playback in the DAW and occasionally during REC (totally not good !) I’ve connected each of them to the USB3.0 PCie buss, as well as the back of MoBo USB3.0 ports. Still get this issue. But, what is even weirder, if I start the DAW, then load a project, I’ll see the dialog come up often and randomly for the first while, then afterwards I see it less, but ocassionally will pop up.. for example my DAW has been running (background) for about 3 days. I have NOT seen any ‘reprofiling’ dialog boxes.. seems to happen during the startup and after project load.. does not make sense.

Could it really be time to build another system with a new motherboard? Any ideas would be awesome.. thanks so much for your attention..
you’re gold.

Byl S.
Oregon